diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 52ad076..b0a5118 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -261,9 +261,8 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "bitcoinkernel"
-version = "0.1.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "7abae2a8861228d4013da2a9e9c5249aa01539d92eb146696d87e636d83f9a4e"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "git+https://github.com/TheCharlatan/rust-bitcoinkernel?rev=cf9bae320fcec68a4cff54d3547c529a011a4c96#cf9bae320fcec68a4cff54d3547c529a011a4c96"
 dependencies = [
  "libbitcoinkernel-sys",
 ]
@@ -716,9 +715,8 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libbitcoinkernel-sys"
-version = "0.1.0"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "a39c92eeb8b730cf95f182609f9b845fe292ad88adb37f635198ce88dcea959b"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "git+https://github.com/TheCharlatan/rust-bitcoinkernel?rev=cf9bae320fcec68a4cff54d3547c529a011a4c96#cf9bae320fcec68a4cff54d3547c529a011a4c96"
 dependencies = [
  "bindgen",
  "cc",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 4ff86b6..be7795c 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
 
 [dependencies]
-# bitcoinkernel = { path = "../rust-bitcoinkernel", version = "0.0.15" }
-bitcoinkernel = "0.1"
+bitcoinkernel = { git = "https://github.com/TheCharlatan/rust-bitcoinkernel", rev = "cf9bae320fcec68a4cff54d3547c529a011a4c96" }
+# bitcoinkernel = { path = "../rust-bitcoinkernel" }
+# bitcoinkernel = "0.1"
 addrman = { package = "bitcoin-address-book", git = "https://github.com/rustaceanrob/bitcoin-address-book", rev = "4417e4c8f5d04245947c758b73fb0dc9e7e0bd15" }
 bitcoin = { git = "https://github.com/rust-bitcoin/rust-bitcoin", default-features = false, rev = "16cc257c3695dea0e7301a5fa9cab44b8ed60598" }
 p2p = { package = "bitcoin-p2p", git =  "https://github.com/2140-dev/bitcoin-p2p.git", rev = "322c4abb2a947f3f2d85991a0cb450249c68c1ea" }
diff --git a/src/kernel_util.rs b/src/kernel_util.rs
index 999e3e4..e815c56 100644
--- a/src/kernel_util.rs
+++ b/src/kernel_util.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ pub fn bitcoin_block_to_kernel_block(block: &bitcoin::Block<Checked>) -> bitcoin
     bitcoinkernel::Block::try_from(ser_block.as_slice()).unwrap()
 }
 
+pub fn bitcoin_header_to_kernel_header(header: &bitcoin::BlockHeader) -> bitcoinkernel::BlockHeader {
+    let ser_header = encode::serialize(header);
+    bitcoinkernel::BlockHeader::try_from(ser_header.as_slice()).unwrap()
+}
+
 pub fn get_block_hash(index: BlockTreeEntry) -> bitcoin::BlockHash {
     bitcoin::BlockHash::from_byte_array(index.block_hash().to_bytes())
 }
diff --git a/src/peer.rs b/src/peer.rs
index ddaf331..c66adcd 100644
--- a/src/peer.rs
+++ b/src/peer.rs
@@ -6,20 +6,17 @@ use std::{
 };
 
 use bitcoin::{BlockHash, Network};
-use bitcoinkernel::{ChainstateManager, Context};
-use log::{debug, info};
+use bitcoinkernel::{ChainstateManager, Context, core::BlockHashExt, prelude::BlockValidationStateExt};
+use log::{debug, info, warn};
 use p2p::{
     handshake::ConnectionConfig,
     net::{ConnectionExt, ConnectionReader, ConnectionWriter, TimeoutParams},
     p2p_message_types::{
-        message::{AddrV2Payload, InventoryPayload, NetworkMessage},
-        message_blockdata::{GetBlocksMessage, Inventory},
-        message_network::UserAgent,
-        Address, ProtocolVersion, ServiceFlags,
+        Address, ProtocolVersion, ServiceFlags, message::{AddrV2Payload, InventoryPayload, NetworkMessage}, message_blockdata::{GetBlocksMessage, GetHeadersMessage, Inventory}, message_network::UserAgent
     },
 };
 
-use crate::kernel_util::bitcoin_block_to_kernel_block;
+use crate::kernel_util::{bitcoin_block_to_kernel_block, bitcoin_header_to_kernel_header};
 
 const PROTOCOL_VERSION: ProtocolVersion = ProtocolVersion::INVALID_CB_NO_BAN_VERSION;
 
@@ -60,6 +57,7 @@ impl NodeState {
 ///
 ///       [*]
 ///        │
+/// AwaitingHeaders
 ///        ▼
 ///   AwaitingInv
 ///       ▲ |
@@ -73,6 +71,7 @@ impl NodeState {
 #[derive(Default)]
 pub enum PeerStateMachine {
     #[default]
+    AwaitingHeaders,
     AwaitingInv,
     AwaitingBlock(AwaitingBlock),
 }
@@ -82,6 +81,14 @@ pub struct AwaitingBlock {
     pub block_buffer: HashMap<bitcoin::BlockHash /*prev */, bitcoinkernel::Block>,
 }
 
+fn create_getheaders_message(known_block_hash: bitcoin::BlockHash) -> NetworkMessage {
+    NetworkMessage::GetHeaders(GetHeadersMessage {
+        version: PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+        locator_hashes: vec![known_block_hash],
+        stop_hash: bitcoin::BlockHash::GENESIS_PREVIOUS_BLOCK_HASH,
+    })
+}
+
 fn create_getblocks_message(known_block_hash: bitcoin::BlockHash) -> NetworkMessage {
     NetworkMessage::GetBlocks(GetBlocksMessage {
         version: PROTOCOL_VERSION,
@@ -118,6 +125,31 @@ pub fn process_message(
     }
 
     match state_machine {
+        PeerStateMachine::AwaitingHeaders => match event {
+            NetworkMessage::Headers(headers) => {
+                info!("Received headers message!");
+                for header in &headers.0 {
+                    let (accepted, state) = node_state.chainman.process_header(&bitcoin_header_to_kernel_header(&header));
+                    if !accepted {
+                        warn!("Rejected header {}: {:?}", header.block_hash(), state.result());
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+
+                if headers.0.len() != 2000 {
+                    let tip_hash = node_state.get_tip_state().block_hash;
+                    return (PeerStateMachine::AwaitingInv, vec![create_getblocks_message(tip_hash)]);
+                }
+
+                let best_hash = BlockHash::from_byte_array(node_state.chainman.best_entry().unwrap().block_hash().to_bytes());
+                info!("Progressed to best known hash: {} at height: {}", best_hash, node_state.chainman.best_entry().unwrap().height());
+                (PeerStateMachine::AwaitingHeaders, vec![create_getheaders_message(best_hash)])
+            }
+            message => {
+                debug!("Ignoring message: {:?}", message);
+                (PeerStateMachine::AwaitingHeaders, vec![])
+            }
+        }
         PeerStateMachine::AwaitingInv => match event {
             NetworkMessage::Inv(inventory) => {
                 debug!("Received inventory with {} items", inventory.0.len());
@@ -220,10 +252,10 @@ impl BitcoinPeer {
 
         let addr = Address::new(&socket_addr, ServiceFlags::WITNESS);
         info!("Connected to {:?}", addr);
-        let state_machine = PeerStateMachine::AwaitingInv;
-        let our_best = node_state.get_tip_state().block_hash;
-        let getblocks = create_getblocks_message(our_best);
-        writer.send_message(getblocks)?;
+        let state_machine = PeerStateMachine::AwaitingHeaders;
+        let best_hash = BlockHash::from_byte_array(node_state.chainman.best_entry().unwrap().block_hash().to_bytes());
+        let getheaders = create_getheaders_message(best_hash);
+        writer.send_message(getheaders)?;
         let peer = BitcoinPeer {
             addr,
             writer: Arc::new(writer),