diff --git a/chain/sync_manager.go b/chain/sync_manager.go
index 0fdcf32de..4226902c5 100644
--- a/chain/sync_manager.go
+++ b/chain/sync_manager.go
@@ -11,12 +11,21 @@ import (
 
 const BootstrapPeerThreshold = 2
 
+const (
+	BSStateInit      = 0
+	BSStateSelected  = 1
+	BSStateScheduled = 2
+	BSStateComplete  = 3
+)
+
 type SyncFunc func(context.Context, *types.TipSet) error
 
 type SyncManager struct {
-	lk           sync.Mutex
-	peerHeads    map[peer.ID]*types.TipSet
-	bootstrapped bool
+	lk        sync.Mutex
+	peerHeads map[peer.ID]*types.TipSet
+
+	bssLk          sync.Mutex
+	bootstrapState int
 
 	bspThresh int
 
@@ -75,7 +84,7 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) SetPeerHead(ctx context.Context, p peer.ID, ts *types.Tip
 	defer sm.lk.Unlock()
 	sm.peerHeads[p] = ts
 
-	if !sm.bootstrapped {
+	if sm.getBootstrapState() == BSStateInit {
 		spc := sm.syncedPeerCount()
 		if spc >= sm.bspThresh {
 			// Its go time!
@@ -84,10 +93,9 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) SetPeerHead(ctx context.Context, p peer.ID, ts *types.Tip
 				log.Error("failed to select sync target: ", err)
 				return
 			}
+			sm.setBootstrapState(BSStateSelected)
 
 			sm.incomingTipSets <- target
-			// TODO: is this the right place to say we're bootstrapped? probably want to wait until the sync finishes
-			sm.bootstrapped = true
 		}
 		log.Infof("sync bootstrap has %d peers", spc)
 		return
@@ -175,6 +183,10 @@ func (sbs *syncBucketSet) Heaviest() *types.TipSet {
 	return bestTs
 }
 
+func (sbs *syncBucketSet) Empty() bool {
+	return len(sbs.buckets) == 0
+}
+
 type syncTargetBucket struct {
 	tips  []*types.TipSet
 	count int
@@ -271,6 +283,12 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) syncScheduler() {
 }
 
 func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleIncoming(ts *types.TipSet) {
+	if sm.getBootstrapState() == BSStateSelected {
+		sm.setBootstrapState(BSStateScheduled)
+		sm.syncTargets <- ts
+		return
+	}
+
 	var relatedToActiveSync bool
 	for _, acts := range sm.activeSyncs {
 		if ts.Equals(acts) {
@@ -294,6 +312,11 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleIncoming(ts *types.TipSet) {
 		return
 	}
 
+	if sm.getBootstrapState() == BSStateScheduled {
+		sm.syncQueue.Insert(ts)
+		return
+	}
+
 	if sm.nextSyncTarget != nil && sm.nextSyncTarget.sameChainAs(ts) {
 		sm.nextSyncTarget.add(ts)
 	} else {
@@ -307,6 +330,9 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleIncoming(ts *types.TipSet) {
 }
 
 func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleProcessResult(res *syncResult) {
+	if res.success && sm.getBootstrapState() != BSStateComplete {
+		sm.setBootstrapState(BSStateComplete)
+	}
 	delete(sm.activeSyncs, res.ts.Key())
 	relbucket := sm.activeSyncTips.PopRelated(res.ts)
 	if relbucket != nil {
@@ -317,6 +343,7 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleProcessResult(res *syncResult) {
 			} else {
 				sm.syncQueue.buckets = append(sm.syncQueue.buckets, relbucket)
 			}
+			return
 		} else {
 			// TODO: this is the case where we try to sync a chain, and
 			// fail, and we have more blocks on top of that chain that
@@ -324,13 +351,21 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleProcessResult(res *syncResult) {
 			// sync these? or just drop them?
 		}
 	}
+
+	if sm.nextSyncTarget == nil && !sm.syncQueue.Empty() {
+		next := sm.syncQueue.Pop()
+		if next != nil {
+			sm.nextSyncTarget = next
+			sm.workerChan = sm.syncTargets
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 func (sm *SyncManager) scheduleWorkSent() {
 	hts := sm.nextSyncTarget.heaviestTipSet()
 	sm.activeSyncs[hts.Key()] = hts
 
-	if len(sm.syncQueue.buckets) > 0 {
+	if !sm.syncQueue.Empty() {
 		sm.nextSyncTarget = sm.syncQueue.Pop()
 	} else {
 		sm.nextSyncTarget = nil
@@ -373,8 +408,20 @@ func (sm *SyncManager) syncedPeerCount() int {
 	return count
 }
 
-func (sm *SyncManager) IsBootstrapped() bool {
-	sm.lk.Lock()
-	defer sm.lk.Unlock()
-	return sm.bootstrapped
+func (sm *SyncManager) getBootstrapState() int {
+	sm.bssLk.Lock()
+	defer sm.bssLk.Unlock()
+	return sm.bootstrapState
+}
+
+func (sm *SyncManager) setBootstrapState(v int) {
+	sm.bssLk.Lock()
+	defer sm.bssLk.Unlock()
+	sm.bootstrapState = v
+}
+
+func (sm *SyncManager) IsBootstrapped() bool {
+	sm.bssLk.Lock()
+	defer sm.bssLk.Unlock()
+	return sm.bootstrapState == BSStateComplete
 }