diff --git a/src/daemon/backend/index.ts b/src/daemon/backend/index.ts
index 7661a09..861f10f 100644
--- a/src/daemon/backend/index.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/backend/index.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,43 @@ export class Backend extends NDKNip46Backend {
         // this.setStrategy('publish_event', new PublishEventHandlingStrategy());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Override NDKNip46Backend.start() to await the kind-24133
+     * subscription's EOSE before resolving. The base implementation
+     * calls `this.ndk.subscribe(...)` and returns immediately — the
+     * NDKSubscription queues a REQ on the relay connection but the
+     * relay's acknowledgement (EOSE) hasn't arrived yet. Any caller
+     * that publishes a NIP-46 event in the immediate window after
+     * `start()` returns races against the relay registering this
+     * subscription.
+     *
+     * aiolabs/lnbits#33's eager-bind chain publishes a NIP-46
+     * `connect` event in the same HTTP round-trip as `create_new_key`,
+     * which loses this race deterministically — the bunker never
+     * sees the connect event because its subscription wasn't yet
+     * registered with the relay when the event was broadcast.
+     *
+     * Awaiting EOSE closes the race: by the time `start()` resolves,
+     * the relay has confirmed it has the bunker's subscription on
+     * file and will route matching kind-24133 events to it.
+     *
+     * See aiolabs/nsecbunkerd#9 for the full diagnosis.
+     */
+    async start(): Promise<void> {
+        this.localUser = await this.signer.user();
+        await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+            const sub = this.ndk.subscribe(
+                {
+                    kinds: [24133],
+                    "#p": [this.localUser!.pubkey],
+                },
+                { closeOnEose: false }
+            );
+            sub.on("event", (e: any) => this.handleIncomingEvent(e));
+            sub.on("eose", () => resolve());
+        });
+    }
+
     private async validateToken(token: string) {
         if (!token) throw new Error("Invalid token");
 
diff --git a/src/daemon/run.ts b/src/daemon/run.ts
index 6637986..89eda0a 100644
--- a/src/daemon/run.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/run.ts
@@ -257,14 +257,14 @@ class Daemon {
         const nsec = decryptNsec(iv, data, passphrase);
         this.activeKeys[keyName] = nsec;
 
-        this.startKey(keyName, nsec);
+        await this.startKey(keyName, nsec);
 
         return true;
     }
 
-    loadNsec(keyName: string, nsec: string) {
+    async loadNsec(keyName: string, nsec: string) {
         this.activeKeys[keyName] = nsec;
 
-        this.startKey(keyName, nsec);
+        await this.startKey(keyName, nsec);
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file