diff --git a/agent/consul/client_test.go b/agent/consul/client_test.go
index d8f0fbd4df..5c35e3f338 100644
--- a/agent/consul/client_test.go
+++ b/agent/consul/client_test.go
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ func newDefaultDeps(t *testing.T, c *Config) Deps {
 
 	logger := hclog.NewInterceptLogger(&hclog.LoggerOptions{
 		Name:   c.NodeName,
-		Level:  hclog.Trace,
+		Level:  testutil.TestLogLevel,
 		Output: testutil.NewLogBuffer(t),
 	})
 
diff --git a/agent/consul/leader_peering.go b/agent/consul/leader_peering.go
index c0f69b1686..41736e3d09 100644
--- a/agent/consul/leader_peering.go
+++ b/agent/consul/leader_peering.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"net"
 
-	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/rpc/peering"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-memdb"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror"
@@ -17,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/pool"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/rpc/peering"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/structs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/proto/pbpeering"
 )
@@ -50,6 +50,39 @@ func (s *Server) stopPeeringStreamSync() {
 // syncPeeringsAndBlock is a long-running goroutine that is responsible for watching
 // changes to peerings in the state store and managing streams to those peers.
 func (s *Server) syncPeeringsAndBlock(ctx context.Context, logger hclog.Logger, cancelFns map[string]context.CancelFunc) error {
+	// We have to be careful not to introduce a data race here. We want to
+	// compare the current known peerings in the state store with known
+	// connected streams to know when we should TERMINATE stray peerings.
+	//
+	// If you read the current peerings from the state store, then read the
+	// current established streams you could lose the data race and have the
+	// sequence of events be:
+	//
+	//   1. list peerings [A,B,C]
+	//   2. persist new peering [D]
+	//   3. accept new stream for [D]
+	//   4. list streams [A,B,C,D]
+	//   5. terminate [D]
+	//
+	// Which is wrong. If we instead ensure that (4) happens before (1), given
+	// that you can't get an established stream without first passing a "does
+	// this peering exist in the state store?" inquiry then this happens:
+	//
+	//   1. list streams [A,B,C]
+	//   2. list peerings [A,B,C]
+	//   3. persist new peering [D]
+	//   4. accept new stream for [D]
+	//   5. terminate []
+	//
+	// Or even this is fine:
+	//
+	//   1. list streams [A,B,C]
+	//   2. persist new peering [D]
+	//   3. accept new stream for [D]
+	//   4. list peerings [A,B,C,D]
+	//   5. terminate []
+	connectedStreams := s.peeringService.ConnectedStreams()
+
 	state := s.fsm.State()
 
 	// Pull the state store contents and set up to block for changes.
@@ -121,7 +154,7 @@ func (s *Server) syncPeeringsAndBlock(ctx context.Context, logger hclog.Logger,
 
 	// Clean up active streams of peerings that were deleted from the state store.
 	// TODO(peering): This is going to trigger shutting down peerings we generated a token for. Is that OK?
-	for stream, doneCh := range s.peeringService.ConnectedStreams() {
+	for stream, doneCh := range connectedStreams {
 		if _, ok := stored[stream]; ok {
 			// Active stream is in the state store, nothing to do.
 			continue
diff --git a/proto/pbpeering/peering.go b/proto/pbpeering/peering.go
index 4c42650211..e52affe4ab 100644
--- a/proto/pbpeering/peering.go
+++ b/proto/pbpeering/peering.go
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ func (x ReplicationMessage_Response_Operation) GoString() string {
 	return x.String()
 }
 
+func (x PeeringState) GoString() string {
+	return x.String()
+}
+
 func (r *TrustBundleReadRequest) CacheInfo() cache.RequestInfo {
 	info := cache.RequestInfo{
 		// TODO(peering): Revisit whether this is the token to use once request types accept a token.