diff --git a/src/DNSServer.js b/src/DNSServer.js
index 9321fc5..1620ebe 100644
--- a/src/DNSServer.js
+++ b/src/DNSServer.js
@@ -9,33 +9,42 @@ class DNSServer extends UDPServer {
 
 		this.on('request', (req, res) => {
 			for (let question of req.question) {
-				let dns_port = (tor_pool.next().dns_port);
-				
-				let outbound_req = dns.Request({
-					question,
-					server: { address: '127.0.0.1', port: dns_port, type: 'udp' },
-					timeout: this.timeout
-				});
+				let connect = (tor_instance) => {
+					let dns_port = (tor_instance.dns_port);
+					let outbound_req = dns.Request({
+						question,
+						server: { address: '127.0.0.1', port: dns_port, type: 'udp' },
+						timeout: this.timeout
+					});
 
-				outbound_req.on('message', (err, answer) => {
-					if (!err && answer) {
-						for (let a of answer.answer){
-							res.answer.push(a);
-							this.logger && this.logger.info(`[dns]: ${question.name} type ${dns.consts.QTYPE_TO_NAME[question.type]} → 127.0.0.1:${dns_port} → ${a.address}`)
+					outbound_req.on('message', (err, answer) => {
+						if (!err && answer) {
+							for (let a of answer.answer){
+								res.answer.push(a);
+								this.logger && this.logger.info(`[dns]: ${question.name} type ${dns.consts.QTYPE_TO_NAME[question.type]} → 127.0.0.1:${dns_port} → ${a.address}`)
+							}
 						}
-					}
-				});	
+					});	
 
-				outbound_req.on('error', (err) => {
+					outbound_req.on('error', (err) => {
 
-				});
+					});
 
 
-				outbound_req.on('end', () => {
-					res.send();
-				});	
+					outbound_req.on('end', () => {
+						res.send();
+					});	
 
-				outbound_req.send();
+					outbound_req.send();
+				};
+
+				if (this.tor_pool.instances.length) {
+					connect(this.tor_pool.next());
+				}
+				else {
+					this.log.debug(`[dns]: a connection has been attempted, but no tor instances are live... waiting for an instance to come online`);
+					this.tor_pool.once('instance_created', connect);
+				}
 			}
 		});
 	}
diff --git a/src/SOCKSServer.js b/src/SOCKSServer.js
index 71835bf..2d33bdb 100644
--- a/src/SOCKSServer.js
+++ b/src/SOCKSServer.js
@@ -12,60 +12,68 @@ class SOCKSServer extends SOCKS5Server{
 			var outbound_socket;
 			let buffer = [];
 
-			let socks_port = (tor_pool.next().socks_port);
-			logger && logger.info(`[socks]: ${info.srcAddr}:${info.srcPort} → 127.0.0.1:${socks_port} → ${info.dstAddr}:${info.dstPort}`)
+			let connect = (tor_instance) => {
+				let socks_port = tor_instance.socks_port;
+				logger && logger.info(`[socks]: ${info.srcAddr}:${info.srcPort} → 127.0.0.1:${socks_port} → ${info.dstAddr}:${info.dstPort}`)
 
-			let onClose = (error) => {
-				inbound_socket && inbound_socket.end();
-				outbound_socket && outbound_socket.end();
+				let onClose = (error) => {
+					inbound_socket && inbound_socket.end();
+					outbound_socket && outbound_socket.end();
 
-				inbound_socket = outbound_socket = buffer = void(0);
+					inbound_socket = outbound_socket = buffer = void(0);
 
-				if (error)
-					this.logger.error(`[socks]: an error occured: ${error.message}`)
+					if (error)
+						this.logger.error(`[socks]: an error occured: ${error.message}`)
 
-				d.exit();
+					d.exit();
+				};
+
+				d.on('error', onClose);
+
+				let onInboundData = (data) => buffer.push(data)
+				
+				if (!inbound_socket) return;
+
+				inbound_socket.on('close', onClose);
+				inbound_socket.on('data', onInboundData);	
+				inbound_socket.on('error', onClose);
+
+				d.run(() => {
+					socks.connect({
+						host: info.dstAddr,
+						port: info.dstPort,
+						proxyHost: '127.0.0.1',
+						proxyPort: socks_port,
+						localDNS: false,
+						auths: [ socks.auth.None() ]
+					}, ($outbound_socket) => {
+						outbound_socket = $outbound_socket;
+						d.add(outbound_socket);
+						outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('close', onClose);
+
+						inbound_socket && inbound_socket.removeListener('data', onInboundData);
+						inbound_socket &&  inbound_socket.on('data', (data) => {
+							outbound_socket && outbound_socket.write(data);
+						});
+
+						outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('data', (data) => {
+							inbound_socket && inbound_socket.write(data);
+						});
+
+						outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('error', onClose);
+
+						while (buffer && buffer.length && outbound_socket) {
+							outbound_socket.write(buffer.shift());
+						}
+					})
+				});
 			};
-
-			d.on('error', onClose);
-
-			let onInboundData = (data) => buffer.push(data)
-			
-			if (!inbound_socket) return;
-
-			inbound_socket.on('close', onClose);
-			inbound_socket.on('data', onInboundData);	
-			inbound_socket.on('error', onClose);
-
-			d.run(() => {
-				socks.connect({
-					host: info.dstAddr,
-					port: info.dstPort,
-					proxyHost: '127.0.0.1',
-					proxyPort: socks_port,
-					localDNS: false,
-					auths: [ socks.auth.None() ]
-				}, ($outbound_socket) => {
-					outbound_socket = $outbound_socket;
-					d.add(outbound_socket);
-					outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('close', onClose);
-
-					inbound_socket && inbound_socket.removeListener('data', onInboundData);
-					inbound_socket &&  inbound_socket.on('data', (data) => {
-						outbound_socket && outbound_socket.write(data);
-					});
-
-					outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('data', (data) => {
-						inbound_socket && inbound_socket.write(data);
-					});
-
-					outbound_socket && outbound_socket.on('error', onClose);
-
-					while (buffer && buffer.length && outbound_socket) {
-						outbound_socket.write(buffer.shift());
-					}
-				})
-			});
+			if (tor_pool.instances.length) {
+				connect(tor_pool.next());
+			} else {
+				logger.debug(`[socks]: a connection has been attempted, but no tor instances are live... waiting for an instance to come online`);
+				tor_pool.once('instance_created', connect);
+			}
 		};
 
 		super(handleConnection);
diff --git a/src/TorPool.js b/src/TorPool.js
index 95340f7..ffb6b8d 100644
--- a/src/TorPool.js
+++ b/src/TorPool.js
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class TorPool extends EventEmitter {
 		this.logger = logger;
 	}
 
-	get instances() { return this._instances.slice(0); }
+	get instances() { return this._instances.filter((tor) => tor.ready).slice(0); }
 
 	create_instance(callback) {
 		let config = _.extend({}, this.tor_config)
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ class TorPool extends EventEmitter {
 
 			instance.once('error', callback)
 			instance.once('ready', () => {
+				this.emit('instance_created', instance);
 				callback && callback(null, instance);
 			});
 		});
diff --git a/src/TorProcess.js b/src/TorProcess.js
index f1a0b01..ad1ff98 100644
--- a/src/TorProcess.js
+++ b/src/TorProcess.js
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class TorProcess extends EventEmitter {
 	}
 
 	new_ip() {
+		this.log.info(`[tor-${this.process.pid}]: has requested a new identity`);
 		this.process.kill('SIGHUP');
 	}
 
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ class TorProcess extends EventEmitter {
 			});
 
 			this.once('ready', () => {
+				this.ready = true;
 				this.logger && this.logger.info(`[tor-${tor.pid}]: tor is ready`);
 			});