diff --git a/include/libp2p/record/message.h b/include/libp2p/record/message.h
index 29cf99b..8d3f6aa 100644
--- a/include/libp2p/record/message.h
+++ b/include/libp2p/record/message.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ void libp2p_message_free(struct Libp2pMessage* in);
  * @param in the struct to be protobuf'd
  * @returns the size required
  */
-size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(struct Libp2pMessage* in);
+size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(const struct Libp2pMessage* in);
 
 /**
  * Encode a Message into a protobuf
@@ -54,7 +54,17 @@ size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(struct Libp2pMessage* in);
  * @param bytes_written will hold the number of bytes written to buffer
  * @returns true(1) on success, otherwise false(0)
  */
-int libp2p_message_protobuf_encode(struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char* buffer, size_t max_buffer_size, size_t* bytes_written);
+int libp2p_message_protobuf_encode(const struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char* buffer, size_t max_buffer_size, size_t* bytes_written);
+
+/**
+ * Convert a Libp2pMessage into protobuf format,
+ * allocating memory as needed
+ * @param in the Libp2pMessage to convert
+ * @param buffer where to store the protobuf
+ * @param buffer_size the size written into buffer
+ * @returns true(1) on success, otherwise false(0)
+ */
+int libp2p_message_protobuf_allocate_and_encode(const struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char **buffer, size_t* buffer_size);
 
 /**
  * turn a protobuf back into a message
diff --git a/include/libp2p/record/record.h b/include/libp2p/record/record.h
index eafc8bd..6957394 100644
--- a/include/libp2p/record/record.h
+++ b/include/libp2p/record/record.h
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ void libp2p_record_free(struct Libp2pRecord* in);
  */
 int libp2p_record_protobuf_encode(const struct Libp2pRecord* in, unsigned char* buffer, size_t max_buffer_size, size_t* bytes_written);
 
+/**
+ * Convert a Libp2pRecord into protobuf format, allocating
+ * memory as needed
+ * @param in the Libp2pRecord to convert
+ * @param buffer where to store the protobuf
+ * @param buffer_size the size of the allocated buffer
+ * @returns true(1) on success, otherwise false(0)
+ */
+int libp2p_record_protobuf_allocate_and_encode(const struct Libp2pRecord* in, unsigned char **buffer, size_t *buffer_size);
+
 /**
  * Generates an estimate of the buffer size needed to encode the struct
  * @param in the Libp2pRecord that you want to encode
diff --git a/net/multistream.c b/net/multistream.c
index 83a8079..8569dd8 100644
--- a/net/multistream.c
+++ b/net/multistream.c
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ int libp2p_net_multistream_close(void* stream_context) {
  * @returns the number of bytes written
  */
 int libp2p_net_multistream_write(void* stream_context, const unsigned char* data, size_t data_length) {
-	struct SessionContext* secure_context = (struct SessionContext*)stream_context;
-	struct Stream* stream = secure_context->insecure_stream;
+	struct SessionContext* session_context = (struct SessionContext*)stream_context;
+	struct Stream* stream = session_context->insecure_stream;
 	int num_bytes = 0;
 
 	if (data_length > 0) { // only do this is if there is something to send
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ int libp2p_net_multistream_write(void* stream_context, const unsigned char* data
  * @returns number of bytes received
  */
 int libp2p_net_multistream_read(void* stream_context, unsigned char** results, size_t* results_size) {
-	struct SessionContext* secure_context = (struct SessionContext*)stream_context;
-	struct Stream* stream = secure_context->insecure_stream;
+	struct SessionContext* session_context = (struct SessionContext*)stream_context;
+	struct Stream* stream = session_context->insecure_stream;
 	int bytes = 0;
 	size_t buffer_size = 65535;
 	char buffer[buffer_size];
diff --git a/peer/peerstore.c b/peer/peerstore.c
index e7e772c..a288e2d 100644
--- a/peer/peerstore.c
+++ b/peer/peerstore.c
@@ -128,11 +128,12 @@ struct PeerEntry* libp2p_peerstore_get_peer_entry(struct Peerstore* peerstore, c
 	struct Libp2pLinkedList* current = peerstore->head_entry;
 	while(current != NULL) {
 		struct Libp2pPeer* peer = ((struct PeerEntry*)current->item)->peer;
-		if (peer->id_size != peer_id_size)
-			continue;
-		if (memcmp(peer_id, peer->id, peer->id_size) == 0) {
-			return (struct PeerEntry*)current->item;
+		if (peer->id_size == peer_id_size) {
+			if (memcmp(peer_id, peer->id, peer->id_size) == 0) {
+				return (struct PeerEntry*)current->item;
+			}
 		}
+		current = current->next;
 	}
 	return NULL;
 }
diff --git a/record/message.c b/record/message.c
index e8223c0..46ac064 100644
--- a/record/message.c
+++ b/record/message.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ void libp2p_message_free(struct Libp2pMessage* in) {
 	}
 }
 
-size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(struct Libp2pMessage* in) {
+size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(const struct Libp2pMessage* in) {
 	// message type
 	size_t retVal = 11;
 	// clusterlevelraw
@@ -77,7 +77,31 @@ size_t libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(struct Libp2pMessage* in) {
 	return retVal;
 }
 
-int libp2p_message_protobuf_encode(struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char* buffer, size_t max_buffer_size, size_t* bytes_written) {
+/**
+ * Convert a Libp2pMessage into protobuf format,
+ * allocating memory as needed
+ * @param in the Libp2pMessage to convert
+ * @param buffer where to store the protobuf
+ * @param buffer_size the size of the buffer
+ * @returns true(1) on success, otherwise false(0)
+ */
+int libp2p_message_protobuf_allocate_and_encode(const struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char **buffer, size_t *buffer_size) {
+	*buffer_size = libp2p_message_protobuf_encode_size(in);
+	*buffer = malloc(*buffer_size);
+	if (*buffer == NULL) {
+		*buffer_size = 0;
+		return 0;
+	}
+	int retVal = libp2p_message_protobuf_encode(in, *buffer, *buffer_size, buffer_size);
+	if (retVal == 0) {
+		free(*buffer);
+		*buffer = NULL;
+		*buffer_size = 0;
+	}
+	return retVal;
+}
+
+int libp2p_message_protobuf_encode(const struct Libp2pMessage* in, unsigned char* buffer, size_t max_buffer_size, size_t* bytes_written) {
 	// data & data_size
 	size_t bytes_used = 0;
 	*bytes_written = 0;
diff --git a/record/record.c b/record/record.c
index 2675d53..0601482 100644
--- a/record/record.c
+++ b/record/record.c
@@ -50,6 +50,29 @@ void libp2p_record_free(struct Libp2pRecord* in) {
 	}
 }
 
+/**
+ * Protobuf a record, allocating memory
+ * @param in the record to protobuf
+ * @param buffer where to put the results
+ * @param buffer_size the size of the results
+ * @returns true(1) on success, false(0) otherwise
+ */
+int libp2p_record_protobuf_allocate_and_encode(const struct Libp2pRecord* in, unsigned char** buffer, size_t* buffer_size) {
+	*buffer_size = libp2p_record_protobuf_encode_size(in);
+	*buffer = malloc(*buffer_size);
+	if (*buffer == NULL) {
+		*buffer_size = 0;
+		return 0;
+	}
+	int retVal = libp2p_record_protobuf_encode(in, *buffer, *buffer_size, buffer_size);
+	if (retVal == 0) {
+		free(*buffer);
+		*buffer = NULL;
+		*buffer_size = 0;
+	}
+	return retVal;
+}
+
 /**
  * Convert a Libp2pRecord into protobuf format
  * @param in the Libp2pRecord to convert
diff --git a/routing/dht_protocol.c b/routing/dht_protocol.c
index 3c38a9e..5bb4352 100644
--- a/routing/dht_protocol.c
+++ b/routing/dht_protocol.c
@@ -285,7 +285,8 @@ int libp2p_routing_dht_handle_find_node(struct SessionContext* session, struct L
 	// look through peer store
 	struct Libp2pPeer* peer = libp2p_peerstore_get_peer(peerstore, message->key, message->key_size);
 	if (peer != NULL) {
-		message->closer_peer_head = peer->addr_head;
+		message->provider_peer_head = libp2p_utils_linked_list_new();
+		message->provider_peer_head->item = peer;
 		if (!libp2p_routing_dht_protobuf_message(message, result_buffer, result_buffer_size)) {
 			return 0;
 		}