diff --git a/src/chat/index.ts b/src/chat/index.ts
index 4d9ddaf9bb..dc1e74f1ab 100644
--- a/src/chat/index.ts
+++ b/src/chat/index.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ const ChatContentTopic = 'dingpu';
     const chatMessage = new ChatMessage(new Date(), nick, line);
 
     const msg = WakuMessage.fromBytes(chatMessage.encode(), ChatContentTopic);
-    await waku.relay.publish(msg);
+    await waku.relay.send(msg);
   }
 })();
 
diff --git a/src/lib/waku.ts b/src/lib/waku.ts
index 5040743932..0645e60ae2 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import Websockets from 'libp2p-websockets';
 import Multiaddr from 'multiaddr';
 import PeerId from 'peer-id';
 
-import { RelayCodec, WakuRelay, WakuRelayPubsub } from './waku_relay';
+import { RelayCodec, WakuRelay } from './waku_relay';
 import { StoreCodec, WakuStore } from './waku_store';
 
 export interface CreateOptions {
@@ -21,11 +21,15 @@ export interface CreateOptions {
 }
 
 export default class Waku {
-  private constructor(
-    public libp2p: Libp2p,
-    public relay: WakuRelay,
-    public store: WakuStore
-  ) {}
+  public libp2p: Libp2p;
+  public relay: WakuRelay;
+  public store: WakuStore;
+
+  private constructor(libp2p: Libp2p, store: WakuStore) {
+    this.libp2p = libp2p;
+    this.relay = (libp2p.pubsub as unknown) as WakuRelay;
+    this.store = store;
+  }
 
   /**
    * Create new waku node
@@ -64,7 +68,7 @@ export default class Waku {
         connEncryption: [new Noise(opts.staticNoiseKey)],
         // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/ban-ts-comment
         // @ts-ignore: Type needs update
-        pubsub: WakuRelayPubsub,
+        pubsub: WakuRelay,
       },
     });
 
@@ -72,7 +76,7 @@ export default class Waku {
 
     await libp2p.start();
 
-    return new Waku(libp2p, new WakuRelay(libp2p.pubsub), wakuStore);
+    return new Waku(libp2p, wakuStore);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_relay/get_relay_peers.ts b/src/lib/waku_relay/get_relay_peers.ts
index e31a5280f3..2331da24f5 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_relay/get_relay_peers.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_relay/get_relay_peers.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
+import Gossipsub from 'libp2p-gossipsub';
 import { shuffle } from 'libp2p-gossipsub/src/utils';
 
-import { RelayCodec, WakuRelayPubsub } from './index';
+import { RelayCodec } from './index';
 
 /**
  * Given a topic, returns up to count peers subscribed to that topic
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ import { RelayCodec, WakuRelayPubsub } from './index';
  *
  */
 export function getRelayPeers(
-  router: WakuRelayPubsub,
+  router: Gossipsub,
   topic: string,
   count: number,
   filter: (id: string) => boolean = () => true
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_relay/index.spec.ts b/src/lib/waku_relay/index.spec.ts
index d7f7065de7..06d7c52e5d 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_relay/index.spec.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_relay/index.spec.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ describe('Waku Relay', () => {
 
     const receivedPromise = waitForNextData(waku2.libp2p.pubsub);
 
-    await waku1.relay.publish(message);
+    await waku1.relay.send(message);
 
     const receivedMsg = await receivedPromise;
 
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ describe('Waku Relay', () => {
 
         const message = WakuMessage.fromUtf8String('This is a message');
 
-        await waku.relay.publish(message);
+        await waku.relay.send(message);
 
         let msgs = [];
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ describe('Waku Relay', () => {
 
         const message = WakuMessage.fromUtf8String('This is a message');
 
-        await waku.relay.publish(message);
+        await waku.relay.send(message);
 
         let msgs = [];
 
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ describe('Waku Relay', () => {
 
         const waku2ReceivedPromise = waitForNextData(waku2.libp2p.pubsub);
 
-        await waku1.relay.publish(message);
+        await waku1.relay.send(message);
 
         const waku2ReceivedMsg = await waku2ReceivedPromise;
 
diff --git a/src/lib/waku_relay/index.ts b/src/lib/waku_relay/index.ts
index 58362b18bc..487ca819bd 100644
--- a/src/lib/waku_relay/index.ts
+++ b/src/lib/waku_relay/index.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import {
   messageIdToString,
   shuffle,
 } from 'libp2p-gossipsub/src/utils';
-import Pubsub, { InMessage } from 'libp2p-interfaces/src/pubsub';
+import { InMessage } from 'libp2p-interfaces/src/pubsub';
 import { SignaturePolicy } from 'libp2p-interfaces/src/pubsub/signature-policy';
 import PeerId from 'peer-id';
 
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ import { RelayHeartbeat } from './relay_heartbeat';
 export * from './constants';
 export * from './relay_heartbeat';
 
-// This is the class to pass to libp2p as pubsub protocol
-export class WakuRelayPubsub extends Gossipsub {
+export class WakuRelay extends Gossipsub {
   heartbeat: RelayHeartbeat;
 
   /**
@@ -43,6 +42,28 @@ export class WakuRelayPubsub extends Gossipsub {
     Object.assign(this, { multicodecs });
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Mounts the gossipsub protocol onto the libp2p node
+   * and subscribes to the default topic
+   * @override
+   * @returns {void}
+   */
+  start() {
+    super.start();
+    super.subscribe(constants.RelayDefaultTopic);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Send Waku messages under default topic
+   * @override
+   * @param {WakuMessage} message
+   * @returns {Promise<void>}
+   */
+  async send(message: WakuMessage) {
+    const msg = message.toBinary();
+    await super.publish(constants.RelayDefaultTopic, Buffer.from(msg));
+  }
+
   /**
    * Join topic
    * @param {string} topic
@@ -291,15 +312,3 @@ export class WakuRelayPubsub extends Gossipsub {
     };
   }
 }
-
-// This class provides an interface to execute the waku relay protocol
-export class WakuRelay {
-  constructor(private pubsub: Pubsub) {
-    this.pubsub.subscribe(constants.RelayDefaultTopic);
-  }
-
-  async publish(message: WakuMessage) {
-    const msg = message.toBinary();
-    await this.pubsub.publish(constants.RelayDefaultTopic, msg);
-  }
-}