diff --git a/dht.go b/dht.go
index c8fb3c77..175b20f3 100644
--- a/dht.go
+++ b/dht.go
@@ -378,8 +378,10 @@ func makeDHT(h host.Host, cfg dhtcfg.Config) (*IpfsDHT, error) {
 func (dht *IpfsDHT) lookupCheck(ctx context.Context, p peer.ID) error {
 	// lookup request to p requesting for its own peer.ID
 	peerids, err := dht.protoMessenger.GetClosestPeers(ctx, p, p)
-	// p should return at least its own peerid
-	if err == nil && len(peerids) == 0 {
+	// p is expected to return at least 1 peer id, unless our routing table has
+	// less than bucketSize peers, in which case we aren't picky about who we
+	// add to the routing table.
+	if err == nil && len(peerids) == 0 && dht.routingTable.Size() >= dht.bucketSize {
 		return fmt.Errorf("peer %s failed to return its closest peers, got %d", p, len(peerids))
 	}
 	return err
diff --git a/dht_test.go b/dht_test.go
index 0e4fe926..9527d380 100644
--- a/dht_test.go
+++ b/dht_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peerstore"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/protocol"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/routing"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-msgio"
 	ma "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr"
 	manet "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr/net"
 	"github.com/multiformats/go-multihash"
@@ -1488,42 +1489,82 @@ func TestInvalidServer(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	defer cancel()
 
-	a := setupDHT(ctx, t, false)
-	b := setupDHT(ctx, t, true)
+	s0 := setupDHT(ctx, t, false, BucketSize(2)) // server
+	s1 := setupDHT(ctx, t, false, BucketSize(2)) // server
+	m0 := setupDHT(ctx, t, false, BucketSize(2)) // misbehabing server
+	m1 := setupDHT(ctx, t, false, BucketSize(2)) // misbehabing server
+
+	// make m0 and m1 advertise all dht server protocols, but hang on all requests
+	for _, proto := range s0.serverProtocols {
+		for _, m := range []*IpfsDHT{m0, m1} {
+			// Hang on every request.
+			m.host.SetStreamHandler(proto, func(s network.Stream) {
+				r := msgio.NewVarintReaderSize(s, network.MessageSizeMax)
+				msgbytes, err := r.ReadMsg()
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+				var req pb.Message
+				err = req.Unmarshal(msgbytes)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
 
-	// make b advertise all dht server protocols
-	for _, proto := range a.serverProtocols {
-		// Hang on every request.
-		b.host.SetStreamHandler(proto, func(s network.Stream) {
-			defer s.Reset() // nolint
-			<-ctx.Done()
-		})
+				// answer with an empty response message
+				resp := pb.NewMessage(req.GetType(), nil, req.GetClusterLevel())
+
+				// send out response msg
+				err = net.WriteMsg(s, resp)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			})
+		}
 	}
 
-	connectNoSync(t, ctx, a, b)
+	// connect s0 and m0
+	connectNoSync(t, ctx, s0, m0)
 
-	c := testCaseCids[0]
+	// add a provider (p) for a key (k) to s0
+	k := testCaseCids[0]
 	p := peer.ID("TestPeer")
-	a.ProviderStore().AddProvider(ctx, c.Hash(), peer.AddrInfo{ID: p})
+	s0.ProviderStore().AddProvider(ctx, k.Hash(), peer.AddrInfo{ID: p})
 	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 5) // just in case...
 
-	provs, err := b.FindProviders(ctx, c)
+	// find the provider for k from m0
+	provs, err := m0.FindProviders(ctx, k)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-
 	if len(provs) == 0 {
 		t.Fatal("Expected to get a provider back")
 	}
-
 	if provs[0].ID != p {
 		t.Fatal("expected it to be our test peer")
 	}
-	if a.routingTable.Find(b.self) != "" {
-		t.Fatal("DHT clients should not be added to routing tables")
+
+	// verify that m0 and s0 contain each other in their routing tables
+	if s0.routingTable.Find(m0.self) == "" {
+		// m0 is added to s0 routing table even though it is misbehaving, because
+		// s0's routing table is not well populated, so s0 isn't picky about who it adds.
+		t.Fatal("Misbehaving DHT servers should be added to routing table if not well populated")
 	}
-	if b.routingTable.Find(a.self) == "" {
-		t.Fatal("DHT server should have been added to the dht client's routing table")
+	if m0.routingTable.Find(s0.self) == "" {
+		t.Fatal("DHT server should have been added to the misbehaving server routing table")
+	}
+
+	// connect s0 to both s1 and m1
+	connectNoSync(t, ctx, s0, s1)
+	connectNoSync(t, ctx, s0, m1)
+
+	// s1 should be added to s0's routing table. Then, because s0's routing table
+	// contains more than bucketSize (2) entries, lookupCheck is enabled and m1
+	// shouldn't be added, because it fails the lookupCheck (hang on all requests).
+	if s0.routingTable.Find(s1.self) == "" {
+		t.Fatal("Well behaving DHT server should have been added to the server routing table")
+	}
+	if s0.routingTable.Find(m1.self) != "" {
+		t.Fatal("Misbehaving DHT servers should not be added to routing table if well populated")
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/ext_test.go b/ext_test.go
index 51340f33..36d3ca93 100644
--- a/ext_test.go
+++ b/ext_test.go
@@ -42,5 +42,7 @@ func TestInvalidRemotePeers(t *testing.T) {
 
 	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
 
+	// hosts[1] isn't added to the routing table because it isn't responding to
+	// the DHT request
 	require.Equal(t, 0, d.routingTable.Size())
 }