diff --git a/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim b/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
index dfd5d642b..f3609cd6d 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/nimbus_beacon_node.nim
@@ -363,7 +363,8 @@ func verifyFinalization(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
     # finalization occurs every slot, to 4 slots vs scheduledSlot.
     doAssert finalizedEpoch + 4 >= epoch
 
-proc installAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode, subnets: set[uint8]) =
+proc installAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode, subnets: set[uint8])
+    {.async} =
   var attestationSubscriptions: seq[Future[void]] = @[]
 
   # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/p2p-interface.md#attestations-and-aggregation
@@ -371,14 +372,14 @@ proc installAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode, subnets: set[uint8]) =
     attestationSubscriptions.add(node.network.subscribe(
       getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, subnet)))
 
-  waitFor allFutures(attestationSubscriptions)
+  await allFutures(attestationSubscriptions)
 
   # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/p2p-interface.md#metadata
   node.network.metadata.seq_number += 1
   for subnet in subnets:
     node.network.metadata.attnets[subnet] = true
 
-proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
+proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) {.async.} =
   static: doAssert RANDOM_SUBNETS_PER_VALIDATOR == 1
 
   let epochParity = slot.epoch mod 2
@@ -413,7 +414,7 @@ proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
       unsubscriptions.add(node.network.unsubscribe(
         getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, expiringSubnet)))
 
-    waitFor allFutures(unsubscriptions)
+    await allFutures(unsubscriptions)
 
     # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/p2p-interface.md#metadata
     # The race condition window is smaller by placing the fast, local, and
@@ -422,7 +423,7 @@ proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
     for expiringSubnet in expiringSubnets:
       node.network.metadata.attnets[expiringSubnet] = false
 
-  node.installAttestationSubnetHandlers(newSubnets)
+  await node.installAttestationSubnetHandlers(newSubnets)
 
   block:
     let subscribed_subnets =
@@ -432,11 +433,10 @@ proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
     for subnet in 0'u8 ..< ATTESTATION_SUBNET_COUNT:
       node.network.metadata.attnets[subnet] = subnet in subscribed_subnets
 
-proc getAttestationHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
+proc getAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
   var initialSubnets: set[uint8]
   for i in 0'u8 ..< ATTESTATION_SUBNET_COUNT:
     initialSubnets.incl i
-  node.installAttestationSubnetHandlers(initialSubnets)
 
   # https://github.com/ethereum/eth2.0-specs/blob/v1.0.0/specs/phase0/validator.md#phase-0-attestation-subnet-stability
   let wallEpoch =  node.beaconClock.now().slotOrZero().epoch
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ proc getAttestationHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
   node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[0] = initialSubnets
   node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[1] = initialSubnets
 
-  node.network.subscribe(getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest))
+  node.installAttestationSubnetHandlers(initialSubnets)
 
 proc addMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
   allFutures(
@@ -458,8 +458,8 @@ proc addMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
     node.network.subscribe(getAttesterSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest)),
     node.network.subscribe(getProposerSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest)),
     node.network.subscribe(getVoluntaryExitsTopic(node.forkDigest)),
-
-    node.getAttestationHandlers()
+    node.network.subscribe(getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest)),
+    node.getAttestationSubnetHandlers()
   )
 
 func getTopicSubscriptionEnabled(node: BeaconNode): bool =
@@ -534,7 +534,7 @@ proc updateGossipStatus(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) {.async.} =
 
   # Subscription or unsubscription might have occurred; recheck
   if slot.isEpoch and node.getTopicSubscriptionEnabled:
-    node.cycleAttestationSubnets(slot)
+    await node.cycleAttestationSubnets(slot)
 
 proc onSlotStart(node: BeaconNode, lastSlot, scheduledSlot: Slot) {.async.} =
   ## Called at the beginning of a slot - usually every slot, but sometimes might