diff --git a/overlay.c b/overlay.c
index fdc895f1..62e4d1a3 100644
--- a/overlay.c
+++ b/overlay.c
@@ -112,12 +112,6 @@ int overlayServerMode()
   }
   overlay_queue_init();
   
-  if (is_rhizome_enabled()){
-    rhizome_opendb();
-    if (config.rhizome.clean_on_start && !config.rhizome.clean_on_open)
-      rhizome_cleanup(NULL);
-  }
-
   time_ms_t now = gettime_ms();
   
   // Periodically check for server shut down
diff --git a/rhizome_database.c b/rhizome_database.c
index 04214a9c..b5bd4f1a 100644
--- a/rhizome_database.c
+++ b/rhizome_database.c
@@ -461,8 +461,7 @@ sqlite3_stmt *_sqlite_prepare(struct __sourceloc __whence, int log_level, sqlite
 {
   IN();
   sqlite3_stmt *statement = NULL;
-  if (!rhizome_db && rhizome_opendb() == -1)
-    RETURN(NULL);
+  assert(rhizome_db);
   while (1) {
     switch (sqlite3_prepare_v2(rhizome_db, sqltext, -1, &statement, NULL)) {
       case SQLITE_OK:
diff --git a/rhizome_direct.c b/rhizome_direct.c
index 312007ee..ddd788fc 100644
--- a/rhizome_direct.c
+++ b/rhizome_direct.c
@@ -515,6 +515,7 @@ int app_rhizome_direct_sync(const struct cli_parsed *parsed, struct cli_context
   if (!strcasecmp(modeName,"push")) mode=1; /* push only */
   if (!strcasecmp(modeName,"pull")) mode=2; /* pull only */
   DEBUGF("sync direction = %d",mode);
+  rhizome_opendb();
   if (parsed->args[3]) {
     struct config_rhizome_peer peer;
     const struct config_rhizome_peer *peers[1] = { &peer };
diff --git a/rhizome_sync.c b/rhizome_sync.c
index 7d67773f..fdb746bf 100644
--- a/rhizome_sync.c
+++ b/rhizome_sync.c
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ void rhizome_sync_announce(struct sched_ent *alarm)
 
 int overlay_mdp_service_rhizome_sync(struct internal_mdp_header *header, struct overlay_buffer *payload)
 {
-  if (!config.rhizome.enable)
+  if (!config.rhizome.enable || !rhizome_db)
     return 0;
   struct rhizome_sync *state = header->source->sync_state;
   if (!state){
diff --git a/server.c b/server.c
index 1094347c..56a0dae8 100644
--- a/server.c
+++ b/server.c
@@ -270,6 +270,16 @@ void server_watchdog(struct sched_ent *alarm)
   }
 }
 
+DEFINE_ALARM(rhizome_open_db);
+void rhizome_open_db(struct sched_ent *UNUSED(alarm))
+{
+  if (config.rhizome.enable && !rhizome_db){
+    rhizome_opendb();
+    if (config.rhizome.clean_on_start && !config.rhizome.clean_on_open)
+      rhizome_cleanup(NULL);
+  }
+}
+
 void cf_on_config_change()
 {
   if (!serverMode)
@@ -299,6 +309,12 @@ void cf_on_config_change()
     now+config.server.config_reload_interval_ms,
     TIME_MS_NEVER_WILL,
     now+config.server.config_reload_interval_ms+100);
+
+  if (config.rhizome.enable){
+    RESCHEDULE(&ALARM_STRUCT(rhizome_open_db), now+100, now+100, TIME_MS_NEVER_WILL);
+  }else if(rhizome_db){
+    rhizome_close_db();
+  }
 }
 
 /* Called periodically by the server process in its main loop.
@@ -319,7 +335,7 @@ void server_shutdown_check(struct sched_ent *alarm)
     }
   }
   if (alarm){
-    RESCHEDULE(alarm, now+1000, now+30000, now+5000);
+    RESCHEDULE(alarm, now+1000, now+30000, now+1100);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/rhizomeprotocol b/tests/rhizomeprotocol
index 2e2cfe86..8cb5ab45 100755
--- a/tests/rhizomeprotocol
+++ b/tests/rhizomeprotocol
@@ -503,6 +503,32 @@ test_MissingPayload() {
    executeOk $servald rhizome extract file $BID file1a
 }
 
+doc_ConnectOnEnable="Enable and disable rhizome while fetching"
+setup_ConnectOnEnable(){
+   setup_common
+   set_instance +A
+   dd if=/dev/urandom of=file1 bs=1k count=1k 2>&1
+   echo x >>file1
+   rhizome_add_file file1
+   foreach_instance +A +B \
+      executeOk_servald config \
+         set rhizome.enable off
+   start_servald_instances +A +B
+}
+test_ConnectOnEnable(){
+   # TODO try to force disabling rhizome mid transfer
+   foreach_instance +A +B \
+      executeOk_servald config \
+         set rhizome.enable on \
+         sync
+   sleep 2
+   foreach_instance +A +B \
+      executeOk_servald config \
+         set rhizome.enable off \
+         sync
+   sleep 3
+}
+
 doc_HttpFetchRange="Fetch a file range using HTTP GET"
 setup_HttpFetchRange() {
    setup_curl 7