diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8375792f9..6ab0c4744 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
     "it-pair": "^1.0.0",
     "it-pipe": "^1.1.0",
     "it-pushable": "^1.4.0",
-    "libp2p-crypto": "^0.17.9",
+    "libp2p-crypto": "^0.18.0",
     "libp2p-tcp": "^0.15.0",
     "multiaddr": "^8.0.0",
     "multibase": "^3.0.0",
diff --git a/src/pubsub/README.md b/src/pubsub/README.md
index ef8b2c09f..15fdbccfa 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/README.md
+++ b/src/pubsub/README.md
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ Publish data message to pubsub topics.
 
 | Name | Type | Description |
 |------|------|-------------|
-| topics | `string` | pubsub topic |
+| topic | `string` | pubsub topic |
 | message | `Uint8Array` | message to publish |
 
 ##### Returns
diff --git a/src/pubsub/index.js b/src/pubsub/index.js
index 855805291..3935c99fb 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/index.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/index.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ const EventEmitter = require('events')
 const errcode = require('err-code')
 
 const pipe = require('it-pipe')
-const PeerId = require('peer-id')
 
 const MulticodecTopology = require('../topology/multicodec-topology')
 const { codes } = require('./errors')
@@ -354,7 +353,7 @@ class PubsubBaseProtocol extends EventEmitter {
           this.log('received message we didn\'t subscribe to. Dropping.')
           return
         }
-        const msg = utils.normalizeInRpcMessage(message, PeerId.createFromB58String(idB58Str))
+        const msg = utils.normalizeInRpcMessage(message, idB58Str)
         this._processRpcMessage(msg)
       })
     }
@@ -362,7 +361,7 @@ class PubsubBaseProtocol extends EventEmitter {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Handles an subscription change from a peer
+   * Handles a subscription change from a peer
    * @param {string} id
    * @param {RPC.SubOpt} subOpt
    */
@@ -470,6 +469,9 @@ class PubsubBaseProtocol extends EventEmitter {
   _sendRpc (id, rpc) {
     const peerStreams = this.peers.get(id)
     if (!peerStreams || !peerStreams.isWritable) {
+      const msg = `Cannot send RPC to ${id} as there is no open stream to it available`
+
+      this.log.err(msg)
       return
     }
     peerStreams.write(this._encodeRpc(rpc))
diff --git a/src/pubsub/message/sign.js b/src/pubsub/message/sign.js
index b17aa41b3..504dd870a 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/message/sign.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/message/sign.js
@@ -39,9 +39,7 @@ async function verifySignature (message) {
   const baseMessage = { ...message }
   delete baseMessage.signature
   delete baseMessage.key
-  if (typeof baseMessage.from === 'string') {
-    baseMessage.from = PeerId.createFromB58String(baseMessage.from).toBytes()
-  }
+  baseMessage.from = PeerId.createFromB58String(baseMessage.from).toBytes()
   const bytes = uint8ArrayConcat([
     SignPrefix,
     Message.encode(baseMessage)
@@ -63,12 +61,7 @@ async function verifySignature (message) {
  */
 async function messagePublicKey (message) {
   // should be available in the from property of the message (peer id)
-  let from
-  if (typeof message.from === 'string') {
-    from = PeerId.createFromB58String(message.from)
-  } else {
-    from = PeerId.createFromBytes(message.from)
-  }
+  const from = PeerId.createFromCID(message.from)
 
   if (message.key) {
     const keyPeerId = await PeerId.createFromPubKey(message.key)
diff --git a/src/pubsub/utils.js b/src/pubsub/utils.js
index cf4acf306..c04c6979d 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/utils.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/utils.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 'use strict'
 
 const crypto = require('libp2p-crypto')
-const multibase = require('multibase')
 const uint8ArrayToString = require('uint8arrays/to-string')
 const uint8ArrayFromString = require('uint8arrays/from-string')
 
@@ -74,7 +73,7 @@ exports.ensureArray = (maybeArray) => {
  * Ensures `message.from` is base58 encoded
  * @param {Object} message
  * @param {Uint8Array|String} message.from
- * @param {PeerId} peerId
+ * @param {String} peerId
  * @return {Object}
  */
 exports.normalizeInRpcMessage = (message, peerId) => {
@@ -83,7 +82,7 @@ exports.normalizeInRpcMessage = (message, peerId) => {
     m.from = uint8ArrayToString(message.from, 'base58btc')
   }
   if (peerId) {
-    m.receivedFrom = peerId.toB58String()
+    m.receivedFrom = peerId
   }
   return m
 }
@@ -91,7 +90,7 @@ exports.normalizeInRpcMessage = (message, peerId) => {
 exports.normalizeOutRpcMessage = (message) => {
   const m = Object.assign({}, message)
   if (typeof message.from === 'string' || message.from instanceof String) {
-    m.from = multibase.decode('z' + message.from)
+    m.from = uint8ArrayFromString(message.from, 'base58btc')
   }
   if (typeof message.data === 'string' || message.data instanceof String) {
     m.data = uint8ArrayFromString(message.data)
diff --git a/test/pubsub/emit-self.spec.js b/test/pubsub/emit-self.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f36594158
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/pubsub/emit-self.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+'use strict'
+
+const { expect } = require('aegir/utils/chai')
+
+const {
+  createPeerId,
+  mockRegistrar,
+  PubsubImplementation
+} = require('./utils')
+
+const uint8ArrayFromString = require('uint8arrays/from-string')
+
+const protocol = '/pubsub/1.0.0'
+const topic = 'foo'
+const data = uint8ArrayFromString('bar')
+const shouldNotHappen = (_) => expect.fail()
+
+describe('emitSelf', () => {
+  let pubsub
+
+  describe('enabled', () => {
+    before(async () => {
+      const peerId = await createPeerId()
+
+      pubsub = new PubsubImplementation(protocol, {
+        peerId,
+        registrar: mockRegistrar
+      }, { emitSelf: true })
+    })
+
+    before(() => {
+      pubsub.start()
+      pubsub.subscribe(topic)
+    })
+
+    after(() => {
+      pubsub.stop()
+    })
+
+    it('should emit to self on publish', () => {
+      const promise = new Promise((resolve) => pubsub.once(topic, resolve))
+
+      pubsub.publish(topic, data)
+
+      return promise
+    })
+  })
+
+  describe('disabled', () => {
+    before(async () => {
+      const peerId = await createPeerId()
+
+      pubsub = new PubsubImplementation(protocol, {
+        peerId,
+        registrar: mockRegistrar
+      }, { emitSelf: false })
+    })
+
+    before(() => {
+      pubsub.start()
+      pubsub.subscribe(topic)
+    })
+
+    after(() => {
+      pubsub.stop()
+    })
+
+    it('should not emit to self on publish', () => {
+      pubsub.once(topic, (m) => shouldNotHappen)
+
+      pubsub.publish(topic, data)
+
+      // Wait 1 second to guarantee that self is not noticed
+      return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(), 1000))
+    })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/pubsub/utils/emit-self.spec.js b/test/pubsub/utils/emit-self.spec.js
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb..000000000
diff --git a/test/pubsub/utils/index.js b/test/pubsub/utils/index.js
index 39406d434..f62f1cba8 100644
--- a/test/pubsub/utils/index.js
+++ b/test/pubsub/utils/index.js
@@ -14,11 +14,12 @@ exports.createPeerId = async () => {
 }
 
 class PubsubImplementation extends PubsubBaseProtocol {
-  constructor (protocol, libp2p) {
+  constructor (protocol, libp2p, options = {}) {
     super({
       debugName: 'libp2p:pubsub',
       multicodecs: protocol,
-      libp2p
+      libp2p,
+      ...options
     })
   }