diff --git a/client/internal/conn_mgr.go b/client/internal/conn_mgr.go
index ad0f00c5d..1b37a9486 100644
--- a/client/internal/conn_mgr.go
+++ b/client/internal/conn_mgr.go
@@ -192,23 +192,23 @@ func (e *ConnMgr) SetExcludeList(ctx context.Context, peerIDs map[string]bool) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (e *ConnMgr) AddPeerConn(ctx context.Context, peerKey string, conn *peer.Conn) (exists bool) {
+// AddPeerConn stores the peer connection and registers it with the lazy connection manager.
+// active marks a peer whose connection was already established, e.g. one re-added after a
+// network map modification: it is registered as active and its connection stays open, so the
+// remote side does not have to signal a wake for a connection it still considers established.
+func (e *ConnMgr) AddPeerConn(ctx context.Context, peerKey string, conn *peer.Conn, active bool) (exists bool) {
 	if success := e.peerStore.AddPeerConn(peerKey, conn); !success {
 		return true
 	}
 
 	if !e.isStartedWithLazyMgr() {
-		if err := conn.Open(ctx); err != nil {
-			conn.Log.Errorf("failed to open connection: %v", err)
-		}
+		e.openConn(ctx, conn)
 		return
 	}
 
 	if !lazyconn.IsSupported(conn.AgentVersionString()) {
 		conn.Log.Warnf("peer does not support lazy connection (%s), open permanent connection", conn.AgentVersionString())
-		if err := conn.Open(ctx); err != nil {
-			conn.Log.Errorf("failed to open connection: %v", err)
-		}
+		e.openConn(ctx, conn)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -218,20 +218,23 @@ func (e *ConnMgr) AddPeerConn(ctx context.Context, peerKey string, conn *peer.Co
 		PeerConnID: conn.ConnID(),
 		Log:        conn.Log,
 	}
-	excluded, err := e.lazyConnMgr.AddPeer(lazyPeerCfg)
+
+	excluded, err := e.addToLazyManager(lazyPeerCfg, active)
 	if err != nil {
 		conn.Log.Errorf("failed to add peer to lazyconn manager: %v", err)
-		if err := conn.Open(ctx); err != nil {
-			conn.Log.Errorf("failed to open connection: %v", err)
-		}
+		e.openConn(ctx, conn)
 		return
 	}
 
 	if excluded {
 		conn.Log.Infof("peer is on lazy conn manager exclude list, opening connection")
-		if err := conn.Open(ctx); err != nil {
-			conn.Log.Errorf("failed to open connection: %v", err)
-		}
+		e.openConn(ctx, conn)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if active {
+		conn.Log.Infof("peer added to lazy conn manager as active")
+		e.openConn(ctx, conn)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -239,6 +242,19 @@ func (e *ConnMgr) AddPeerConn(ctx context.Context, peerKey string, conn *peer.Co
 	return
 }
 
+func (e *ConnMgr) addToLazyManager(cfg lazyconn.PeerConfig, active bool) (excluded bool, err error) {
+	if active {
+		return e.lazyConnMgr.AddActivePeer(cfg)
+	}
+	return e.lazyConnMgr.AddPeer(cfg)
+}
+
+func (e *ConnMgr) openConn(ctx context.Context, conn *peer.Conn) {
+	if err := conn.Open(ctx); err != nil {
+		conn.Log.Errorf("failed to open connection: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func (e *ConnMgr) RemovePeerConn(peerKey string) {
 	conn, ok := e.peerStore.Remove(peerKey)
 	if !ok {
diff --git a/client/internal/engine.go b/client/internal/engine.go
index fddaa1722..786f35095 100644
--- a/client/internal/engine.go
+++ b/client/internal/engine.go
@@ -886,17 +886,9 @@ func (e *Engine) modifyPeers(peersUpdate []*mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig) error {
 	// offers, so a previously active peer left idle cannot reconnect until the
 	// remote's connection expires.
 	for _, p := range modified {
-		if err := e.addNewPeer(p); err != nil {
+		if err := e.addNewPeer(p, active[p.GetWgPubKey()]); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if !active[p.GetWgPubKey()] {
-			continue
-		}
-		conn, ok := e.peerStore.PeerConn(p.GetWgPubKey())
-		if !ok {
-			continue
-		}
-		e.connMgr.ActivatePeer(e.ctx, conn)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -1847,7 +1839,7 @@ func addrToString(addr netip.Addr) string {
 // addNewPeers adds peers that were not know before but arrived from the Management service with the update
 func (e *Engine) addNewPeers(peersUpdate []*mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig) error {
 	for _, p := range peersUpdate {
-		err := e.addNewPeer(p)
+		err := e.addNewPeer(p, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -1855,8 +1847,9 @@ func (e *Engine) addNewPeers(peersUpdate []*mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// addNewPeer add peer if connection doesn't exist
-func (e *Engine) addNewPeer(peerConfig *mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig) error {
+// addNewPeer add peer if connection doesn't exist. active registers the peer with an
+// already established connection instead of an idle lazy one.
+func (e *Engine) addNewPeer(peerConfig *mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig, active bool) error {
 	peerKey := peerConfig.GetWgPubKey()
 	peerIPs := make([]netip.Prefix, 0, len(peerConfig.GetAllowedIps()))
 	if _, ok := e.peerStore.PeerConn(peerKey); ok {
@@ -1890,7 +1883,7 @@ func (e *Engine) addNewPeer(peerConfig *mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig) error {
 		log.Warnf("error adding peer %s to status recorder, got error: %v", peerKey, err)
 	}
 
-	if exists := e.connMgr.AddPeerConn(e.ctx, peerKey, conn); exists {
+	if exists := e.connMgr.AddPeerConn(e.ctx, peerKey, conn, active); exists {
 		conn.Close(false)
 		return fmt.Errorf("peer already exists: %s", peerKey)
 	}
diff --git a/client/internal/lazyconn/manager/manager.go b/client/internal/lazyconn/manager/manager.go
index b7424bb2f..3443a483c 100644
--- a/client/internal/lazyconn/manager/manager.go
+++ b/client/internal/lazyconn/manager/manager.go
@@ -229,6 +229,20 @@ func (m *Manager) AddPeer(peerCfg lazyconn.PeerConfig) (bool, error) {
 	return false, nil
 }
 
+// AddActivePeer adds a peer whose connection is already established, so it goes
+// straight to inactivity monitoring instead of waiting for a wake signal.
+// Returns true if the peer is on the exclude list and is not managed lazily.
+func (m *Manager) AddActivePeer(peerCfg lazyconn.PeerConfig) (bool, error) {
+	m.managedPeersMu.Lock()
+	defer m.managedPeersMu.Unlock()
+
+	if _, ok := m.excludes[peerCfg.PublicKey]; ok {
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
+	return false, m.addActivePeer(&peerCfg)
+}
+
 // AddActivePeers adds a list of peers to the lazy connection manager
 // suppose these peers was in connected or in connecting states
 func (m *Manager) AddActivePeers(peerCfg []lazyconn.PeerConfig) error {