diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata.go b/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata.go
index aae9db62e..71c0dcc09 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata.go
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"math"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/p2p/enode"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/host"
@@ -57,6 +56,7 @@ func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) SetHost(h host.Host) {
 func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if wakuM.clusterID == 0 {
 		wakuM.log.Warn("no clusterID is specified. Protocol will not be initialized")
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
@@ -135,16 +135,21 @@ func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) Request(ctx context.Context, peerID peer.ID) (*protoc
 	stream.Close()
 
 	if response.ClusterId == nil {
-		return nil, nil // Node is not using sharding
+		return nil, errors.New("node did not provide a waku clusterid")
 	}
 
-	result := &protocol.RelayShards{}
-	result.ClusterID = uint16(*response.ClusterId)
+	rClusterID := uint16(*response.ClusterId)
+	var rShardIDs []uint16
 	for _, i := range response.Shards {
-		result.ShardIDs = append(result.ShardIDs, uint16(i))
+		rShardIDs = append(rShardIDs, uint16(i))
 	}
 
-	return result, nil
+	rs, err := protocol.NewRelayShards(rClusterID, rShardIDs...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &rs, nil
 }
 
 func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) onRequest(ctx context.Context) func(network.Stream) {
@@ -209,6 +214,15 @@ func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) ListenClose(n network.Network, m multiaddr.Multiaddr)
 	// Do nothing
 }
 
+func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) disconnectPeer(peerID peer.ID, reason error) {
+	logger := wakuM.log.With(logging.HostID("peerID", peerID))
+	logger.Error("disconnecting from peer", zap.Error(reason))
+	wakuM.h.Peerstore().RemovePeer(peerID)
+	if err := wakuM.h.Network().ClosePeer(peerID); err != nil {
+		logger.Error("could not disconnect from peer", zap.Error(err))
+	}
+}
+
 // Connected is called when a connection is opened
 func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) Connected(n network.Network, cc network.Conn) {
 	go func() {
@@ -219,30 +233,14 @@ func (wakuM *WakuMetadata) Connected(n network.Network, cc network.Conn) {
 
 		peerID := cc.RemotePeer()
 
-		logger := wakuM.log.With(logging.HostID("peerID", peerID))
-
-		shouldDisconnect := true
 		shard, err := wakuM.Request(wakuM.ctx, peerID)
-		if err == nil {
-			if shard == nil {
-				err = errors.New("no shard reported")
-			} else if shard.ClusterID != wakuM.clusterID {
-				err = errors.New("different clusterID reported")
-			}
-		} else {
-			// Only disconnect from peers if they support the protocol
-			// TODO: open a PR in go-libp2p to create a var with this error to not have to compare strings but use errors.Is instead
-			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "protocols not supported") {
-				shouldDisconnect = false
-			}
+		if err != nil {
+			wakuM.disconnectPeer(peerID, err)
+			return
 		}
 
-		if shouldDisconnect && err != nil {
-			logger.Error("disconnecting from peer", zap.Error(err))
-			wakuM.h.Peerstore().RemovePeer(peerID)
-			if err := wakuM.h.Network().ClosePeer(peerID); err != nil {
-				logger.Error("could not disconnect from peer", zap.Error(err))
-			}
+		if shard.ClusterID != wakuM.clusterID {
+			wakuM.disconnectPeer(peerID, errors.New("different clusterID reported"))
 		}
 	}()
 }
diff --git a/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata_test.go b/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata_test.go
index 58b462b43..1ccb90a3e 100644
--- a/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata_test.go
+++ b/waku/v2/protocol/metadata/waku_metadata_test.go
@@ -3,12 +3,15 @@ package metadata
 import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/rand"
+	"errors"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	gcrypto "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peer"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peerstore"
+	libp2pProtocol "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/protocol"
+	"github.com/multiformats/go-multistream"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"github.com/waku-org/go-waku/tests"
 	"github.com/waku-org/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol"
@@ -42,6 +45,11 @@ func createWakuMetadata(t *testing.T, rs *protocol.RelayShards) *WakuMetadata {
 	return m1
 }
 
+func isProtocolNotSupported(err error) bool {
+	notSupportedErr := multistream.ErrNotSupported[libp2pProtocol.ID]{}
+	return errors.Is(err, notSupportedErr)
+}
+
 func TestWakuMetadataRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	testShard16 := uint16(16)
 
@@ -79,11 +87,9 @@ func TestWakuMetadataRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, testShard16, result.ClusterID)
 	require.ElementsMatch(t, rs16_2.ShardIDs, result.ShardIDs)
 
-	// Query a peer not subscribed to a shard
-	result, err = m16_1.Request(context.Background(), m_noRS.h.ID())
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, uint16(0), result.ClusterID)
-	require.Len(t, result.ShardIDs, 0)
+	// Query a peer not subscribed to any shard
+	_, err = m16_1.Request(context.Background(), m_noRS.h.ID())
+	require.True(t, isProtocolNotSupported(err))
 }
 
 func TestNoNetwork(t *testing.T) {
@@ -93,7 +99,7 @@ func TestNoNetwork(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	m1 := createWakuMetadata(t, &rs1)
 
-	// host2 does not support metadata protocol
+	// host2 does not support metadata protocol, so it should be dropped
 	port, err := tests.FindFreePort(t, "", 5)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	host2, err := tests.MakeHost(context.Background(), port, rand.Reader)
@@ -106,12 +112,10 @@ func TestNoNetwork(t *testing.T) {
 	time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
 
 	// Verifying peer connections
-	require.Len(t, m1.h.Network().Peers(), 1)
-	require.Len(t, host2.Network().Peers(), 1)
+	require.Len(t, m1.h.Network().Peers(), 0)
+	require.Len(t, host2.Network().Peers(), 0)
 }
 
-// go test -timeout 300s -run TestDropConnectionOnDiffNetworks github.com/waku-org/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/metadata -count 1 -v
-
 func TestDropConnectionOnDiffNetworks(t *testing.T) {
 	cluster1 := uint16(1)
 	cluster2 := uint16(2)