diff --git a/core/ssb.js b/core/ssb.js
index 0eaaa3d3..576256fd 100644
--- a/core/ssb.js
+++ b/core/ssb.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 var g_wants_requests = {};
 var g_database = new Database('core');
 let g_attendants = {};
+let g_blob_wants_sent = 0;
+let g_blob_last_requested = '';
 const k_use_create_history_stream = false;
 const k_blobs_concurrent_target = 8;
 
@@ -80,15 +82,25 @@ function send_blobs_create_wants(connection) {
 			return;
 		}
 		Object.keys(message.message).forEach(function(id) {
+			g_blob_wants_sent--;
+			if (g_blob_wants_sent == 0) {
+				request_more_blobs(g_wants_requests[connection.id]);
+			}
 			if (message.message[id] < 0) {
+				let blob;
 				if (g_wants_requests[connection.id]) {
-					let blob = ssb.blobGet(id);
+					blob = ssb.blobGet(id);
 					if (blob) {
 						let out_message = {};
 						out_message[id] = blob.byteLength;
 						g_wants_requests[connection.id].send_json(out_message);
 					}
 				}
+				if (!blob && message.message[id] == -1) {
+					let out_message = {};
+					out_message[id] = -2;
+					g_wants_requests[connection.id].send_json(out_message);
+				}
 			} else {
 				let expected_bytes = message.message[id];
 				connection.blob_get_queue[id] = expected_bytes;
@@ -143,33 +155,24 @@ function blob_want_discovered(request, id) {
 	}
 	var message = {};
 	message[id] = -1;
+	g_blob_wants_sent++;
 	request.send_json(message);
 }
 
-function sleep(ms) {
-	return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
-		setTimeout(x => resolve(), ms);
-	});
-}
-
-async function requestMoreBlobs(request) {
-	let last = '';
-	while (true) {
-		await ssb.sqlStream(
-			'SELECT id FROM blob_wants WHERE id > ? ORDER BY id LIMIT 32',
-			[last],
-			function(row) {
-				blob_want_discovered(request, row.id);
-				last = row.id;
-			});
-		await sleep(1000);
-	}
+function request_more_blobs(request) {
+	return ssb.sqlStream(
+		'SELECT id FROM blob_wants WHERE id > ? ORDER BY id LIMIT 32',
+		[g_blob_last_requested],
+		function(row) {
+			blob_want_discovered(request, row.id);
+			g_blob_last_requested = row.id;
+		});
 }
 
 ssb.addRpc(['blobs', 'createWants'], function(request) {
 	g_wants_requests[request.connection.id] = request;
 	ssb.addEventListener('blob_want_added', id => blob_want_discovered(request, id));
-	requestMoreBlobs(request);
+	request_more_blobs(request);
 });
 
 function notify_attendant_changed(id, type) {