diff --git a/node/app/data_worker_node.go b/node/app/data_worker_node.go
index 47337b7de..609ae43c4 100644
--- a/node/app/data_worker_node.go
+++ b/node/app/data_worker_node.go
@@ -2,10 +2,15 @@ package app
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"net"
 	"os"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
+	"github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
+	"source.quilibrium.com/quilibrium/monorepo/config"
 	consensustime "source.quilibrium.com/quilibrium/monorepo/node/consensus/time"
 	"source.quilibrium.com/quilibrium/monorepo/node/datarpc"
 	"source.quilibrium.com/quilibrium/monorepo/types/crypto"
@@ -15,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 
 type DataWorkerNode struct {
 	logger         *zap.Logger
+	config         *config.Config
 	dataProofStore store.DataProofStore
 	clockStore     store.ClockStore
 	coinStore      store.TokenStore
@@ -25,12 +31,14 @@ type DataWorkerNode struct {
 	frameProver    crypto.FrameProver
 	globalTimeReel *consensustime.GlobalTimeReel
 	parentProcess  int
+	rpcMultiaddr   string
 	quit           chan struct{}
 	stopOnce       sync.Once
 }
 
 func newDataWorkerNode(
 	logger *zap.Logger,
+	config *config.Config,
 	dataProofStore store.DataProofStore,
 	clockStore store.ClockStore,
 	coinStore store.TokenStore,
@@ -41,10 +49,12 @@ func newDataWorkerNode(
 	globalTimeReel *consensustime.GlobalTimeReel,
 	coreId uint,
 	parentProcess int,
+	rpcMultiaddr string,
 ) (*DataWorkerNode, error) {
 	logger = logger.With(zap.String("process", fmt.Sprintf("worker %d", coreId)))
 	return &DataWorkerNode{
 		logger:         logger,
+		config:         config,
 		dataProofStore: dataProofStore,
 		clockStore:     clockStore,
 		coinStore:      coinStore,
@@ -55,6 +65,7 @@ func newDataWorkerNode(
 		frameProver:    frameProver,
 		globalTimeReel: globalTimeReel,
 		parentProcess:  parentProcess,
+		rpcMultiaddr:   rpcMultiaddr,
 		quit:           make(chan struct{}),
 	}, nil
 }
@@ -63,17 +74,36 @@ func (n *DataWorkerNode) Start(
 	done chan os.Signal,
 	quitCh chan struct{},
 ) error {
+	n.logger.Info(
+		"starting data worker node",
+		zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+		zap.String("rpc_multiaddr", n.rpcMultiaddr),
+	)
+
 	go func() {
 		err := n.ipcServer.Start()
 		if err != nil {
 			n.logger.Error(
 				"error while starting ipc server for core",
 				zap.Uint64("core", uint64(n.coreId)),
+				zap.Error(err),
 			)
 			n.Stop()
+		} else {
+			n.logger.Info(
+				"IPC server started successfully",
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
 		}
 	}()
 
+	// Start port health check in background
+	n.logger.Info(
+		"starting port health check monitor",
+		zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+	)
+	go n.monitorPortHealth()
+
 	n.logger.Info("data worker node started", zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId))
 
 	select {
@@ -149,3 +179,258 @@ func (n *DataWorkerNode) GetFrameProver() crypto.FrameProver {
 func (n *DataWorkerNode) GetIPCServer() *datarpc.DataWorkerIPCServer {
 	return n.ipcServer
 }
+
+// extractPortFromMultiaddr extracts the TCP port from a multiaddr string
+func extractPortFromMultiaddr(multiaddrStr string) (string, error) {
+	ma, err := multiaddr.NewMultiaddr(multiaddrStr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", errors.Wrap(err, "failed to parse multiaddr")
+	}
+
+	port, err := ma.ValueForProtocol(multiaddr.P_TCP)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Try UDP as fallback
+		port, err = ma.ValueForProtocol(multiaddr.P_UDP)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", errors.Wrap(err, "failed to extract port from multiaddr")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return port, nil
+}
+
+// isPortListening checks if a port is currently listening (in use)
+func isPortListening(port string) bool {
+	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", ":"+port)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Port is in use (listening) or in TIME_WAIT state
+		return true
+	}
+	if err := ln.Close(); err != nil {
+		// Log but don't fail - port was available
+	}
+	// Port is available (not listening)
+	return false
+}
+
+// waitForPortAvailable waits for a port to become available, checking periodically
+// Returns true if port becomes available, false if timeout is reached
+func waitForPortAvailable(port string, timeout time.Duration, logger *zap.Logger) bool {
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	checkInterval := 500 * time.Millisecond
+
+	logger.Info(
+		"waiting for port to become available",
+		zap.String("port", port),
+		zap.Duration("timeout", timeout),
+	)
+
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if !isPortListening(port) {
+			logger.Info(
+				"port is now available",
+				zap.String("port", port),
+			)
+			return true
+		}
+		time.Sleep(checkInterval)
+	}
+
+	logger.Warn(
+		"port did not become available within timeout",
+		zap.String("port", port),
+		zap.Duration("timeout", timeout),
+	)
+	return false
+}
+
+// WaitForWorkerPortsAvailable waits for both P2P and stream ports to become available
+// This helps avoid race conditions when processes restart quickly
+// Returns true if all ports are available, false otherwise
+func WaitForWorkerPortsAvailable(
+	logger *zap.Logger,
+	config *config.Config,
+	coreId uint,
+	rpcMultiaddr string,
+	timeout time.Duration,
+) bool {
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	streamPortAvailable := make(chan bool, 1)
+	p2pPortAvailable := make(chan bool, 1)
+
+	// Check stream port in parallel
+	streamPort, err := extractPortFromMultiaddr(rpcMultiaddr)
+	if err != nil {
+		logger.Warn(
+			"failed to extract stream port, skipping stream port availability check",
+			zap.String("multiaddr", rpcMultiaddr),
+			zap.Uint("core_id", coreId),
+			zap.Error(err),
+		)
+		streamPortAvailable <- true // Skip check, assume available
+	} else {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			available := waitForPortAvailable(streamPort, timeout, logger)
+			streamPortAvailable <- available
+		}()
+	}
+
+	// Check P2P port in parallel
+	if config.Engine.DataWorkerBaseP2PPort > 0 {
+		p2pPort := int(config.Engine.DataWorkerBaseP2PPort) + int(coreId) - 1
+		p2pPortStr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", p2pPort)
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			available := waitForPortAvailable(p2pPortStr, timeout, logger)
+			p2pPortAvailable <- available
+		}()
+	} else {
+		p2pPortAvailable <- true // Skip check, assume available
+	}
+
+	// Wait for both checks to complete
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	// Read results
+	streamOk := <-streamPortAvailable
+	p2pOk := <-p2pPortAvailable
+
+	return streamOk && p2pOk
+}
+
+// monitorPortHealth checks if both the stream port and P2P listen port are listening after startup
+// The stream port is calculated as: base_stream_port + core_index - 1
+// The P2P listen port is calculated as: base_p2p_port + core_index - 1
+// The stream port check waits for the IPC server to be ready before checking
+func (n *DataWorkerNode) monitorPortHealth() {
+	n.logger.Info(
+		"checking port health",
+		zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+		zap.String("rpc_multiaddr", n.rpcMultiaddr),
+	)
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	streamResult := make(chan bool, 1)
+	p2pResult := make(chan bool, 1)
+
+	// Extract stream port from multiaddr
+	streamPort, err := extractPortFromMultiaddr(n.rpcMultiaddr)
+	if err != nil {
+		n.logger.Error(
+			"failed to extract stream port from multiaddr, skipping stream port health check",
+			zap.String("multiaddr", n.rpcMultiaddr),
+			zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			zap.Error(err),
+		)
+		streamResult <- false // Mark as failed since we couldn't check
+	} else {
+		// Wait for IPC server to be ready before checking stream port
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			// Wait for IPC server to start listening
+			n.logger.Debug(
+				"waiting for IPC server to be ready before checking stream port",
+				zap.String("port", streamPort),
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
+			<-n.ipcServer.Ready()
+			n.logger.Debug(
+				"IPC server is ready, checking stream port",
+				zap.String("port", streamPort),
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
+			isStreamListening := isPortListening(streamPort)
+			n.logger.Debug(
+				"stream port check completed",
+				zap.String("port", streamPort),
+				zap.Bool("is_listening", isStreamListening),
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
+
+			if !isStreamListening {
+				n.logger.Warn(
+					"stream port is not yet listening, may not be ready yet",
+					zap.String("port", streamPort),
+					zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+				)
+				streamResult <- false
+			} else {
+				n.logger.Info(
+					"stream port is listening successfully",
+					zap.String("port", streamPort),
+					zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+				)
+				streamResult <- true
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+
+	// Check P2P listen port in parallel
+	// Calculate P2P port: base_p2p_port + core_index - 1
+	if n.config.Engine.DataWorkerBaseP2PPort == 0 {
+		n.logger.Warn(
+			"DataWorkerBaseP2PPort is not set, skipping P2P port health check",
+			zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+		)
+		p2pResult <- true // Skip check, assume OK
+	} else {
+		p2pPort := int(n.config.Engine.DataWorkerBaseP2PPort) + int(n.coreId) - 1
+		p2pPortStr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", p2pPort)
+
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			n.logger.Debug(
+				"attempting to bind to P2P port to check if it's listening",
+				zap.String("port", p2pPortStr),
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
+			isP2PListening := isPortListening(p2pPortStr)
+			n.logger.Debug(
+				"P2P port check completed",
+				zap.String("port", p2pPortStr),
+				zap.Bool("is_listening", isP2PListening),
+				zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+			)
+
+			if !isP2PListening {
+				n.logger.Error(
+					"P2P listen port is not yet listening, may not be ready yet",
+					zap.String("port", p2pPortStr),
+					zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+				)
+				p2pResult <- false
+			} else {
+				n.logger.Info(
+					"P2P listen port is listening successfully",
+					zap.String("port", p2pPortStr),
+					zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+				)
+				p2pResult <- true
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+
+	// Wait for both checks to complete
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	// Read results
+	streamOk := <-streamResult
+	p2pOk := <-p2pResult
+
+	// Ports are listening successfully, reset attempt counter
+	if streamOk && p2pOk {
+		n.logger.Info(
+			"all ports are listening successfully",
+			zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+		)
+	}
+	n.logger.Info(
+		"port health check completed",
+		zap.Uint("core_id", n.coreId),
+	)
+}
diff --git a/node/app/wire_gen.go b/node/app/wire_gen.go
index 4f89c2a25..07d0533e1 100644
--- a/node/app/wire_gen.go
+++ b/node/app/wire_gen.go
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func NewDataWorkerNodeWithProxyPubsub(logger *zap.Logger, config2 *config.Config
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	dataWorkerNode, err := newDataWorkerNode(logger, pebbleDataProofStore, pebbleClockStore, pebbleTokenStore, fileKeyManager, pebbleDB, frameProver, dataWorkerIPCServer, globalTimeReel, coreId, parentProcess)
+	dataWorkerNode, err := newDataWorkerNode(logger, config2, pebbleDataProofStore, pebbleClockStore, pebbleTokenStore, fileKeyManager, pebbleDB, frameProver, dataWorkerIPCServer, globalTimeReel, coreId, parentProcess, rpcMultiaddr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ func NewDataWorkerNodeWithoutProxyPubsub(logger *zap.Logger, config2 *config.Con
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	dataWorkerNode, err := newDataWorkerNode(logger, pebbleDataProofStore, pebbleClockStore, pebbleTokenStore, fileKeyManager, pebbleDB, frameProver, dataWorkerIPCServer, globalTimeReel, coreId, parentProcess)
+	dataWorkerNode, err := newDataWorkerNode(logger, config2, pebbleDataProofStore, pebbleClockStore, pebbleTokenStore, fileKeyManager, pebbleDB, frameProver, dataWorkerIPCServer, globalTimeReel, coreId, parentProcess, rpcMultiaddr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/node/datarpc/data_worker_ipc_server.go b/node/datarpc/data_worker_ipc_server.go
index edf365d8e..bc0c020e9 100644
--- a/node/datarpc/data_worker_ipc_server.go
+++ b/node/datarpc/data_worker_ipc_server.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package datarpc
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/hex"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	pcrypto "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/crypto"
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@ type DataWorkerIPCServer struct {
 	quit                      chan struct{}
 	peerInfoCtx               lifecycle.SignalerContext
 	peerInfoCancel            context.CancelFunc
+	ready                     chan struct{}
+	readyOnce                 sync.Once
 }
 
 func NewDataWorkerIPCServer(
@@ -102,10 +105,12 @@ func NewDataWorkerIPCServer(
 		frameProver:               frameProver,
 		peerInfoManager:           peerInfoManager,
 		quit:                      make(chan struct{}),
+		ready:                     make(chan struct{}),
 	}, nil
 }
 
 func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) Start() error {
+	r.logger.Info("starting DataWorkerIPCServer", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 	peerInfoCtx, peerInfoCancel, _ := lifecycle.WithSignallerAndCancel(
 		context.Background(),
 	)
@@ -118,15 +123,19 @@ func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) Start() error {
 	)
 	select {
 	case <-peerInfoReady:
+		r.logger.Info("peer info manager started successfully", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
-		r.logger.Warn("peer info manager did not start before timeout")
+		r.logger.Warn("peer info manager did not start before timeout", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 	}
 	r.peerInfoCtx = peerInfoCtx
 	r.peerInfoCancel = peerInfoCancel
 
+	r.logger.Info("respawning server", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 	r.RespawnServer(nil)
+	r.logger.Info("data worker ipc server started", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 
 	<-r.quit
+	r.logger.Info("data worker ipc server quit signal received, stopping", zap.Uint32("core_id", r.coreId))
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -218,6 +227,7 @@ func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) RespawnServer(filter []byte) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "respawn server")
 	}
 
+	r.logger.Info("attempting to listen on address", zap.String("address", r.listenAddrGRPC))
 	lis, err := mn.Listen(mg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "respawn server")
@@ -228,6 +238,10 @@ func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) RespawnServer(filter []byte) error {
 		zap.String("address", r.listenAddrGRPC),
 		zap.String("resolved", lis.Addr().String()),
 	)
+	// Signal that the server is ready (listening)
+	r.readyOnce.Do(func() {
+		close(r.ready)
+	})
 	if len(filter) != 0 {
 		globalTimeReel, err := r.appConsensusEngineFactory.CreateGlobalTimeReel()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -257,6 +271,11 @@ func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) RespawnServer(filter []byte) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Ready returns a channel that will be closed when the server has started listening
+func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) Ready() <-chan struct{} {
+	return r.ready
+}
+
 // CreateJoinProof implements protobufs.DataIPCServiceServer.
 func (r *DataWorkerIPCServer) CreateJoinProof(
 	ctx context.Context,
diff --git a/node/main.go b/node/main.go
index 8a7d9f8a7..44b0876e1 100644
--- a/node/main.go
+++ b/node/main.go
@@ -528,6 +528,20 @@ func main() {
 		rpcMultiaddr = strings.Replace(rpcMultiaddr, "/quic-v1", "", 1)
 		rpcMultiaddr = strings.Replace(rpcMultiaddr, "udp", "tcp", 1)
 
+		if !app.WaitForWorkerPortsAvailable(
+			logger,
+			nodeConfig,
+			uint(*core),
+			rpcMultiaddr,
+			30*time.Second, // Wait up to 30 seconds for ports to become available
+		) {
+			logger.Error(
+				"ports not available, exiting - could not reserve necessary ports",
+				zap.Uint("core_id", uint(*core)),
+			)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+
 		dataWorkerNode, err := app.NewDataWorkerNode(
 			logger,
 			nodeConfig,