diff --git a/autopilot/agent.go b/autopilot/agent.go
index 8cd93be6..e91a9fc6 100644
--- a/autopilot/agent.go
+++ b/autopilot/agent.go
@@ -301,22 +301,26 @@ func (a *Agent) OnChannelClose(closedChans ...lnwire.ShortChannelID) {
 }
 
 // mergeNodeMaps merges the Agent's set of nodes that it already has active
-// channels open to, with the set of nodes that are pending new channels. This
-// ensures that the Agent doesn't attempt to open any "duplicate" channels to
-// the same node.
-func mergeNodeMaps(a map[NodeID]struct{}, b map[NodeID]struct{},
-	c map[NodeID]Channel) map[NodeID]struct{} {
+// channels open to, with the other sets of nodes that should be removed from
+// consideration during heuristic selection. This ensures that the Agent doesn't
+// attempt to open any "duplicate" channels to the same node.
+func mergeNodeMaps(c map[NodeID]Channel,
+	skips ...map[NodeID]struct{}) map[NodeID]struct{} {
 
-	res := make(map[NodeID]struct{}, len(a)+len(b)+len(c))
-	for nodeID := range a {
-		res[nodeID] = struct{}{}
-	}
-	for nodeID := range b {
-		res[nodeID] = struct{}{}
+	numNodes := len(c)
+	for _, skip := range skips {
+		numNodes += len(skip)
 	}
+
+	res := make(map[NodeID]struct{}, len(c)+numNodes)
 	for nodeID := range c {
 		res[nodeID] = struct{}{}
 	}
+	for _, skip := range skips {
+		for nodeID := range skip {
+			res[nodeID] = struct{}{}
+		}
+	}
 
 	return res
 }
@@ -360,6 +364,11 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 	// channels with, but didn't succeed.
 	failedNodes := make(map[NodeID]struct{})
 
+	// pendingConns tracks the nodes that we are attempting to make
+	// connections to. This prevents us from making duplicate connection
+	// requests to the same node.
+	pendingConns := make(map[NodeID]struct{})
+
 	// pendingOpens tracks the channels that we've requested to be
 	// initiated, but haven't yet been confirmed as being fully opened.
 	// This state is required as otherwise, we may go over our allotted
@@ -481,7 +490,9 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 		// duplicate edges.
 		connectedNodes := a.chanState.ConnectedNodes()
 		pendingMtx.Lock()
-		nodesToSkip := mergeNodeMaps(connectedNodes, failedNodes, pendingOpens)
+		nodesToSkip := mergeNodeMaps(pendingOpens,
+			pendingConns, connectedNodes, failedNodes,
+		)
 		pendingMtx.Unlock()
 
 		// If we reach this point, then according to our heuristic we
@@ -507,32 +518,40 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 		log.Infof("Attempting to execute channel attachment "+
 			"directives: %v", spew.Sdump(chanCandidates))
 
+		// Before proceeding, check to see if we have any slots
+		// available to open channels. If there are any, we will attempt
+		// to dispatch the retrieved directives since we can't be
+		// certain which ones may actually succeed. If too many
+		// connections succeed, we will they will be ignored and made
+		// available to future heuristic selections.
+		pendingMtx.Lock()
+		if uint16(len(pendingOpens)) >= a.cfg.MaxPendingOpens {
+			pendingMtx.Unlock()
+			log.Debugf("Reached cap of %v pending "+
+				"channel opens, will retry "+
+				"after success/failure",
+				a.cfg.MaxPendingOpens)
+			continue
+		}
+
 		// For each recommended attachment directive, we'll launch a
 		// new goroutine to attempt to carry out the directive. If any
 		// of these succeed, then we'll receive a new state update,
 		// taking us back to the top of our controller loop.
-		pendingMtx.Lock()
 		for _, chanCandidate := range chanCandidates {
-			// Before we proceed, we'll check to see if this
-			// attempt would take us past the total number of
-			// allowed pending opens. If so, then we'll skip this
-			// round and wait for an attempt to either fail or
-			// succeed.
-			if uint16(len(pendingOpens))+1 >
-				a.cfg.MaxPendingOpens {
-
-				log.Debugf("Reached cap of %v pending "+
-					"channel opens, will retry "+
-					"after success/failure",
-					a.cfg.MaxPendingOpens)
+			// Skip candidates which we are already trying
+			// to establish a connection with.
+			nodeID := chanCandidate.NodeID
+			if _, ok := pendingConns[nodeID]; ok {
 				continue
 			}
+			pendingConns[nodeID] = struct{}{}
 
 			go func(directive AttachmentDirective) {
 				// We'll start out by attempting to connect to
 				// the peer in order to begin the funding
 				// workflow.
-				pub := directive.PeerKey
+				pub := directive.NodeKey
 				alreadyConnected, err := a.cfg.ConnectToPeer(
 					pub, directive.Addrs,
 				)
@@ -548,6 +567,7 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 					// again.
 					nodeID := NewNodeID(pub)
 					pendingMtx.Lock()
+					delete(pendingConns, nodeID)
 					failedNodes[nodeID] = struct{}{}
 					pendingMtx.Unlock()
 
@@ -558,24 +578,31 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 					return
 				}
 
-				// If we were succesful, we'll track this peer
-				// in our set of pending opens. We do this here
-				// to ensure we don't stall on selecting new
-				// peers if the connection attempt happens to
-				// take too long.
+				// The connection was successful, though before
+				// progressing we must check that we have not
+				// already met our quota for max pending open
+				// channels. This can happen if multiple
+				// directives were spawned but fewer slots were
+				// available, and other successful attempts
+				// finished first.
 				pendingMtx.Lock()
-				if uint16(len(pendingOpens))+1 >
+				if uint16(len(pendingOpens)) >=
 					a.cfg.MaxPendingOpens {
-
-					pendingMtx.Unlock()
-
-					// Since we've reached our max number
-					// of pending opens, we'll disconnect
-					// this peer and exit. However, if we
-					// were previously connected to them,
-					// then we'll make sure to maintain the
+					// Since we've reached our max number of
+					// pending opens, we'll disconnect this
+					// peer and exit. However, if we were
+					// previously connected to them, then
+					// we'll make sure to maintain the
 					// connection alive.
 					if alreadyConnected {
+						// Since we succeeded in
+						// connecting, we won't add this
+						// peer to the failed nodes map,
+						// but we will remove it from
+						// pendingConns so that it can
+						// be retried in the future.
+						delete(pendingConns, nodeID)
+						pendingMtx.Unlock()
 						return
 					}
 
@@ -589,10 +616,23 @@ func (a *Agent) controller() {
 							pub.SerializeCompressed(),
 							err)
 					}
+
+					// Now that we have disconnected, we can
+					// remove this node from our pending
+					// conns map, permitting subsequent
+					// connection attempts.
+					delete(pendingConns, nodeID)
+					pendingMtx.Unlock()
 					return
 				}
 
-				nodeID := NewNodeID(directive.PeerKey)
+				// If we were successful, we'll track this peer
+				// in our set of pending opens. We do this here
+				// to ensure we don't stall on selecting new
+				// peers if the connection attempt happens to
+				// take too long.
+				nodeID := directive.NodeID
+				delete(pendingConns, nodeID)
 				pendingOpens[nodeID] = Channel{
 					Capacity: directive.ChanAmt,
 					Node:     nodeID,
diff --git a/autopilot/agent_test.go b/autopilot/agent_test.go
index 113aad42..16099eeb 100644
--- a/autopilot/agent_test.go
+++ b/autopilot/agent_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package autopilot
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"net"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
@@ -186,22 +187,13 @@ func TestAgentChannelOpenSignal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
 	// We'll send an initial "no" response to advance the agent past its
 	// initial check.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Next we'll signal a new channel being opened by the backing LN node,
 	// with a capacity of 1 BTC.
@@ -211,34 +203,20 @@ func TestAgentChannelOpenSignal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	agent.OnChannelOpen(newChan)
 
-	wg = sync.WaitGroup{}
-
 	// The agent should now query the heuristic in order to determine its
 	// next action as it local state has now been modified.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			// At this point, the local state of the agent should
-			// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
-			// now has an additional channel with one BTC.
-			if _, ok := agent.chanState[newChan.ChanID]; !ok {
-				t.Fatalf("internal channel state wasn't updated")
-			}
-
-			// With all of our assertions passed, we'll signal the
-			// main test goroutine to continue the test.
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+		// At this point, the local state of the agent should
+		// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
+		// now has an additional channel with one BTC.
+		if _, ok := agent.chanState[newChan.ChanID]; !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("internal channel state wasn't updated")
 		}
-	}()
 
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// There shouldn't be a call to the Select method as we've returned
 	// "false" for NeedMoreChans above.
@@ -343,7 +321,8 @@ func TestAgentChannelFailureSignal(t *testing.T) {
 	// request attachment directives, return a fake so the agent will
 	// attempt to open a channel.
 	var fakeDirective = AttachmentDirective{
-		PeerKey: self,
+		NodeKey: self,
+		NodeID:  NewNodeID(self),
 		ChanAmt: btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
 		Addrs: []net.Addr{
 			&net.TCPAddr{
@@ -441,55 +420,32 @@ func TestAgentChannelCloseSignal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
 	// We'll send an initial "no" response to advance the agent past its
 	// initial check.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Next, we'll close both channels which should force the agent to
 	// re-query the heuristic.
 	agent.OnChannelClose(initialChans[0].ChanID, initialChans[1].ChanID)
 
-	wg = sync.WaitGroup{}
-
 	// The agent should now query the heuristic in order to determine its
 	// next action as it local state has now been modified.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			// At this point, the local state of the agent should
-			// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
-			// has no existing open channels.
-			if len(agent.chanState) != 0 {
-				t.Fatalf("internal channel state wasn't updated")
-			}
-
-			// With all of our assertions passed, we'll signal the
-			// main test goroutine to continue the test.
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+		// At this point, the local state of the agent should
+		// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
+		// has no existing open channels.
+		if len(agent.chanState) != 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("internal channel state wasn't updated")
 		}
-	}()
 
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// There shouldn't be a call to the Select method as we've returned
 	// "false" for NeedMoreChans above.
@@ -567,22 +523,13 @@ func TestAgentBalanceUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
 	// We'll send an initial "no" response to advance the agent past its
 	// initial check.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Next we'll send a new balance update signal to the agent, adding 5
 	// BTC to the amount of available funds.
@@ -592,36 +539,22 @@ func TestAgentBalanceUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 
 	agent.OnBalanceChange()
 
-	wg = sync.WaitGroup{}
-
 	// The agent should now query the heuristic in order to determine its
 	// next action as it local state has now been modified.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-			// At this point, the local state of the agent should
-			// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
-			// now has an additional 5BTC available.
-			if agent.totalBalance != walletBalance {
-				t.Fatalf("expected %v wallet balance "+
-					"instead have %v", agent.totalBalance,
-					walletBalance)
-			}
-
-			// With all of our assertions passed, we'll signal the
-			// main test goroutine to continue the test.
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+		// At this point, the local state of the agent should
+		// have also been updated to reflect that the LN node
+		// now has an additional 5BTC available.
+		if agent.totalBalance != walletBalance {
+			t.Fatalf("expected %v wallet balance "+
+				"instead have %v", agent.totalBalance,
+				walletBalance)
 		}
-	}()
 
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// There shouldn't be a call to the Select method as we've returned
 	// "false" for NeedMoreChans above.
@@ -695,39 +628,39 @@ func TestAgentImmediateAttach(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
 	const numChans = 5
 
 	// The very first thing the agent should do is query the NeedMoreChans
 	// method on the passed heuristic. So we'll provide it with a response
 	// that will kick off the main loop.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
+	select {
 
-		// We'll send over a response indicating that it should
-		// establish more channels, and give it a budget of 5 BTC to do
-		// so.
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{true, numChans, 5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin}:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait here for the agent to query the heuristic. If ti doesn't
-	// do so within 10 seconds, then the test will fail out.
-	wg.Wait()
+	// We'll send over a response indicating that it should
+	// establish more channels, and give it a budget of 5 BTC to do
+	// so.
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  numChans,
+		amt:      5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// At this point, the agent should now be querying the heuristic to
 	// requests attachment directives. We'll generate 5 mock directives so
 	// it can progress within its loop.
 	directives := make([]AttachmentDirective, numChans)
+	nodeKeys := make(map[NodeID]struct{})
 	for i := 0; i < numChans; i++ {
+		pub, err := randKey()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unable to generate key: %v", err)
+		}
+		nodeID := NewNodeID(pub)
 		directives[i] = AttachmentDirective{
-			PeerKey: self,
+			NodeKey: pub,
+			NodeID:  nodeID,
 			ChanAmt: btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
 			Addrs: []net.Addr{
 				&net.TCPAddr{
@@ -735,26 +668,16 @@ func TestAgentImmediateAttach(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		}
+		nodeKeys[nodeID] = struct{}{}
 	}
 
-	wg = sync.WaitGroup{}
-
 	// With our fake directives created, we'll now send then to the agent
 	// as a return value for the Select function.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-		case heuristic.directiveResps <- directives:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.directiveResps <- directives:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Finally, we should receive 5 calls to the OpenChannel method with
 	// the exact same parameters that we specified within the attachment
@@ -766,11 +689,13 @@ func TestAgentImmediateAttach(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Fatalf("invalid chan amt: expected %v, got %v",
 					btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin, openChan.amt)
 			}
-			if !openChan.target.IsEqual(self) {
-				t.Fatalf("unexpected key: expected %x, got %x",
-					self.SerializeCompressed(),
-					openChan.target.SerializeCompressed())
+			nodeID := NewNodeID(openChan.target)
+			_, ok := nodeKeys[nodeID]
+			if !ok {
+				t.Fatalf("unexpected key: %v, not found",
+					nodeID)
 			}
+			delete(nodeKeys, nodeID)
 		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
 			t.Fatalf("channel not opened in time")
 		}
@@ -838,42 +763,35 @@ func TestAgentPrivateChannels(t *testing.T) {
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
 	const numChans = 5
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 
 	// The very first thing the agent should do is query the NeedMoreChans
 	// method on the passed heuristic. So we'll provide it with a response
-	// that will kick off the main loop.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
-
-		// We'll send over a response indicating that it should
-		// establish more channels, and give it a budget of 5 BTC to do
-		// so.
-		resp := moreChansResp{
-			needMore: true,
-			numMore:  numChans,
-			amt:      5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
-		}
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- resp:
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait here for the agent to query the heuristic. If it doesn't
-	// do so within 10 seconds, then the test will fail out.
-	wg.Wait()
+	// that will kick off the main loop.  We'll send over a response
+	// indicating that it should establish more channels, and give it a
+	// budget of 5 BTC to do so.
+	resp := moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  numChans,
+		amt:      5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
+	}
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- resp:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// At this point, the agent should now be querying the heuristic to
 	// requests attachment directives. We'll generate 5 mock directives so
 	// it can progress within its loop.
 	directives := make([]AttachmentDirective, numChans)
 	for i := 0; i < numChans; i++ {
+		pub, err := randKey()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unable to generate key: %v", err)
+		}
 		directives[i] = AttachmentDirective{
-			PeerKey: self,
+			NodeKey: pub,
+			NodeID:  NewNodeID(pub),
 			ChanAmt: btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
 			Addrs: []net.Addr{
 				&net.TCPAddr{
@@ -885,21 +803,11 @@ func TestAgentPrivateChannels(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// With our fake directives created, we'll now send then to the agent
 	// as a return value for the Select function.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
-
-		select {
-		case heuristic.directiveResps <- directives:
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.directiveResps <- directives:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Finally, we should receive 5 calls to the OpenChannel method, each
 	// specifying that it's for a private channel.
@@ -978,29 +886,19 @@ func TestAgentPendingChannelState(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	defer agent.Stop()
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
 	// Once again, we'll start by telling the agent as part of its first
 	// query, that it needs more channels and has 3 BTC available for
-	// attachment.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		select {
-
-		// We'll send over a response indicating that it should
-		// establish more channels, and give it a budget of 1 BTC to do
-		// so.
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{true, 1, btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin}:
-			wg.Done()
-			return
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait for the first query to be consumed. If this doesn't
-	// happen then the above goroutine will timeout, and fail the test.
-	wg.Wait()
+	// attachment.  We'll send over a response indicating that it should
+	// establish more channels, and give it a budget of 1 BTC to do so.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  1,
+		amt:      btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	heuristic.moreChanArgs = make(chan moreChanArg)
 
@@ -1013,7 +911,8 @@ func TestAgentPendingChannelState(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	nodeID := NewNodeID(nodeKey)
 	nodeDirective := AttachmentDirective{
-		PeerKey: nodeKey,
+		NodeKey: nodeKey,
+		NodeID:  nodeID,
 		ChanAmt: 0.5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
 		Addrs: []net.Addr{
 			&net.TCPAddr{
@@ -1072,7 +971,7 @@ func TestAgentPendingChannelState(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		if req.chans[0].Node != nodeID {
 			t.Fatalf("wrong node ID: expected %x, got %x",
-				req.chans[0].Node[:], nodeID)
+				nodeID, req.chans[0].Node[:])
 		}
 	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
 		t.Fatalf("need more chans wasn't queried in time")
@@ -1157,16 +1056,11 @@ func TestAgentPendingOpenChannel(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// We'll send an initial "no" response to advance the agent past its
 	// initial check.
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Next, we'll signal that a new channel has been opened, but it is
 	// still pending.
@@ -1174,19 +1068,11 @@ func TestAgentPendingOpenChannel(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// The agent should now query the heuristic in order to determine its
 	// next action as its local state has now been modified.
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// We'll wait here for either the agent to query the heuristic to be
-	// queried, or for the timeout above to tick.
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{false, 0, 0}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// There shouldn't be a call to the Select method as we've returned
 	// "false" for NeedMoreChans above.
@@ -1254,21 +1140,15 @@ func TestAgentOnNodeUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 	// We'll send an initial "yes" response to advance the agent past its
 	// initial check. This will cause it to try to get directives from an
 	// empty graph.
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg.Done()
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
-			needMore: true,
-			numMore:  2,
-			amt:      walletBalance,
-		}:
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-	wg.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  2,
+		amt:      walletBalance,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Send over an empty list of attachment directives, which should cause
 	// the agent to return to waiting on a new signal.
@@ -1285,21 +1165,15 @@ func TestAgentOnNodeUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 	// In response, the agent should wake up and see if it needs more
 	// channels. Since we haven't done anything, we will send the same
 	// response as before since we are still trying to open channels.
-	var wg2 sync.WaitGroup
-	wg2.Add(1)
-	go func() {
-		defer wg2.Done()
-		select {
-		case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
-			needMore: true,
-			numMore:  2,
-			amt:      walletBalance,
-		}:
-		case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
-			t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
-		}
-	}()
-	wg2.Wait()
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  2,
+		amt:      walletBalance,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
 
 	// Again the agent should pull in the next set of attachment directives.
 	// It's not important that this list is also empty, so long as the node
@@ -1310,3 +1184,180 @@ func TestAgentOnNodeUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Select was not called but should have been")
 	}
 }
+
+// TestAgentSkipPendingConns asserts that the agent will not try to make
+// duplicate connection requests to the same node, even if the attachment
+// heuristic instructs the agent to do so. It also asserts that the agent
+// stops tracking the pending connection once it finishes. Note that in
+// practice, a failed connection would be inserted into the skip map passed to
+// the attachment heuristic, though this does not assert that case.
+func TestAgentSkipPendingConns(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// First, we'll create all the dependencies that we'll need in order to
+	// create the autopilot agent.
+	self, err := randKey()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unable to generate key: %v", err)
+	}
+	heuristic := &mockHeuristic{
+		moreChansResps: make(chan moreChansResp),
+		directiveResps: make(chan []AttachmentDirective),
+	}
+	chanController := &mockChanController{
+		openChanSignals: make(chan openChanIntent),
+	}
+	memGraph, _, _ := newMemChanGraph()
+
+	// The wallet will start with 6 BTC available.
+	const walletBalance = btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin * 6
+
+	connect := make(chan chan error)
+
+	// With the dependencies we created, we can now create the initial
+	// agent itself.
+	testCfg := Config{
+		Self:           self,
+		Heuristic:      heuristic,
+		ChanController: chanController,
+		WalletBalance: func() (btcutil.Amount, error) {
+			return walletBalance, nil
+		},
+		ConnectToPeer: func(*btcec.PublicKey, []net.Addr) (bool, error) {
+			errChan := make(chan error)
+			connect <- errChan
+			err := <-errChan
+			return false, err
+		},
+		DisconnectPeer: func(*btcec.PublicKey) error {
+			return nil
+		},
+		Graph:           memGraph,
+		MaxPendingOpens: 10,
+	}
+	initialChans := []Channel{}
+	agent, err := New(testCfg, initialChans)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unable to create agent: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// To ensure the heuristic doesn't block on quitting the agent, we'll
+	// use the agent's quit chan to signal when it should also stop.
+	heuristic.quit = agent.quit
+
+	// With the autopilot agent and all its dependencies we'll start the
+	// primary controller goroutine.
+	if err := agent.Start(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unable to start agent: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer agent.Stop()
+
+	// We'll send an initial "yes" response to advance the agent past its
+	// initial check. This will cause it to try to get directives from the
+	// graph.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  1,
+		amt:      walletBalance,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	// Next, the agent should deliver a query to the Select method of the
+	// heuristic. We'll only return a single directive for a pre-chosen
+	// node.
+	nodeKey, err := randKey()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unable to generate key: %v", err)
+	}
+	nodeDirective := AttachmentDirective{
+		NodeKey: nodeKey,
+		NodeID:  NewNodeID(nodeKey),
+		ChanAmt: 0.5 * btcutil.SatoshiPerBitcoin,
+		Addrs: []net.Addr{
+			&net.TCPAddr{
+				IP: bytes.Repeat([]byte("a"), 16),
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	select {
+	case heuristic.directiveResps <- []AttachmentDirective{nodeDirective}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	var errChan chan error
+	select {
+	case errChan = <-connect:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("agent did not attempt connection")
+	}
+
+	// Signal the agent to go again, now that we've tried to connect.
+	agent.OnNodeUpdates()
+
+	// The heuristic again informs the agent that we need more channels.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  1,
+		amt:      walletBalance,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	// Send a directive for the same node, which already has a pending conn.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.directiveResps <- []AttachmentDirective{nodeDirective}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	// This time, the agent should skip trying to connect to the node with a
+	// pending connection.
+	select {
+	case <-connect:
+		t.Fatalf("agent should not have attempted connection")
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 3):
+	}
+
+	// Now, timeout the original request, which should still be waiting for
+	// a response.
+	select {
+	case errChan <- fmt.Errorf("connection timeout"):
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("agent did not receive connection timeout")
+	}
+
+	// Signal the agent to try again, now that there are no pending conns.
+	agent.OnNodeUpdates()
+
+	// The heuristic again informs the agent that we need more channels.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.moreChansResps <- moreChansResp{
+		needMore: true,
+		numMore:  1,
+		amt:      walletBalance,
+	}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	// Send a directive for the same node, which already has a pending conn.
+	select {
+	case heuristic.directiveResps <- []AttachmentDirective{nodeDirective}:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("heuristic wasn't queried in time")
+	}
+
+	// This time, the agent should try the connection since the peer has
+	// been removed from the pending map.
+	select {
+	case <-connect:
+	case <-time.After(time.Second * 10):
+		t.Fatalf("agent have attempted connection")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/autopilot/interface.go b/autopilot/interface.go
index 7f632d89..efa99298 100644
--- a/autopilot/interface.go
+++ b/autopilot/interface.go
@@ -85,10 +85,13 @@ type ChannelGraph interface {
 // AttachmentHeuristic. It details to which node a channel should be created
 // to, and also the parameters which should be used in the channel creation.
 type AttachmentDirective struct {
-	// PeerKey is the target node for this attachment directive. It can be
+	// NodeKey is the target node for this attachment directive. It can be
 	// identified by its public key, and therefore can be used along with
 	// a ChannelOpener implementation to execute the directive.
-	PeerKey *btcec.PublicKey
+	NodeKey *btcec.PublicKey
+
+	// NodeID is the serialized compressed pubkey of the target node.
+	NodeID NodeID
 
 	// ChanAmt is the size of the channel that should be opened, expressed
 	// in satoshis.
diff --git a/autopilot/prefattach.go b/autopilot/prefattach.go
index fd1913ed..22362b7a 100644
--- a/autopilot/prefattach.go
+++ b/autopilot/prefattach.go
@@ -245,11 +245,12 @@ func (p *ConstrainedPrefAttachment) Select(self *btcec.PublicKey, g ChannelGraph
 		}
 		directives = append(directives, AttachmentDirective{
 			// TODO(roasbeef): need curve?
-			PeerKey: &btcec.PublicKey{
+			NodeKey: &btcec.PublicKey{
 				X: pub.X,
 				Y: pub.Y,
 			},
-			Addrs: selectedNode.Addrs(),
+			NodeID: NewNodeID(pub),
+			Addrs:  selectedNode.Addrs(),
 		})
 
 		// With the node selected, we'll add it to the set of visited
diff --git a/autopilot/prefattach_test.go b/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
index b05bdd52..d3440277 100644
--- a/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
+++ b/autopilot/prefattach_test.go
@@ -349,11 +349,11 @@ func TestConstrainedPrefAttachmentSelectTwoVertexes(t *testing.T) {
 				edge2Pub := edge2.Peer.PubKey()
 
 				switch {
-				case bytes.Equal(directive.PeerKey.SerializeCompressed(), edge1Pub[:]):
-				case bytes.Equal(directive.PeerKey.SerializeCompressed(), edge2Pub[:]):
+				case bytes.Equal(directive.NodeKey.SerializeCompressed(), edge1Pub[:]):
+				case bytes.Equal(directive.NodeKey.SerializeCompressed(), edge2Pub[:]):
 				default:
 					t1.Fatalf("attached to unknown node: %x",
-						directive.PeerKey.SerializeCompressed())
+						directive.NodeKey.SerializeCompressed())
 				}
 
 				// As the number of funds available exceed the
@@ -634,8 +634,8 @@ func TestConstrainedPrefAttachmentSelectSkipNodes(t *testing.T) {
 			// We'll simulate a channel update by adding the nodes
 			// we just establish channel with the to set of nodes
 			// to be skipped.
-			skipNodes[NewNodeID(directives[0].PeerKey)] = struct{}{}
-			skipNodes[NewNodeID(directives[1].PeerKey)] = struct{}{}
+			skipNodes[NewNodeID(directives[0].NodeKey)] = struct{}{}
+			skipNodes[NewNodeID(directives[1].NodeKey)] = struct{}{}
 
 			// If we attempt to make a call to the Select function,
 			// without providing any new information, then we