diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/peers.rs b/core/archipelago/src/peers.rs
index 8d2f3a44..80edfa80 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/peers.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/peers.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,13 @@ pub async fn save_peers(data_dir: &Path, peers: &[KnownPeer]) -> Result<()> {
 }
 
 pub async fn add_peer(data_dir: &Path, peer: KnownPeer) -> Result<Vec<KnownPeer>> {
+    // Self-add guard: skip if the candidate pubkey matches our own identity.
+    // Auto-peering paths (e.g., node-message receive handler) can otherwise
+    // echo-back our own pubkey when messages bounce through federation, which
+    // ended up in users' peer lists as a phantom "self-peer" entry.
+    if is_own_pubkey(data_dir, &peer.pubkey).await {
+        return load_peers(data_dir).await;
+    }
     let mut peers = load_peers(data_dir).await?;
     let exists = peers.iter().any(|p| p.pubkey == peer.pubkey);
     if !exists {
@@ -59,6 +66,20 @@ pub async fn add_peer(data_dir: &Path, peer: KnownPeer) -> Result<Vec<KnownPeer>
     Ok(peers)
 }
 
+/// Reads `data_dir/identity/node_key.pub` and compares to `candidate` (hex).
+/// Returns false on any I/O or format issue — guard is best-effort; a real
+/// peer with a colliding pubkey is impossible, so a false negative just
+/// means the entry is added normally.
+async fn is_own_pubkey(data_dir: &Path, candidate: &str) -> bool {
+    let path = data_dir.join("identity/node_key.pub");
+    let bytes = match tokio::fs::read(&path).await {
+        Ok(b) => b,
+        Err(_) => return false,
+    };
+    let own_hex = hex::encode(&bytes);
+    own_hex.eq_ignore_ascii_case(candidate.trim())
+}
+
 pub async fn remove_peer(data_dir: &Path, pubkey: &str) -> Result<Vec<KnownPeer>> {
     let mut peers = load_peers(data_dir).await?;
     peers.retain(|p| p.pubkey != pubkey);