diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/FloodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/FloodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
index 3e0bc0e323..cffc1f16a9 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/FloodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/FloodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ public synchronized void startup() {
     @Override
     protected void createHandlers() {
        // Only initialize the handlers for the flooodfill netDb.
-       if (super._dbid == FloodfillNetworkDatabaseSegmentor.MAIN_DBID) {
+       if (!isClientDb()) {
             if (_log.shouldInfo())
                 _log.info("[dbid: " + super._dbid +  "] Initializing the message handlers");
             _context.inNetMessagePool().registerHandlerJobBuilder(DatabaseLookupMessage.MESSAGE_TYPE, new FloodfillDatabaseLookupMessageHandler(_context, this));
diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/KademliaNetworkDatabaseFacade.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/KademliaNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
index cefcb37f55..3726eed81d 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/KademliaNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/kademlia/KademliaNetworkDatabaseFacade.java
@@ -307,6 +307,8 @@ String getDbDir() {
     }
 
     public boolean isClientDb() {
+        // This is a null check in disguise, don't use .equals() here.
+        // FNDS.MAIN_DBID is always null. and if _dbid is also null it is not a client Db
         if (_dbid == FloodfillNetworkDatabaseSegmentor.MAIN_DBID)
             return false;
         if (_dbid.equals(FloodfillNetworkDatabaseSegmentor.MULTIHOME_DBID))
@@ -315,6 +317,8 @@ public boolean isClientDb() {
     }
 
     public boolean isMultihomeDb() {
+        // This is a null check in disguise, don't use .equals() here.
+        // FNDS.MAIN_DBID is always null, and if _dbid is null it is not the multihome Db
         if (_dbid == FloodfillNetworkDatabaseSegmentor.MAIN_DBID)
             return false;
         if (_dbid.equals(FloodfillNetworkDatabaseSegmentor.MULTIHOME_DBID))