diff --git a/plugins/net_plugin/net_plugin.cpp b/plugins/net_plugin/net_plugin.cpp
index 3c8ab0b5bfc..fd9cdaba78d 100644
--- a/plugins/net_plugin/net_plugin.cpp
+++ b/plugins/net_plugin/net_plugin.cpp
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ namespace eosio {
       fc::sha256              node_id;
       const uint32_t          connection_id;
       int16_t                 sent_handshake_count = 0;
-      std::atomic<bool>       connecting{false};
+      std::atomic<bool>       connecting{true};
       std::atomic<bool>       syncing{false};
       uint16_t                protocol_version = 0;
       uint16_t                consecutive_rejected_blocks = 0;
@@ -914,7 +914,6 @@ namespace eosio {
       socket.set_option( nodelay, ec );
       if( ec ) {
          fc_elog( logger, "connection failed to ${peer}: ${error}", ("peer", peer_name())( "error", ec.message() ) );
-         connecting = false;
          close();
          return false;
       } else {
@@ -2146,7 +2145,6 @@ namespace eosio {
                   } );
                } else {
                   fc_elog( logger, "connection failed to ${peer}: ${error}", ("peer", c->peer_name())( "error", err.message()));
-                  c->connecting = false;
                   c->close( false );
                }
             }
@@ -2155,6 +2153,7 @@ namespace eosio {
 
    void net_plugin_impl::start_listen_loop() {
       connection_ptr new_connection = std::make_shared<connection>();
+      new_connection->connecting = true;
       acceptor->async_accept( new_connection->socket,
             boost::asio::bind_executor( new_connection->strand, [new_connection, this]( boost::system::error_code ec ) {
          if( !ec ) {
@@ -2462,9 +2461,7 @@ namespace eosio {
                ("g", msg.generation)( "ep", peer_name() )
                ( "lib", msg.last_irreversible_block_num )( "head", msg.head_num ) );
 
-      if( connecting ) {
-         connecting = false;
-      }
+      connecting = false;
       if (msg.generation == 1) {
          if( msg.node_id == node_id) {
             fc_elog( logger, "Self connection detected node_id ${id}. Closing connection", ("id", node_id) );