diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
index f7ea4b3f79..e14c0cb1d2 100644
--- a/.release-please-manifest.json
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 {
-  "packages/utils": "0.0.13",
-  "packages/proto": "0.0.5",
-  "packages/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-  "packages/message-hash": "0.1.9",
-  "packages/enr": "0.0.19",
-  "packages/peer-exchange": "0.0.18",
-  "packages/core": "0.0.25",
-  "packages/dns-discovery": "0.0.19",
-  "packages/message-encryption": "0.0.23",
-  "packages/relay": "0.0.8",
-  "packages/sdk": "0.0.21"
+  "packages/utils": "0.0.14",
+  "packages/proto": "0.0.6",
+  "packages/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+  "packages/message-hash": "0.1.10",
+  "packages/enr": "0.0.20",
+  "packages/peer-exchange": "0.0.19",
+  "packages/core": "0.0.26",
+  "packages/dns-discovery": "0.0.20",
+  "packages/message-encryption": "0.0.24",
+  "packages/relay": "0.0.9",
+  "packages/sdk": "0.0.22"
 }
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 5c8e357541..b653967d08 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -10424,9 +10424,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/fast-check": {
-      "version": "3.14.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fast-check/-/fast-check-3.14.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-9Z0zqASzDNjXBox/ileV/fd+4P+V/f3o4shM6QawvcdLFh8yjPG4h5BrHUZ8yzY6amKGDTAmRMyb/JZqe+dCgw==",
+      "version": "3.15.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fast-check/-/fast-check-3.15.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-iBz6c+EXL6+nI931x/sbZs1JYTZtLG6Cko0ouS8LRTikhDR7+wZk4TYzdRavlnByBs2G6+nuuJ7NYL9QplNt8Q==",
       "funding": [
         {
           "type": "individual",
@@ -26602,6 +26602,7 @@
         "chai-as-promised": "^7.1.1",
         "debug": "^4.3.4",
         "dockerode": "^3.3.5",
+        "fast-check": "^3.15.0",
         "p-retry": "^6.1.0",
         "p-timeout": "^6.1.0",
         "portfinder": "^1.0.32",
@@ -30072,6 +30073,7 @@
         "datastore-core": "^9.2.6",
         "debug": "^4.3.4",
         "dockerode": "^3.3.5",
+        "fast-check": "^3.15.0",
         "interface-datastore": "^8.2.5",
         "libp2p": "^0.46.14",
         "mocha": "^10.2.0",
@@ -33454,9 +33456,9 @@
       "version": "0.1.8"
     },
     "fast-check": {
-      "version": "3.14.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fast-check/-/fast-check-3.14.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-9Z0zqASzDNjXBox/ileV/fd+4P+V/f3o4shM6QawvcdLFh8yjPG4h5BrHUZ8yzY6amKGDTAmRMyb/JZqe+dCgw==",
+      "version": "3.15.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/fast-check/-/fast-check-3.15.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-iBz6c+EXL6+nI931x/sbZs1JYTZtLG6Cko0ouS8LRTikhDR7+wZk4TYzdRavlnByBs2G6+nuuJ7NYL9QplNt8Q==",
       "requires": {
         "pure-rand": "^6.0.0"
       }
diff --git a/packages/core/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/core/CHANGELOG.md
index 0b2c396fc6..150a00de52 100644
--- a/packages/core/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/core/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,36 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The file is maintained by [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) based on [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org) specification,
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.0.26](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/core-v0.0.25...core-v0.0.26) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+* Metadata protocol ([#1732](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1732)) ([9ac2a3f](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/9ac2a3f36352523b79fcd8f8a94bd6e0e109fc30))
+* Track node connection state ([#1719](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1719)) ([1d0e2ac](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/1d0e2ace7fa5b44ab192505c7ebce01a7ce343e0))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
+
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/enr bumped from ^0.0.19 to ^0.0.20
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+    * @waku/proto bumped from 0.0.5 to 0.0.6
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+
 ## [0.0.25](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/core-v0.0.24...core-v0.0.25) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/core/package.json b/packages/core/package.json
index 3ad4bbbaf2..428c35d76a 100644
--- a/packages/core/package.json
+++ b/packages/core/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/core",
-  "version": "0.0.25",
+  "version": "0.0.26",
   "description": "TypeScript implementation of the Waku v2 protocol",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -73,10 +73,10 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@noble/hashes": "^1.3.2",
-    "@waku/enr": "^0.0.19",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-    "@waku/proto": "0.0.5",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/enr": "^0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+    "@waku/proto": "0.0.6",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "it-all": "^3.0.4",
     "it-length-prefixed": "^9.0.1",
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/base_protocol.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/base_protocol.ts
index b5dcb1fd37..b1dfada4eb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/base_protocol.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/base_protocol.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import type { Libp2p } from "@libp2p/interface";
 import type { Stream } from "@libp2p/interface/connection";
-import type { PeerId } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-id";
 import { Peer, PeerStore } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
 import type {
   IBaseProtocol,
@@ -9,14 +8,14 @@ import type {
   PubsubTopic
 } from "@waku/interfaces";
 import { DefaultPubsubTopic } from "@waku/interfaces";
-import { shardInfoToPubsubTopics } from "@waku/utils";
+import { Logger, shardInfoToPubsubTopics } from "@waku/utils";
 import {
   getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard,
   getPeersForProtocol,
-  selectPeerForProtocol
+  sortPeersByLatency
 } from "@waku/utils/libp2p";
 
-import { filterPeers } from "./filterPeers.js";
+import { filterPeersByDiscovery } from "./filterPeers.js";
 import { StreamManager } from "./stream_manager.js";
 
 /**
@@ -32,7 +31,8 @@ export class BaseProtocol implements IBaseProtocol {
   constructor(
     public multicodec: string,
     private components: Libp2pComponents,
-    public options?: ProtocolCreateOptions
+    private log: Logger,
+    private options?: ProtocolCreateOptions
   ) {
     this.pubsubTopics = this.initializePubsubTopic(options);
 
@@ -77,22 +77,14 @@ export class BaseProtocol implements IBaseProtocol {
     });
   }
 
-  protected async getPeer(peerId?: PeerId): Promise<Peer> {
-    const { peer } = await selectPeerForProtocol(
-      this.peerStore,
-      [this.multicodec],
-      peerId
-    );
-    return peer;
-  }
-
   /**
-   * Retrieves a list of connected peers based on the specified criteria.
+   * Retrieves a list of connected peers that support the protocol. The list is sorted by latency.
    *
    * @param numPeers - The total number of peers to retrieve. If 0, all peers are returned.
    * @param maxBootstrapPeers - The maximum number of bootstrap peers to retrieve.
-   * @returns A Promise that resolves to an array of peers based on the specified criteria.
-   */
+   
+  * @returns A list of peers that support the protocol sorted by latency.
+  */
   protected async getPeers(
     {
       numPeers,
@@ -110,15 +102,30 @@ export class BaseProtocol implements IBaseProtocol {
       await getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard(
         this.components.connectionManager.getConnections(),
         this.peerStore,
-        [this.multicodec]
+        [this.multicodec],
+        this.options?.shardInfo
       );
 
-    // Filter the peers based on the specified criteria
-    return filterPeers(
+    // Filter the peers based on discovery & number of peers requested
+    const filteredPeers = filterPeersByDiscovery(
       connectedPeersForProtocolAndShard,
       numPeers,
       maxBootstrapPeers
     );
+
+    // Sort the peers by latency
+    const sortedFilteredPeers = await sortPeersByLatency(
+      this.peerStore,
+      filteredPeers
+    );
+
+    if (sortedFilteredPeers.length === 0) {
+      this.log.warn(
+        "No peers found. Ensure you have a connection to the network."
+      );
+    }
+
+    return sortedFilteredPeers;
   }
 
   private initializePubsubTopic(
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/filter/index.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/filter/index.ts
index fc3b397520..d60f316a8b 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/filter/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/filter/index.ts
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ class Filter extends BaseProtocol implements IReceiver {
   }
 
   constructor(libp2p: Libp2p, options?: ProtocolCreateOptions) {
-    super(FilterCodecs.SUBSCRIBE, libp2p.components, options);
+    super(FilterCodecs.SUBSCRIBE, libp2p.components, log, options);
 
     libp2p.handle(FilterCodecs.PUSH, this.onRequest.bind(this)).catch((e) => {
       log.error("Failed to register ", FilterCodecs.PUSH, e);
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.spec.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.spec.ts
index 50cfbfd30e..a2eae25235 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.spec.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ import { createSecp256k1PeerId } from "@libp2p/peer-id-factory";
 import { Tags } from "@waku/interfaces";
 import { expect } from "chai";
 
-import { filterPeers } from "./filterPeers.js";
+import { filterPeersByDiscovery } from "./filterPeers.js";
 
-describe("filterPeers function", function () {
+describe("filterPeersByDiscovery function", function () {
   it("should return all peers when numPeers is 0", async function () {
     const peer1 = await createSecp256k1PeerId();
     const peer2 = await createSecp256k1PeerId();
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ describe("filterPeers function", function () {
       }
     ] as unknown as Peer[];
 
-    const result = filterPeers(mockPeers, 0, 10);
+    const result = filterPeersByDiscovery(mockPeers, 0, 10);
     expect(result.length).to.deep.equal(mockPeers.length);
   });
 
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ describe("filterPeers function", function () {
       }
     ] as unknown as Peer[];
 
-    const result = filterPeers(mockPeers, 0, 0);
+    const result = filterPeersByDiscovery(mockPeers, 0, 0);
 
     // result should have no bootstrap peers, and a total of 2 peers
     expect(result.length).to.equal(2);
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ describe("filterPeers function", function () {
       }
     ] as unknown as Peer[];
 
-    const result = filterPeers(mockPeers, 0, 1);
+    const result = filterPeersByDiscovery(mockPeers, 0, 1);
 
     // result should have 1 bootstrap peers, and a total of 4 peers
     expect(result.length).to.equal(4);
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ describe("filterPeers function", function () {
       }
     ] as unknown as Peer[];
 
-    const result = filterPeers(mockPeers, 5, 2);
+    const result = filterPeersByDiscovery(mockPeers, 5, 2);
 
     // check that result has at least 2 bootstrap peers and no more than 5 peers
     expect(result.length).to.be.at.least(2);
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.ts
index 8751aeb4b5..4f51790258 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/filterPeers.ts
@@ -2,23 +2,31 @@ import { Peer } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
 import { Tags } from "@waku/interfaces";
 
 /**
- * Retrieves a list of peers based on the specified criteria.
+ * Retrieves a list of peers based on the specified criteria:
+ * 1. If numPeers is 0, return all peers
+ * 2. Bootstrap peers are prioritized
+ * 3. Non-bootstrap peers are randomly selected to fill up to numPeers
  *
  * @param peers - The list of peers to filter from.
- * @param numPeers - The total number of peers to retrieve. If 0, all peers are returned.
+ * @param numPeers - The total number of peers to retrieve. If 0, all peers are returned, irrespective of `maxBootstrapPeers`.
  * @param maxBootstrapPeers - The maximum number of bootstrap peers to retrieve.
- * @returns A Promise that resolves to an array of peers based on the specified criteria.
+ * @returns An array of peers based on the specified criteria.
  */
-export function filterPeers(
+export function filterPeersByDiscovery(
   peers: Peer[],
   numPeers: number,
   maxBootstrapPeers: number
 ): Peer[] {
   // Collect the bootstrap peers up to the specified maximum
-  const bootstrapPeers = peers
+  let bootstrapPeers = peers
     .filter((peer) => peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP))
     .slice(0, maxBootstrapPeers);
 
+  // If numPeers is less than the number of bootstrap peers, adjust the bootstrapPeers array
+  if (numPeers > 0 && numPeers < bootstrapPeers.length) {
+    bootstrapPeers = bootstrapPeers.slice(0, numPeers);
+  }
+
   // Collect non-bootstrap peers
   const nonBootstrapPeers = peers.filter(
     (peer) => !peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/light_push/index.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/light_push/index.ts
index 7bba940b2f..22ae0a7b37 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/light_push/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/light_push/index.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class LightPush extends BaseProtocol implements ILightPush {
   private readonly NUM_PEERS_PROTOCOL = 1;
 
   constructor(libp2p: Libp2p, options?: ProtocolCreateOptions) {
-    super(LightPushCodec, libp2p.components, options);
+    super(LightPushCodec, libp2p.components, log, options);
   }
 
   private async preparePushMessage(
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/metadata/index.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/metadata/index.ts
index b84e26a530..d457699b1a 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/metadata/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/metadata/index.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class Metadata extends BaseProtocol implements IMetadata {
     public shardInfo: ShardingParams,
     libp2p: Libp2pComponents
   ) {
-    super(MetadataCodec, libp2p.components, shardInfo && { shardInfo });
+    super(MetadataCodec, libp2p.components, log, shardInfo && { shardInfo });
     this.libp2pComponents = libp2p;
     void libp2p.registrar.handle(MetadataCodec, (streamData) => {
       void this.onRequest(streamData);
@@ -75,7 +75,10 @@ class Metadata extends BaseProtocol implements IMetadata {
   async query(peerId: PeerId): Promise<ShardInfo> {
     const request = proto_metadata.WakuMetadataRequest.encode(this.shardInfo);
 
-    const peer = await this.getPeer(peerId);
+    const peer = await this.peerStore.get(peerId);
+    if (!peer) {
+      throw new Error(`Peer ${peerId.toString()} not found`);
+    }
 
     const stream = await this.getStream(peer);
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/lib/store/index.ts b/packages/core/src/lib/store/index.ts
index afed546a9a..6cfb6b73b7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/lib/store/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/lib/store/index.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class Store extends BaseProtocol implements IStore {
   private readonly NUM_PEERS_PROTOCOL = 1;
 
   constructor(libp2p: Libp2p, options?: ProtocolCreateOptions) {
-    super(StoreCodec, libp2p.components, options);
+    super(StoreCodec, libp2p.components, log, options);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/packages/dns-discovery/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/dns-discovery/CHANGELOG.md
index 04d7fc7f83..1fd993ef83 100644
--- a/packages/dns-discovery/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/dns-discovery/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   * devDependencies
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
 
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/enr bumped from 0.0.19 to 0.0.20
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+  * devDependencies
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+
 ## [0.0.19](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/dns-discovery-v0.0.18...dns-discovery-v0.0.19) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/dns-discovery/package.json b/packages/dns-discovery/package.json
index 415e5e0447..c0b5593ff9 100644
--- a/packages/dns-discovery/package.json
+++ b/packages/dns-discovery/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/dns-discovery",
-  "version": "0.0.19",
+  "version": "0.0.20",
   "description": "DNS Peer Discovery (EIP-1459)",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@
     "node": ">=18"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@waku/enr": "0.0.19",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/enr": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "dns-query": "^0.11.2",
     "hi-base32": "^0.5.1",
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
     "@rollup/plugin-node-resolve": "^15.2.3",
     "@types/chai": "^4.3.11",
     "@waku/build-utils": "*",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
     "chai": "^4.3.10",
     "cspell": "^7.3.2",
     "mocha": "^10.2.0",
diff --git a/packages/enr/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/enr/CHANGELOG.md
index c971b4978e..242dc00977 100644
--- a/packages/enr/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/enr/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -59,6 +59,14 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   * devDependencies
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.16 to 0.0.17
 
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+  * devDependencies
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+
 ## [0.0.19](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/enr-v0.0.18...enr-v0.0.19) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/enr/package.json b/packages/enr/package.json
index a2eb199f77..a8899ba406 100644
--- a/packages/enr/package.json
+++ b/packages/enr/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/enr",
-  "version": "0.0.19",
+  "version": "0.0.20",
   "description": "ENR (EIP-778) for Waku",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@
     "@libp2p/peer-id": "^3.0.3",
     "@multiformats/multiaddr": "^12.0.0",
     "@noble/secp256k1": "^1.7.1",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "js-sha3": "^0.9.2"
   },
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
     "@types/chai": "^4.3.11",
     "@types/mocha": "^10.0.1",
     "@waku/build-utils": "*",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
     "chai": "^4.3.10",
     "cspell": "^7.3.2",
     "fast-check": "^3.14.0",
diff --git a/packages/interfaces/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/interfaces/CHANGELOG.md
index 73553c6ee7..80d9da4344 100644
--- a/packages/interfaces/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/interfaces/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,26 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The file is maintained by [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) based on [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org) specification,
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.0.21](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/interfaces-v0.0.20...interfaces-v0.0.21) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+* Metadata protocol ([#1732](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1732)) ([9ac2a3f](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/9ac2a3f36352523b79fcd8f8a94bd6e0e109fc30))
+* Track node connection state ([#1719](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1719)) ([1d0e2ac](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/1d0e2ace7fa5b44ab192505c7ebce01a7ce343e0))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
 ## [0.0.20](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/interfaces-v0.0.19...interfaces-v0.0.20) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/interfaces/package.json b/packages/interfaces/package.json
index 7998b20eae..ecdb96a9a9 100644
--- a/packages/interfaces/package.json
+++ b/packages/interfaces/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/interfaces",
-  "version": "0.0.20",
+  "version": "0.0.21",
   "description": "Definition of Waku interfaces",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
diff --git a/packages/interfaces/src/peer_exchange.ts b/packages/interfaces/src/peer_exchange.ts
index 8183d6fe13..b194c9c6a9 100644
--- a/packages/interfaces/src/peer_exchange.ts
+++ b/packages/interfaces/src/peer_exchange.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export interface IPeerExchange extends IBaseProtocol {
 
 export interface PeerExchangeQueryParams {
   numPeers: number;
-  peerId?: PeerId;
+  peerId: PeerId;
 }
 
 export interface PeerExchangeResponse {
diff --git a/packages/message-encryption/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/message-encryption/CHANGELOG.md
index 82b90abf86..00ef3ae3c1 100644
--- a/packages/message-encryption/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/message-encryption/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -68,6 +68,37 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.17 to 0.0.18
     * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.10 to 0.0.11
 
+## [0.0.24](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/message-encryption-v0.0.23...message-encryption-v0.0.24) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* export crypto primitives ([#1728](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1728))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+* Export crypto primitives ([#1728](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1728)) ([7eb3375](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/7eb3375f50265240096d70bd2814549c8156a0eb))
+* New `verifySignature` ([2f67a3b](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2f67a3baffc085d61b057f9fdb5ab404bfd70a1b))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
+
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/core bumped from 0.0.25 to 0.0.26
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+    * @waku/proto bumped from 0.0.5 to 0.0.6
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+
 ## [0.0.23](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/message-encryption-v0.0.22...message-encryption-v0.0.23) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/message-encryption/package.json b/packages/message-encryption/package.json
index 30ff2854b4..17727df6ff 100644
--- a/packages/message-encryption/package.json
+++ b/packages/message-encryption/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/message-encryption",
-  "version": "0.0.23",
+  "version": "0.0.24",
   "description": "Waku Message Payload Encryption",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -76,10 +76,10 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@noble/secp256k1": "^1.7.1",
-    "@waku/core": "0.0.25",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-    "@waku/proto": "0.0.5",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/core": "0.0.26",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+    "@waku/proto": "0.0.6",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "js-sha3": "^0.9.2",
     "uint8arrays": "^5.0.0"
diff --git a/packages/message-hash/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/message-hash/CHANGELOG.md
index 2f5120b4ae..9fbb005c3e 100644
--- a/packages/message-hash/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/message-hash/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -40,6 +40,14 @@
   * devDependencies
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.19 to 0.0.20
 
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+  * devDependencies
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+
 ## [0.1.8](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/message-hash-v0.1.7...message-hash-v0.1.8) (2023-10-16)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/message-hash/package.json b/packages/message-hash/package.json
index 615579212a..99cd40b1a0 100644
--- a/packages/message-hash/package.json
+++ b/packages/message-hash/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/message-hash",
-  "version": "0.1.9",
+  "version": "0.1.10",
   "description": "TypeScript implementation of the Deterministic Message Hashing as specified in 14/WAKU2-MESSAGE",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@noble/hashes": "^1.3.2",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13"
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@rollup/plugin-commonjs": "^25.0.7",
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
     "@types/debug": "^4.1.12",
     "@types/mocha": "^10.0.1",
     "@waku/build-utils": "*",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
     "chai": "^4.3.10",
     "cspell": "^7.3.2",
     "fast-check": "^3.14.0",
diff --git a/packages/peer-exchange/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/peer-exchange/CHANGELOG.md
index 544702b445..1b539db8ee 100644
--- a/packages/peer-exchange/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/peer-exchange/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -64,6 +64,16 @@
   * devDependencies
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.14 to 0.0.15
 
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/core bumped from 0.0.25 to 0.0.26
+    * @waku/enr bumped from 0.0.19 to 0.0.20
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+    * @waku/proto bumped from 0.0.5 to 0.0.6
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+
 ## [0.0.18](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/peer-exchange-v0.0.17...peer-exchange-v0.0.18) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/peer-exchange/package.json b/packages/peer-exchange/package.json
index 3b50db416c..a02dd0e217 100644
--- a/packages/peer-exchange/package.json
+++ b/packages/peer-exchange/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/peer-exchange",
-  "version": "0.0.18",
+  "version": "0.0.19",
   "description": "Peer Exchange (https://rfc.vac.dev/spec/34/) protocol for Waku",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -49,11 +49,11 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@libp2p/interfaces": "^3.3.2",
-    "@waku/core": "0.0.25",
-    "@waku/enr": "0.0.19",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-    "@waku/proto": "0.0.5",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/core": "0.0.26",
+    "@waku/enr": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+    "@waku/proto": "0.0.6",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "it-all": "^3.0.4",
     "it-length-prefixed": "^9.0.1",
diff --git a/packages/peer-exchange/src/waku_peer_exchange.ts b/packages/peer-exchange/src/waku_peer_exchange.ts
index 21ac4aab4d..473864474a 100644
--- a/packages/peer-exchange/src/waku_peer_exchange.ts
+++ b/packages/peer-exchange/src/waku_peer_exchange.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export class WakuPeerExchange extends BaseProtocol implements IPeerExchange {
    * @param components - libp2p components
    */
   constructor(components: Libp2pComponents) {
-    super(PeerExchangeCodec, components);
+    super(PeerExchangeCodec, components, log);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ export class WakuPeerExchange extends BaseProtocol implements IPeerExchange {
       numPeers: BigInt(numPeers)
     });
 
-    const peer = await this.getPeer(params.peerId);
+    const peer = await this.peerStore.get(params.peerId);
+    if (!peer) {
+      throw new Error(`Peer ${params.peerId.toString()} not found`);
+    }
 
     const stream = await this.getStream(peer);
 
diff --git a/packages/proto/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/proto/CHANGELOG.md
index b0723243c7..58b71a5378 100644
--- a/packages/proto/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/proto/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.0.6](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/proto-v0.0.5...proto-v0.0.6) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* Metadata protocol ([#1732](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1732)) ([9ac2a3f](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/9ac2a3f36352523b79fcd8f8a94bd6e0e109fc30))
+
 ## [0.0.5](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/proto-v0.0.4...proto-v0.0.5) (2023-05-26)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/proto/package.json b/packages/proto/package.json
index a7c78972c8..9efdb32986 100644
--- a/packages/proto/package.json
+++ b/packages/proto/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/proto",
-  "version": "0.0.5",
+  "version": "0.0.6",
   "description": "Protobuf definitions for Waku",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
diff --git a/packages/relay/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/relay/CHANGELOG.md
index 1342721de3..3e3bd70032 100644
--- a/packages/relay/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/relay/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -25,6 +25,34 @@
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.16 to 0.0.17
     * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.9 to 0.0.10
 
+## [0.0.9](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/relay-v0.0.8...relay-v0.0.9) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
+
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/core bumped from 0.0.25 to 0.0.26
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+    * @waku/proto bumped from 0.0.5 to 0.0.6
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+
 ## [0.0.8](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/relay-v0.0.7...relay-v0.0.8) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/relay/package.json b/packages/relay/package.json
index e63c757678..d3eca999e5 100644
--- a/packages/relay/package.json
+++ b/packages/relay/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/relay",
-  "version": "0.0.8",
+  "version": "0.0.9",
   "description": "Relay Protocol for Waku",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@chainsafe/libp2p-gossipsub": "^10.1.1",
     "@noble/hashes": "^1.3.2",
-    "@waku/core": "0.0.25",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-    "@waku/proto": "0.0.5",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
+    "@waku/core": "0.0.26",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+    "@waku/proto": "0.0.6",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
     "chai": "^4.3.10",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "fast-check": "^3.14.0"
diff --git a/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
index fd3b27e072..2c8fa4f324 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -47,6 +47,37 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.19 to 0.0.20
     * @waku/peer-exchange bumped from ^0.0.17 to ^0.0.18
 
+## [0.0.22](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/sdk-v0.0.21...sdk-v0.0.22) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+* Metadata protocol ([#1732](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1732)) ([9ac2a3f](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/9ac2a3f36352523b79fcd8f8a94bd6e0e109fc30))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
+
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/utils bumped from 0.0.13 to 0.0.14
+    * @waku/relay bumped from 0.0.8 to 0.0.9
+    * @waku/core bumped from 0.0.25 to 0.0.26
+    * @waku/dns-discovery bumped from 0.0.19 to 0.0.20
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+    * @waku/peer-exchange bumped from ^0.0.18 to ^0.0.19
+
 ## [0.0.20](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/sdk-v0.0.19...sdk-v0.0.20) (2023-10-16)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/sdk/package.json b/packages/sdk/package.json
index b69776715a..2a100202b5 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/package.json
+++ b/packages/sdk/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/sdk",
-  "version": "0.0.21",
+  "version": "0.0.22",
   "description": "A unified SDK for easy creation and management of js-waku nodes.",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@
     "@chainsafe/libp2p-noise": "^13.0.4",
     "@libp2p/mplex": "^9.0.10",
     "@libp2p/websockets": "^7.0.5",
-    "@waku/utils": "0.0.13",
-    "@waku/relay": "0.0.8",
-    "@waku/core": "0.0.25",
-    "@waku/dns-discovery": "0.0.19",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
-    "@waku/peer-exchange": "^0.0.18",
+    "@waku/utils": "0.0.14",
+    "@waku/relay": "0.0.9",
+    "@waku/core": "0.0.26",
+    "@waku/dns-discovery": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
+    "@waku/peer-exchange": "^0.0.19",
     "libp2p": "^0.46.14"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/packages/tests/package.json b/packages/tests/package.json
index bd802264ca..a1e6e15c55 100644
--- a/packages/tests/package.json
+++ b/packages/tests/package.json
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
     "chai-as-promised": "^7.1.1",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "dockerode": "^3.3.5",
+    "fast-check": "^3.15.0",
     "p-retry": "^6.1.0",
     "p-timeout": "^6.1.0",
     "portfinder": "^1.0.32",
diff --git a/packages/tests/src/index.ts b/packages/tests/src/index.ts
index d56386239b..43901b03af 100644
--- a/packages/tests/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/tests/src/index.ts
@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@ export * from "./node/node.js";
 export * from "./teardown.js";
 export * from "./message_collector.js";
 export * from "./utils.js";
+export * from "./waitForRemotePeerWithCodec.js";
diff --git a/packages/tests/src/waitForRemotePeerWithCodec.ts b/packages/tests/src/waitForRemotePeerWithCodec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..411b6116dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/tests/src/waitForRemotePeerWithCodec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import type { IdentifyResult } from "@libp2p/interface";
+import type { PeerId } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-id";
+import type { LightNode } from "@waku/interfaces";
+
+/**
+ * Wait for a remote peer to be identified with a given codec
+ * @param waku - Waku node
+ * @param codec - Codec to wait for
+ * @returns Promise that resolves when the peer is identified
+ * @internal
+ * This function is introduced as `core/waitForRemotePeer` only accounts for core protocols like Filter, LightPush & Store
+ * While this (currently) is not required by the SDK, it is required for the tests
+ */
+export async function waitForRemotePeerWithCodec(
+  waku: LightNode,
+  codec: string,
+  nodePeerId: PeerId
+): Promise<void> {
+  const connectedPeers = waku.libp2p
+    .getConnections()
+    .map((conn) => conn.remotePeer);
+  if (
+    connectedPeers.find((connectedPeer) => connectedPeer.equals(nodePeerId))
+  ) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    const cb = (evt: CustomEvent<IdentifyResult>): void => {
+      if (evt.detail.protocols.includes(codec)) {
+        waku.libp2p.removeEventListener("peer:identify", cb);
+        resolve();
+      }
+    };
+    waku.libp2p.addEventListener("peer:identify", cb);
+  });
+
+  return;
+}
diff --git a/packages/tests/tests/getPeers.spec.ts b/packages/tests/tests/getPeers.spec.ts
index dc13ee243e..956eb51705 100644
--- a/packages/tests/tests/getPeers.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/tests/tests/getPeers.spec.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,22 @@
+import type { Connection } from "@libp2p/interface/connection";
+import type { PeerStore } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
+import type { Peer } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
+import { createSecp256k1PeerId } from "@libp2p/peer-id-factory";
 import { LightPushCodec, waitForRemotePeer } from "@waku/core";
 import {
   createLightNode,
+  Libp2pComponents,
   type LightNode,
   Protocols,
-  ShardInfo
+  ShardInfo,
+  Tags,
+  utf8ToBytes
 } from "@waku/sdk";
 import { shardInfoToPubsubTopics } from "@waku/utils";
 import { getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard } from "@waku/utils/libp2p";
 import { expect } from "chai";
+import fc from "fast-check";
+import Sinon from "sinon";
 
 import { makeLogFileName } from "../src/log_file.js";
 import { NimGoNode } from "../src/node/node.js";
@@ -192,3 +201,317 @@ describe("getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard", function () {
     expect(peers.length).to.be.equal(1);
   });
 });
+describe("getPeers", function () {
+  let peerStore: PeerStore;
+  let connectionManager: Libp2pComponents["connectionManager"];
+  let waku: LightNode;
+  const lowPingBytes = utf8ToBytes("50");
+  const midPingBytes = utf8ToBytes("100");
+  const highPingBytes = utf8ToBytes("200");
+
+  let lowPingBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    lowPingNonBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    midPingBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    midPingNonBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    highPingBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    highPingNonBootstrapPeer: Peer,
+    differentCodecPeer: Peer,
+    anotherDifferentCodecPeer: Peer;
+
+  let bootstrapPeers: Peer[];
+  let nonBootstrapPeers: Peer[];
+  let allPeers: Peer[];
+
+  beforeEach(async function () {
+    this.timeout(10_000);
+    waku = await createLightNode();
+    peerStore = waku.libp2p.peerStore;
+    connectionManager = waku.libp2p.components.connectionManager;
+
+    const [
+      lowPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      lowPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      midPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      midPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      highPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      highPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      differentCodecPeerId,
+      anotherDifferentCodecPeerId
+    ] = await Promise.all([
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
+      createSecp256k1PeerId()
+    ]);
+
+    lowPingBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: lowPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", lowPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.BOOTSTRAP, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    lowPingNonBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: lowPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", lowPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.PEER_EXCHANGE, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    midPingBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: midPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", midPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.BOOTSTRAP, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    midPingNonBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: midPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", midPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.PEER_EXCHANGE, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    highPingBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: highPingBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", highPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.BOOTSTRAP, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    highPingNonBootstrapPeer = {
+      id: highPingNonBootstrapPeerId,
+      protocols: [waku.lightPush.multicodec],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", highPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.PEER_EXCHANGE, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    differentCodecPeer = {
+      id: differentCodecPeerId,
+      protocols: ["different/1"],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", lowPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.BOOTSTRAP, {})
+    } as Peer;
+    anotherDifferentCodecPeer = {
+      id: anotherDifferentCodecPeerId,
+      protocols: ["different/2"],
+      metadata: new Map().set("ping", lowPingBytes),
+      tags: new Map().set(Tags.BOOTSTRAP, {})
+    } as Peer;
+
+    bootstrapPeers = [
+      lowPingBootstrapPeer,
+      midPingBootstrapPeer,
+      highPingBootstrapPeer
+    ];
+
+    nonBootstrapPeers = [
+      lowPingNonBootstrapPeer,
+      midPingNonBootstrapPeer,
+      highPingNonBootstrapPeer
+    ];
+
+    allPeers = [
+      ...bootstrapPeers,
+      ...nonBootstrapPeers,
+      differentCodecPeer,
+      anotherDifferentCodecPeer
+    ];
+
+    Sinon.stub(peerStore, "get").callsFake(async (peerId) => {
+      return allPeers.find((peer) => peer.id.equals(peerId))!;
+    });
+
+    Sinon.stub(peerStore, "forEach").callsFake(async (callback) => {
+      for (const peer of allPeers) {
+        callback(peer);
+      }
+    });
+
+    // assume all peers have an opened connection
+    Sinon.stub(connectionManager, "getConnections").callsFake(() => {
+      const connections: Connection[] = [];
+      for (const peer of allPeers) {
+        connections.push({
+          status: "open",
+          remotePeer: peer.id
+        } as unknown as Connection);
+      }
+      return connections;
+    });
+  });
+
+  this.afterEach(function () {
+    Sinon.restore();
+  });
+
+  describe("getPeers with varying maxBootstrapPeers", function () {
+    const maxBootstrapPeersValues = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7];
+
+    maxBootstrapPeersValues.forEach((maxBootstrapPeers) => {
+      describe(`maxBootstrapPeers=${maxBootstrapPeers}`, function () {
+        it(`numPeers=1 -- returns one bootstrap peer `, async function () {
+          const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+            numPeers: 1,
+            maxBootstrapPeers
+          })) as Peer[];
+
+          // Should only have 1 peer
+          expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(1);
+
+          // The peer should be a bootstrap peer
+          expect(result[0].tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)).to.be.true;
+
+          // Peer should be of the same protocol
+          expect(result[0].protocols.includes(waku.lightPush.multicodec)).to.be
+            .true;
+
+          // Peer should have the lowest ping
+          expect(result[0].metadata.get("ping")).to.equal(lowPingBytes);
+        });
+
+        it(`numPeers=2 -- returns total 2 peers, with max ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers`, async function () {
+          const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+            numPeers: 2,
+            maxBootstrapPeers
+          })) as Peer[];
+
+          // Should only have 2 peers
+          expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(2);
+
+          // Should only have ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers
+          expect(
+            result.filter((peer: Peer) => peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)).length
+          ).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(maxBootstrapPeers);
+
+          // Should return peers with the same protocol
+          expect(
+            result.every((peer: Peer) =>
+              peer.protocols.includes(waku.lightPush.multicodec)
+            )
+          ).to.be.true;
+
+          // All peers should be sorted by latency
+          // 0th index should be the lowest ping of all peers returned
+          expect(result[0].metadata.get("ping")).to.equal(lowPingBytes);
+        });
+
+        it(`numPeers=3 -- returns total 3 peers, with max ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers`, async function () {
+          const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+            numPeers: 3,
+            maxBootstrapPeers
+          })) as Peer[];
+
+          // Should only have 3 peers
+          expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(3);
+
+          // Should only have ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers
+          expect(
+            result.filter((peer: Peer) => peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)).length
+          ).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(maxBootstrapPeers);
+
+          // Should return peers with the same protocol
+          expect(
+            result.every((peer: Peer) =>
+              peer.protocols.includes(waku.lightPush.multicodec)
+            )
+          ).to.be.true;
+
+          // All peers should be sorted by latency
+          // 0th index should be the lowest ping of all peers returned
+          expect(result[0].metadata.get("ping")).to.equal(lowPingBytes);
+        });
+
+        it(`numPeers=4 -- returns total 4 peers, with max ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers`, async function () {
+          const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+            numPeers: 4,
+            maxBootstrapPeers
+          })) as Peer[];
+
+          // Should only have 4 peers
+          expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(4);
+
+          // Should only have ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers
+          expect(
+            result.filter((peer: Peer) => peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)).length
+          ).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(maxBootstrapPeers);
+
+          // Should return peers with the same protocol
+          expect(
+            result.every((peer: Peer) =>
+              peer.protocols.includes(waku.lightPush.multicodec)
+            )
+          ).to.be.true;
+
+          // All peers should be sorted by latency
+          // 0th index should be the lowest ping of all peers returned
+          expect(result[0].metadata.get("ping")).to.equal(lowPingBytes);
+        });
+
+        it(`numPeers=0 -- returns all peers including all non-bootstrap with maxBootstrapPeers: ${maxBootstrapPeers}`, async function () {
+          const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+            numPeers: 0,
+            maxBootstrapPeers
+          })) as Peer[];
+
+          // Should have all non-bootstrap peers + ${maxBootstrapPeers} bootstrap peers
+          // Unless bootstrapPeers.length < maxBootstrapPeers
+          // Then it should be all non-bootstrap peers + bootstrapPeers.length
+          if (maxBootstrapPeers > bootstrapPeers.length) {
+            expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(
+              nonBootstrapPeers.length + bootstrapPeers.length
+            );
+          } else {
+            expect(result).to.have.lengthOf(
+              nonBootstrapPeers.length + maxBootstrapPeers
+            );
+          }
+
+          // All peers should be bootstrap peers
+          expect(
+            result.filter((peer: Peer) => peer.tags.has(Tags.BOOTSTRAP)).length
+          ).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(maxBootstrapPeers);
+
+          // Peers should be of the same protocol
+          expect(
+            result.every((peer: Peer) =>
+              peer.protocols.includes(waku.lightPush.multicodec)
+            )
+          ).to.be.true;
+
+          // All peers returned should be sorted by latency
+          // 0th index should be the lowest ping of all peers returned
+          expect(result[0].metadata.get("ping")).to.equal(lowPingBytes);
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("getPeers property-based tests", function () {
+    it("should return the correct number of peers based on numPeers and maxBootstrapPeers", async function () {
+      await fc.assert(
+        fc.asyncProperty(
+          //max bootstrap peers
+          fc.integer({ min: 1, max: 100 }),
+          //numPeers
+          fc.integer({ min: 0, max: 100 }),
+          async (maxBootstrapPeers, numPeers) => {
+            const result = (await (waku.lightPush as any).getPeers({
+              numPeers,
+              maxBootstrapPeers
+            })) as Peer[];
+
+            if (numPeers === 0) {
+              // Expect all peers when numPeers is 0
+              expect(result.length).to.be.greaterThanOrEqual(1);
+            } else {
+              // Expect up to numPeers peers
+              expect(result.length).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(numPeers);
+            }
+          }
+        ),
+        {
+          verbose: true
+        }
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/tests/tests/peer_exchange.node.spec.ts b/packages/tests/tests/peer_exchange.node.spec.ts
index 657d2c1781..996e1e1adc 100644
--- a/packages/tests/tests/peer_exchange.node.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/tests/tests/peer_exchange.node.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
+import type { PeerId } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-id";
 import tests from "@libp2p/interface-compliance-tests/peer-discovery";
+import type { Multiaddr } from "@multiformats/multiaddr";
 import type { LightNode, PeerInfo } from "@waku/interfaces";
 import {
   PeerExchangeCodec,
@@ -9,7 +11,7 @@ import { createLightNode, Libp2pComponents } from "@waku/sdk";
 import { expect } from "chai";
 
 import { delay } from "../src/delay.js";
-import { tearDownNodes } from "../src/index.js";
+import { tearDownNodes, waitForRemotePeerWithCodec } from "../src/index.js";
 import { makeLogFileName } from "../src/log_file.js";
 import { NimGoNode } from "../src/node/node.js";
 
@@ -48,11 +50,13 @@ describe("Peer Exchange", () => {
       });
 
       const nwaku1PeerId = await nwaku1.getPeerId();
+      const nwaku2PeerId = await nwaku2.getPeerId();
       const nwaku2Ma = await nwaku2.getMultiaddrWithId();
 
       waku = await createLightNode();
       await waku.start();
       await waku.libp2p.dialProtocol(nwaku2Ma, PeerExchangeCodec);
+      await waitForRemotePeerWithCodec(waku, PeerExchangeCodec, nwaku2PeerId);
 
       const components = waku.libp2p.components as unknown as Libp2pComponents;
       const peerExchange = new WakuPeerExchange(components);
@@ -62,6 +66,7 @@ describe("Peer Exchange", () => {
       let peerInfos: PeerInfo[] = [];
       while (peerInfos.length <= 0) {
         peerInfos = (await peerExchange.query({
+          peerId: nwaku2PeerId,
           numPeers: numPeersToRequest
         })) as PeerInfo[];
         await delay(3000);
@@ -70,16 +75,35 @@ describe("Peer Exchange", () => {
       expect(peerInfos.length).to.be.greaterThan(0);
       expect(peerInfos.length).to.be.lessThanOrEqual(numPeersToRequest);
       expect(peerInfos[0].ENR).to.not.be.null;
+      expect(peerInfos[0].ENR?.peerInfo?.multiaddrs).to.not.be.null;
 
-      const doesPeerIdExistInResponse =
-        peerInfos.find(
-          ({ ENR }) => ENR?.peerInfo?.id.toString() === nwaku1PeerId.toString()
-        ) !== undefined;
+      let foundNodeMultiaddrs: Multiaddr[] = [];
+      let foundNodePeerId: PeerId | undefined = undefined;
+      const doesPeerIdExistInResponse = peerInfos.some(({ ENR }) => {
+        foundNodeMultiaddrs = ENR?.peerInfo?.multiaddrs ?? [];
+        foundNodePeerId = ENR?.peerInfo?.id;
+        return ENR?.peerInfo?.id.toString() === nwaku1PeerId.toString();
+      });
+
+      if (!foundNodePeerId) {
+        throw new Error("Peer ID not found");
+      }
+
+      if (!foundNodePeerId) {
+        throw new Error("Peer ID not found");
+      }
 
       expect(doesPeerIdExistInResponse).to.be.equal(true);
 
-      expect(await waku.libp2p.peerStore.has(await nwaku2.getPeerId())).to.be
-        .true;
+      await waku.libp2p.dialProtocol(foundNodeMultiaddrs, PeerExchangeCodec);
+      await waitForRemotePeerWithCodec(
+        waku,
+        PeerExchangeCodec,
+        foundNodePeerId
+      );
+
+      expect(await waku.libp2p.peerStore.has(nwaku1PeerId)).to.eq(true);
+      expect(waku.libp2p.getConnections()).has.length(2);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/tests/tests/utils.spec.ts b/packages/tests/tests/utils.spec.ts
index 3eac491d9e..9d2b0e9f93 100644
--- a/packages/tests/tests/utils.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/tests/tests/utils.spec.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,14 @@
-import type { PeerStore } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
-import type { Peer } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
-import { createSecp256k1PeerId } from "@libp2p/peer-id-factory";
 import { createDecoder, createEncoder, waitForRemotePeer } from "@waku/core";
-import { DefaultPubsubTopic, LightNode } from "@waku/interfaces";
-import { Protocols } from "@waku/interfaces";
+import {
+  DefaultPubsubTopic,
+  type LightNode,
+  Protocols
+} from "@waku/interfaces";
 import { createLightNode } from "@waku/sdk";
 import { toAsyncIterator } from "@waku/utils";
 import { bytesToUtf8, utf8ToBytes } from "@waku/utils/bytes";
-import { selectPeerForProtocol } from "@waku/utils/libp2p";
 import chai, { expect } from "chai";
 import chaiAsPromised from "chai-as-promised";
-import sinon from "sinon";
 
 import {
   delay,
@@ -116,172 +114,3 @@ describe("Util: toAsyncIterator: Filter", () => {
     expect(result.done).to.eq(true);
   });
 });
-
-const TestCodec = "test/1";
-
-describe("selectPeerForProtocol", () => {
-  let peerStore: PeerStore;
-  const protocols = [TestCodec];
-
-  let lowPingPeer: Peer,
-    midPingPeer: Peer,
-    highPingPeer: Peer,
-    differentCodecPeer: Peer,
-    anotherDifferentCodecPeer: Peer;
-
-  beforeEach(async function () {
-    this.timeout(10000);
-    const waku = await createLightNode();
-    await waku.start();
-    await delay(3000);
-    peerStore = waku.libp2p.peerStore;
-
-    const [
-      lowPingPeerId,
-      midPingPeerId,
-      highPingPeerId,
-      differentCodecPeerId,
-      anotherDifferentCodecPeerId
-    ] = await Promise.all([
-      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
-      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
-      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
-      createSecp256k1PeerId(),
-      createSecp256k1PeerId()
-    ]);
-
-    lowPingPeer = {
-      id: lowPingPeerId,
-      protocols: [TestCodec],
-      metadata: new Map().set("ping", utf8ToBytes("50"))
-    } as Peer;
-
-    midPingPeer = {
-      id: midPingPeerId,
-      protocols: [TestCodec],
-      metadata: new Map().set("ping", utf8ToBytes("100"))
-    } as Peer;
-
-    highPingPeer = {
-      id: highPingPeerId,
-      protocols: [TestCodec],
-      metadata: new Map().set("ping", utf8ToBytes("500"))
-    } as Peer;
-
-    differentCodecPeer = {
-      id: differentCodecPeerId,
-      protocols: ["DifferentCodec"]
-    } as Peer;
-
-    anotherDifferentCodecPeer = {
-      id: anotherDifferentCodecPeerId,
-      protocols: ["AnotherDifferentCodec"]
-    } as Peer;
-  });
-
-  afterEach(() => {
-    sinon.restore();
-  });
-
-  it("should return the peer with the lowest ping", async function () {
-    const mockPeers = [highPingPeer, lowPingPeer, midPingPeer];
-
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "get").callsFake(async (peerId) => {
-      return mockPeers.find((peer) => peer.id.equals(peerId))!;
-    });
-
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "forEach").callsFake(async (callback) => {
-      for (const peer of mockPeers) {
-        callback(peer);
-      }
-    });
-
-    const result = await selectPeerForProtocol(peerStore, protocols);
-
-    expect(result.peer).to.deep.equal(lowPingPeer);
-    expect(result.protocol).to.equal(TestCodec);
-  });
-
-  it("should return the peer with the provided peerId", async function () {
-    const targetPeer = await createSecp256k1PeerId();
-    const mockPeer = { id: targetPeer, protocols: [TestCodec] } as Peer;
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "get").withArgs(targetPeer).resolves(mockPeer);
-
-    const result = await selectPeerForProtocol(
-      peerStore,
-      protocols,
-      targetPeer
-    );
-    expect(result.peer).to.deep.equal(mockPeer);
-  });
-
-  it("should return a random peer when all peers have the same latency", async function () {
-    const mockPeers = [highPingPeer, highPingPeer, highPingPeer];
-
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "get").callsFake(async (peerId) => {
-      return mockPeers.find((peer) => peer.id.equals(peerId))!;
-    });
-
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "forEach").callsFake(async (callback) => {
-      for (const peer of mockPeers) {
-        callback(peer);
-      }
-    });
-
-    const result = await selectPeerForProtocol(peerStore, protocols);
-
-    expect(mockPeers).to.deep.include(result.peer);
-  });
-
-  it("should throw an error when no peer matches the given protocols", async function () {
-    const mockPeers = [differentCodecPeer, anotherDifferentCodecPeer];
-
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "forEach").callsFake(async (callback) => {
-      for (const peer of mockPeers) {
-        callback(peer);
-      }
-    });
-
-    await expect(
-      selectPeerForProtocol(peerStore, protocols)
-    ).to.be.rejectedWith(
-      `Failed to find known peer that registers protocols: ${protocols}`
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("should throw an error when the selected peer does not register the required protocols", async function () {
-    const targetPeer = await createSecp256k1PeerId();
-    const mockPeer = { id: targetPeer, protocols: ["DifferentCodec"] } as Peer;
-    sinon.stub(peerStore, "get").withArgs(targetPeer).resolves(mockPeer);
-
-    await expect(
-      selectPeerForProtocol(peerStore, protocols, targetPeer)
-    ).to.be.rejectedWith(
-      `Peer does not register required protocols (${targetPeer.toString()}): ${protocols}`
-    );
-  });
-});
-
-describe("getConnectedPeersForProtocol", function () {
-  let waku: LightNode;
-  let nwaku: NimGoNode;
-
-  beforeEach(async function () {
-    this.timeout(15000);
-    nwaku = new NimGoNode(makeLogFileName(this));
-    await nwaku.start({
-      filter: true,
-      lightpush: true,
-      relay: true
-    });
-    waku = await createLightNode();
-    await waku.start();
-    await waku.dial(await nwaku.getMultiaddrWithId());
-    await waitForRemotePeer(waku, [Protocols.Filter]);
-  });
-
-  afterEach(async function () {
-    this.timeout(10000);
-    await tearDownNodes(nwaku, waku);
-  });
-});
diff --git a/packages/utils/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/utils/CHANGELOG.md
index fcb5eeedfd..9d8a4d2d9f 100644
--- a/packages/utils/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/utils/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,33 @@
   * devDependencies
     * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.16 to 0.0.17
 
+## [0.0.14](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/utils-v0.0.13...utils-v0.0.14) (2024-01-10)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697))
+* change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703))
+
+### Features
+
+* Add function for determining shard index from content topic ([86da696](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/86da6962bac91a8719de1f9cd60e9f7bc13e48f1))
+* Add function to validate autoshard content topic ([1bc1eb5](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/1bc1eb509166e6dfcb24c59a90eb05f5dc16de78))
+* Add support for autosharded pubsub topics ([2bc3735](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/2bc3735e4dcf85f06b3dee542024d7f20a40fac2))
+* Add support for sharded pubsub topics & remove support for named pubsub topics ([#1697](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1697)) ([4cf2ffe](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/4cf2ffefa75e0571805036b71644d2cdd4fe3192))
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Chores
+
+* Change all instances of `PubSubTopic` to `PubsubTopic` ([#1703](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/issues/1703)) ([3166a51](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/commit/3166a5135e77583da4fa722ee2aa47c785854a38))
+
+
+### Dependencies
+
+* The following workspace dependencies were updated
+  * dependencies
+    * @waku/interfaces bumped from 0.0.20 to 0.0.21
+
 ## [0.0.13](https://github.com/waku-org/js-waku/compare/utils-v0.0.12...utils-v0.0.13) (2023-11-01)
 
 
diff --git a/packages/utils/package.json b/packages/utils/package.json
index b5bfdc41ac..ac8c44fb19 100644
--- a/packages/utils/package.json
+++ b/packages/utils/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@waku/utils",
-  "version": "0.0.13",
+  "version": "0.0.14",
   "description": "Different utilities for Waku",
   "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
   "module": "./dist/index.js",
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@noble/hashes": "^1.3.2",
-    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.20",
+    "@waku/interfaces": "0.0.21",
     "chai": "^4.3.10",
     "debug": "^4.3.4",
     "fast-check": "^3.14.0",
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/common/sharding.ts b/packages/utils/src/common/sharding.ts
index f6f3cd7b34..44661df474 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/common/sharding.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/common/sharding.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export const shardInfoToPubsubTopics = (
 ): PubsubTopic[] => {
   if (shardInfo.clusterId === undefined)
     throw new Error("Cluster ID must be specified");
+
   if ("contentTopics" in shardInfo) {
     // Autosharding: explicitly defined content topics
     return Array.from(
diff --git a/packages/utils/src/libp2p/index.ts b/packages/utils/src/libp2p/index.ts
index 44de86d0e4..4bc305eca2 100644
--- a/packages/utils/src/libp2p/index.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/src/libp2p/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import type { Connection } from "@libp2p/interface/connection";
-import type { PeerId } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-id";
 import type { Peer, PeerStore } from "@libp2p/interface/peer-store";
-import type { ShardInfo } from "@waku/interfaces";
+import type { ShardingParams } from "@waku/interfaces";
 
 import { bytesToUtf8 } from "../bytes/index.js";
 import { decodeRelayShard } from "../common/relay_shard_codec.js";
@@ -18,35 +17,39 @@ export function selectRandomPeer(peers: Peer[]): Peer | undefined {
 }
 
 /**
- * Returns the peer with the lowest latency.
+ * Function to sort peers by latency from lowest to highest
  * @param peerStore - The Libp2p PeerStore
  * @param peers - The list of peers to choose from
- * @returns The peer with the lowest latency, or undefined if no peer could be reached
+ * @returns Sorted array of peers by latency
  */
-export async function selectLowestLatencyPeer(
+export async function sortPeersByLatency(
   peerStore: PeerStore,
   peers: Peer[]
-): Promise<Peer | undefined> {
-  if (peers.length === 0) return;
+): Promise<Peer[]> {
+  if (peers.length === 0) return [];
 
   const results = await Promise.all(
     peers.map(async (peer) => {
-      const pingBytes = (await peerStore.get(peer.id)).metadata.get("ping");
-      if (!pingBytes) return { peer, ping: Infinity };
+      try {
+        const pingBytes = (await peerStore.get(peer.id)).metadata.get("ping");
+        if (!pingBytes) return { peer, ping: Infinity };
 
-      const ping = Number(bytesToUtf8(pingBytes)) ?? Infinity;
-      return { peer, ping };
+        const ping = Number(bytesToUtf8(pingBytes));
+        return { peer, ping };
+      } catch (error) {
+        return { peer, ping: Infinity };
+      }
     })
   );
 
-  const lowestLatencyResult = results.sort((a, b) => a.ping - b.ping)[0];
-  if (!lowestLatencyResult) {
-    return undefined;
-  }
+  // filter out null values
+  const validResults = results.filter(
+    (result): result is { peer: Peer; ping: number } => result !== null
+  );
 
-  return lowestLatencyResult.ping !== Infinity
-    ? lowestLatencyResult.peer
-    : undefined;
+  return validResults
+    .sort((a, b) => a.ping - b.ping)
+    .map((result) => result.peer);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -72,7 +75,7 @@ export async function getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard(
   connections: Connection[],
   peerStore: PeerStore,
   protocols: string[],
-  shardInfo?: ShardInfo
+  shardInfo?: ShardingParams
 ): Promise<Peer[]> {
   const openConnections = connections.filter(
     (connection) => connection.status === "open"
@@ -86,6 +89,12 @@ export async function getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard(
 
     if (supportsProtocol) {
       if (shardInfo) {
+        //TODO: support auto-sharding
+        if (!("shards" in shardInfo)) {
+          throw new Error(
+            `Connections Manager only supports static sharding for now. Autosharding is not supported.`
+          );
+        }
         const encodedPeerShardInfo = peer.metadata.get("shardInfo");
         const peerShardInfo =
           encodedPeerShardInfo && decodeRelayShard(encodedPeerShardInfo);
@@ -104,53 +113,6 @@ export async function getConnectedPeersForProtocolAndShard(
   return peersWithNulls.filter((peer): peer is Peer => peer !== null);
 }
 
-/**
- * Returns a peer that supports the given protocol.
- * If peerId is provided, the peer with that id is returned.
- * Otherwise, the peer with the lowest latency is returned.
- * If no peer is found from the above criteria, a random peer is returned.
- */
-export async function selectPeerForProtocol(
-  peerStore: PeerStore,
-  protocols: string[],
-  peerId?: PeerId
-): Promise<{ peer: Peer; protocol: string }> {
-  let peer: Peer | undefined;
-  if (peerId) {
-    peer = await peerStore.get(peerId);
-    if (!peer) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Failed to retrieve connection details for provided peer in peer store: ${peerId.toString()}`
-      );
-    }
-  } else {
-    const peers = await getPeersForProtocol(peerStore, protocols);
-    peer = await selectLowestLatencyPeer(peerStore, peers);
-    if (!peer) {
-      peer = selectRandomPeer(peers);
-      if (!peer)
-        throw new Error(
-          `Failed to find known peer that registers protocols: ${protocols}`
-        );
-    }
-  }
-
-  let protocol;
-  for (const codec of protocols) {
-    if (peer.protocols.includes(codec)) {
-      protocol = codec;
-      // Do not break as we want to keep the last value
-    }
-  }
-  if (!protocol) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `Peer does not register required protocols (${peer.id.toString()}): ${protocols}`
-    );
-  }
-
-  return { peer, protocol };
-}
-
 export function selectConnection(
   connections: Connection[]
 ): Connection | undefined {