diff --git a/syndicate/distributed/federation.rkt b/syndicate/distributed/federation.rkt
index c49f6c2..9a43484 100644
--- a/syndicate/distributed/federation.rkt
+++ b/syndicate/distributed/federation.rkt
@@ -98,11 +98,31 @@
              (assert (server-proposal management-scope (federated-link session-id local-scope)))
              (assert (to-server peer-addr (federated-link session-id remote-scope)))
 
+             ;; We have to buffer in both directions, because at startup there's latency
+             ;; between asserting a federated-link record and it being ready to receive
+             ;; message-poa->server records.
+             (field [pending-in '()]
+                    [pending-out '()])
+
              (on (message (from-server peer-addr (message-server->poa session-id $p)))
-                 (send! (server-proposal management-scope (message-poa->server session-id p))))
+                 (pending-in (cons p (pending-in))))
 
              (on (message (server-envelope management-scope (message-server->poa session-id $p)))
-                 (send! (to-server peer-addr (message-poa->server session-id p))))))))
+                 (pending-out (cons p (pending-out))))
+
+             (during (server-envelope management-scope (observe (message-poa->server session-id _)))
+               (during (from-server peer-addr (observe (message-poa->server session-id _)))
+                 (begin/dataflow
+                   (when (pair? (pending-in))
+                     (for [(p (reverse (pending-in)))]
+                       (send! (server-proposal management-scope
+                                               (message-poa->server session-id p))))
+                     (pending-in '())))
+                 (begin/dataflow
+                   (when (pair? (pending-out))
+                     (for [(p (reverse (pending-out)))]
+                       (send! (to-server peer-addr (message-poa->server session-id p))))
+                     (pending-out '())))))))))
 
 ;;---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;; Local links.