diff --git a/beacon_chain/beacon_node.nim b/beacon_chain/beacon_node.nim
index 7c5dcb139..e5bcbcaf3 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/beacon_node.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/beacon_node.nim
@@ -327,6 +327,8 @@ proc installAttestationSubnetHandlers(node: BeaconNode, subnets: set[uint8]) =
     node.network.metadata.attnets[subnet] = true
 
 proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
+  static: doAssert RANDOM_SUBNETS_PER_VALIDATOR == 1
+
   let epochParity = slot.epoch mod 2
   var attachedValidators: seq[ValidatorIndex]
   for validatorIndex in 0 ..< node.chainDag.headState.data.data.validators.len:
@@ -334,6 +336,9 @@ proc cycleAttestationSubnets(node: BeaconNode, slot: Slot) =
         node.chainDag.headState.data.data, validatorIndex.ValidatorIndex) != nil:
       attachedValidators.add validatorIndex.ValidatorIndex
 
+  if attachedValidators.len == 0:
+    return
+
   let (newAttestationSubnets, expiringSubnets, newSubnets) =
     get_attestation_subnet_changes(
       node.chainDag.headState.data.data, attachedValidators,
@@ -404,6 +409,29 @@ proc addMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
     node.getAttestationHandlers()
   )
 
+func getTopicSubscriptionEnabled(node: BeaconNode): bool =
+  node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[0].len +
+  node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[1].len > 0
+
+proc removeMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode): Future[void] =
+  node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[0] = {}
+  node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[1] = {}
+  doAssert not node.getTopicSubscriptionEnabled()
+
+  var unsubscriptions = mapIt(
+    [getBeaconBlocksTopic(node.forkDigest),
+     getVoluntaryExitsTopic(node.forkDigest),
+     getProposerSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest),
+     getAttesterSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest),
+     getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest)],
+    node.network.unsubscribe(it))
+
+  for subnet in 0'u64 ..< ATTESTATION_SUBNET_COUNT:
+    unsubscriptions.add node.network.unsubscribe(
+      getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, subnet))
+
+  allFutures(unsubscriptions)
+
 proc onSlotStart(node: BeaconNode, lastSlot, scheduledSlot: Slot) {.async.} =
   ## Called at the beginning of a slot - usually every slot, but sometimes might
   ## skip a few in case we're running late.
@@ -461,11 +489,6 @@ proc onSlotStart(node: BeaconNode, lastSlot, scheduledSlot: Slot) {.async.} =
   if node.config.verifyFinalization:
     verifyFinalization(node, scheduledSlot)
 
-  # Syncing tends to be ~1 block/s, and allow for an epoch of time for libp2p
-  # subscribing to spin up. The faster the sync, the more wallSlot - headSlot
-  # lead time is required.
-  const TOPIC_SUBSCRIBE_THRESHOLD_SLOTS = 96
-
   if slot > lastSlot + SLOTS_PER_EPOCH:
     # We've fallen behind more than an epoch - there's nothing clever we can
     # do here really, except skip all the work and try again later.
@@ -523,13 +546,21 @@ proc onSlotStart(node: BeaconNode, lastSlot, scheduledSlot: Slot) {.async.} =
     finalizedHead = shortLog(node.chainDag.finalizedHead.blck),
     finalizedEpoch = shortLog(node.chainDag.finalizedHead.blck.slot.compute_epoch_at_slot())
 
-  let syncQueueLen = node.syncManager.syncQueueLen
+  # Syncing tends to be ~1 block/s, and allow for an epoch of time for libp2p
+  # subscribing to spin up. The faster the sync, the more wallSlot - headSlot
+  # lead time is required
+  const
+    TOPIC_SUBSCRIBE_THRESHOLD_SLOTS = 64
+    HYSTERESIS_BUFFER = 16
+
+  let
+    syncQueueLen = node.syncManager.syncQueueLen
+    topicSubscriptionEnabled = node.getTopicSubscriptionEnabled()
   if
       # Don't enable if already enabled; to avoid race conditions requires care,
       # but isn't crucial, as this condition spuriously fail, but the next time,
       # should properly succeed.
-      node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[0].len +
-      node.attestationSubnets.subscribedSubnets[1].len == 0 and
+      not topicSubscriptionEnabled and
       # SyncManager forward sync by default runs until maxHeadAge slots, or one
       # epoch range is achieved. This particular condition has a couple caveats
       # including that under certain conditions, debtsCount appears to push len
@@ -548,10 +579,22 @@ proc onSlotStart(node: BeaconNode, lastSlot, scheduledSlot: Slot) {.async.} =
       syncQueueLen
 
     await node.addMessageHandlers()
+    doAssert node.getTopicSubscriptionEnabled()
+  elif
+      topicSubscriptionEnabled and
+      syncQueueLen > TOPIC_SUBSCRIBE_THRESHOLD_SLOTS + HYSTERESIS_BUFFER and
+      # Filter out underflow from debtsCount; plausible queue lengths can't
+      # exceed wallslot, with safety margin.
+      syncQueueLen < 2 * slot.uint64:
+    debug "Disabling topic subscriptions",
+      wallSlot = slot,
+      headSlot = node.chainDag.head.slot,
+      syncQueueLen
+    await node.removeMessageHandlers()
 
-  when false:
-    if slot.isEpoch:
-      node.cycleAttestationSubnets(slot)
+  # Subscription or unsubscription might have occurred; recheck
+  if slot.isEpoch and node.getTopicSubscriptionEnabled:
+    node.cycleAttestationSubnets(slot)
 
   when declared(GC_fullCollect):
     # The slots in the beacon node work as frames in a game: we want to make
@@ -788,23 +831,6 @@ proc installMessageValidators(node: BeaconNode) =
     proc (voluntaryExit: VoluntaryExit): bool =
       node.processor[].voluntaryExitValidator(voluntaryExit))
 
-proc removeMessageHandlers(node: BeaconNode) =
-  var unsubscriptions: seq[Future[void]]
-
-  for topic in [
-      getBeaconBlocksTopic(node.forkDigest),
-      getVoluntaryExitsTopic(node.forkDigest),
-      getProposerSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest),
-      getAttesterSlashingsTopic(node.forkDigest),
-      getAggregateAndProofsTopic(node.forkDigest)]:
-    unsubscriptions.add node.network.unsubscribe(topic)
-
-  for subnet in 0'u64 ..< ATTESTATION_SUBNET_COUNT:
-    unsubscriptions.add node.network.unsubscribe(
-      getAttestationTopic(node.forkDigest, subnet))
-
-  waitFor allFutures(unsubscriptions)
-
 proc stop*(node: BeaconNode) =
   status = BeaconNodeStatus.Stopping
   info "Graceful shutdown"