diff --git a/src/context.rs b/src/context.rs
index 7cc1e929ea..7d1c8c774e 100644
--- a/src/context.rs
+++ b/src/context.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use async_channel::{self as channel, Receiver, Sender};
 use pgp::types::PublicKeyTrait;
 use pgp::SignedPublicKey;
 use ratelimit::Ratelimit;
-use tokio::sync::{Mutex, Notify, OnceCell, RwLock};
+use tokio::sync::{Mutex, Notify, RwLock};
 
 use crate::aheader::EncryptPreference;
 use crate::chat::{get_chat_cnt, ChatId, ProtectionStatus};
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ pub struct InnerContext {
     pub(crate) push_subscribed: AtomicBool,
 
     /// Iroh for realtime peer channels.
-    pub(crate) iroh: OnceCell<Iroh>,
+    pub(crate) iroh: Arc<RwLock<Option<Iroh>>>,
 }
 
 /// The state of ongoing process.
@@ -450,7 +450,7 @@ impl Context {
             debug_logging: std::sync::RwLock::new(None),
             push_subscriber,
             push_subscribed: AtomicBool::new(false),
-            iroh: OnceCell::new(),
+            iroh: Arc::new(RwLock::new(None)),
         };
 
         let ctx = Context {
@@ -486,6 +486,19 @@ impl Context {
     /// Stops the IO scheduler.
     pub async fn stop_io(&self) {
         self.scheduler.stop(self).await;
+        if let Some(iroh) = self.iroh.write().await.take() {
+            // Close all QUIC connections.
+
+            // Spawn into a separate task,
+            // because Iroh calls `wait_idle()` internally
+            // and it may take time, especially if the network
+            // has become unavailable.
+            tokio::spawn(async move {
+                // We do not log the error because we do not want the task
+                // to hold the reference to Context.
+                let _ = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(60), iroh.close()).await;
+            });
+        }
     }
 
     /// Restarts the IO scheduler if it was running before
@@ -496,7 +509,7 @@ impl Context {
 
     /// Indicate that the network likely has come back.
     pub async fn maybe_network(&self) {
-        if let Some(iroh) = self.iroh.get() {
+        if let Some(ref iroh) = *self.iroh.read().await {
             iroh.network_change().await;
         }
         self.scheduler.maybe_network().await;
diff --git a/src/peer_channels.rs b/src/peer_channels.rs
index 254c7dd3b6..73e0c68446 100644
--- a/src/peer_channels.rs
+++ b/src/peer_channels.rs
@@ -78,6 +78,14 @@ impl Iroh {
         self.endpoint.network_change().await
     }
 
+    /// Closes the QUIC endpoint.
+    pub(crate) async fn close(self) -> Result<()> {
+        self.endpoint
+            .close(0u32.into(), b"")
+            .await
+            .context("Closing iroh endpoint failed")
+    }
+
     /// Join a topic and create the subscriber loop for it.
     ///
     /// If there is no gossip, create it.
@@ -285,15 +293,36 @@ impl Context {
     }
 
     /// Get or initialize the iroh peer channel.
-    pub async fn get_or_try_init_peer_channel(&self) -> Result<&Iroh> {
+    pub async fn get_or_try_init_peer_channel(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<tokio::sync::RwLockReadGuard<'_, Iroh>> {
         if !self.get_config_bool(Config::WebxdcRealtimeEnabled).await? {
             bail!("Attempt to get Iroh when realtime is disabled");
         }
 
-        let ctx = self.clone();
-        self.iroh
-            .get_or_try_init(|| async { ctx.init_peer_channels().await })
-            .await
+        if let Ok(lock) = tokio::sync::RwLockReadGuard::<'_, std::option::Option<Iroh>>::try_map(
+            self.iroh.read().await,
+            |opt_iroh| opt_iroh.as_ref(),
+        ) {
+            return Ok(lock);
+        }
+
+        let lock = self.iroh.write().await;
+        match tokio::sync::RwLockWriteGuard::<'_, std::option::Option<Iroh>>::try_downgrade_map(
+            lock,
+            |opt_iroh| opt_iroh.as_ref(),
+        ) {
+            Ok(lock) => Ok(lock),
+            Err(mut lock) => {
+                let iroh = self.init_peer_channels().await?;
+                *lock = Some(iroh);
+                tokio::sync::RwLockWriteGuard::<'_, std::option::Option<Iroh>>::try_downgrade_map(
+                    lock,
+                    |opt_iroh| opt_iroh.as_ref(),
+                )
+                .map_err(|_| anyhow!("Downgrade should succeed as we just stored `Some` value"))
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -626,7 +655,6 @@ mod tests {
                 break;
             }
         }
-        let bob_iroh = bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel().await.unwrap();
 
         // Bob adds alice to gossip peers.
         let members = get_iroh_gossip_peers(bob, bob_webxdc.id)
@@ -636,13 +664,23 @@ mod tests {
             .map(|addr| addr.node_id)
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-        let alice_iroh = alice.get_or_try_init_peer_channel().await.unwrap();
         assert_eq!(
             members,
-            vec![alice_iroh.get_node_addr().await.unwrap().node_id]
+            vec![
+                alice
+                    .get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .get_node_addr()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .node_id
+            ]
         );
 
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .join_and_subscribe_gossip(bob, bob_webxdc.id)
             .await
             .unwrap()
@@ -651,7 +689,10 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
 
         // Alice sends ephemeral message
-        alice_iroh
+        alice
+            .get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .send_webxdc_realtime_data(alice, alice_webxdc.id, "alice -> bob".as_bytes().to_vec())
             .await
             .unwrap();
@@ -670,7 +711,9 @@ mod tests {
             }
         }
         // Bob sends ephemeral message
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .send_webxdc_realtime_data(bob, bob_webxdc.id, "bob -> alice".as_bytes().to_vec())
             .await
             .unwrap();
@@ -699,10 +742,20 @@ mod tests {
 
         assert_eq!(
             members,
-            vec![bob_iroh.get_node_addr().await.unwrap().node_id]
+            vec![
+                bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .get_node_addr()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .node_id
+            ]
         );
 
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .send_webxdc_realtime_data(bob, bob_webxdc.id, "bob -> alice 2".as_bytes().to_vec())
             .await
             .unwrap();
@@ -720,6 +773,12 @@ mod tests {
                 }
             }
         }
+
+        // Calling stop_io() closes iroh endpoint as well,
+        // even though I/O was not started in this test.
+        assert!(alice.iroh.read().await.is_some());
+        alice.stop_io().await;
+        assert!(alice.iroh.read().await.is_none());
     }
 
     #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
@@ -761,7 +820,6 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
 
         bob.recv_msg_trash(&alice.pop_sent_msg().await).await;
-        let bob_iroh = bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel().await.unwrap();
 
         // Bob adds alice to gossip peers.
         let members = get_iroh_gossip_peers(bob, bob_webxdc.id)
@@ -771,13 +829,23 @@ mod tests {
             .map(|addr| addr.node_id)
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-        let alice_iroh = alice.get_or_try_init_peer_channel().await.unwrap();
         assert_eq!(
             members,
-            vec![alice_iroh.get_node_addr().await.unwrap().node_id]
+            vec![
+                alice
+                    .get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .get_node_addr()
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .node_id
+            ]
         );
 
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .join_and_subscribe_gossip(bob, bob_webxdc.id)
             .await
             .unwrap()
@@ -786,7 +854,10 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
 
         // Alice sends ephemeral message
-        alice_iroh
+        alice
+            .get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .send_webxdc_realtime_data(alice, alice_webxdc.id, "alice -> bob".as_bytes().to_vec())
             .await
             .unwrap();
@@ -811,7 +882,9 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
         let bob_sequence_number = bob
             .iroh
-            .get()
+            .read()
+            .await
+            .as_ref()
             .unwrap()
             .sequence_numbers
             .lock()
@@ -820,7 +893,9 @@ mod tests {
         leave_webxdc_realtime(bob, bob_webxdc.id).await.unwrap();
         let bob_sequence_number_after = bob
             .iroh
-            .get()
+            .read()
+            .await
+            .as_ref()
             .unwrap()
             .sequence_numbers
             .lock()
@@ -829,7 +904,9 @@ mod tests {
         // Check that sequence number is persisted when leaving the channel.
         assert_eq!(bob_sequence_number, bob_sequence_number_after);
 
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .join_and_subscribe_gossip(bob, bob_webxdc.id)
             .await
             .unwrap()
@@ -837,7 +914,9 @@ mod tests {
             .await
             .unwrap();
 
-        bob_iroh
+        bob.get_or_try_init_peer_channel()
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
             .send_webxdc_realtime_data(bob, bob_webxdc.id, "bob -> alice".as_bytes().to_vec())
             .await
             .unwrap();
@@ -860,7 +939,16 @@ mod tests {
         // bob for example does not change the channels because he never sends an
         // advertisement
         assert_eq!(
-            alice.iroh.get().unwrap().iroh_channels.read().await.len(),
+            alice
+                .iroh
+                .read()
+                .await
+                .as_ref()
+                .unwrap()
+                .iroh_channels
+                .read()
+                .await
+                .len(),
             1
         );
         leave_webxdc_realtime(alice, alice_webxdc.id).await.unwrap();
@@ -870,7 +958,9 @@ mod tests {
             .unwrap();
         assert!(alice
             .iroh
-            .get()
+            .read()
+            .await
+            .as_ref()
             .unwrap()
             .iroh_channels
             .read()
@@ -963,19 +1053,19 @@ mod tests {
             .await
             .unwrap();
 
-        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.get().is_none());
+        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.read().await.is_none());
 
         // creates iroh endpoint as side effect
         send_webxdc_realtime_data(alice, MsgId::new(1), vec![])
             .await
             .unwrap();
 
-        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.get().is_none());
+        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.read().await.is_none());
 
         // creates iroh endpoint as side effect
         leave_webxdc_realtime(alice, MsgId::new(1)).await.unwrap();
 
-        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.get().is_none());
+        assert!(alice.ctx.iroh.read().await.is_none());
 
         // This internal function should return error
         // if accidentally called with the setting disabled.