diff --git a/nano/core_test/bootstrap.cpp b/nano/core_test/bootstrap.cpp
index 78557b58f..2c13390a1 100644
--- a/nano/core_test/bootstrap.cpp
+++ b/nano/core_test/bootstrap.cpp
@@ -27,11 +27,13 @@ nano::block_hash random_hash ()
 }
 }
 
+/*
+ * account_sets
+ */
+
 TEST (account_sets, construction)
 {
 	nano::test::system system;
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 }
@@ -41,8 +43,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, empty_blocked)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	ASSERT_FALSE (sets.blocked (account));
@@ -53,8 +53,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, block)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	sets.block (account, random_hash ());
@@ -66,8 +64,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, unblock)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	auto hash = random_hash ();
@@ -81,8 +77,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, priority_base)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	ASSERT_EQ (0.0, sets.priority (account));
@@ -93,8 +87,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, priority_blocked)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	sets.block (account, random_hash ());
@@ -107,8 +99,6 @@ TEST (account_sets, priority_unblock_keep)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	sets.priority_up (account);
@@ -126,37 +116,58 @@ TEST (account_sets, priority_up_down)
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	sets.priority_up (account);
 	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_initial);
 	sets.priority_down (account);
-	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_initial / nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_divide);
+	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_initial);
 }
 
-TEST (account_sets, priority_down_sat)
+TEST (account_sets, priority_down_empty)
 {
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	sets.priority_down (account);
 	ASSERT_EQ (0.0, sets.priority (account));
 }
 
+TEST (account_sets, priority_down_saturate)
+{
+	nano::test::system system;
+
+	nano::account account{ 1 };
+	nano::account_sets_config config;
+	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
+	sets.priority_up (account);
+	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_initial);
+	for (int n = 0; n < 1000; ++n)
+	{
+		sets.priority_down (account);
+	}
+	ASSERT_FALSE (sets.prioritized (account));
+}
+
+TEST (account_sets, priority_set)
+{
+	nano::test::system system;
+
+	nano::account account{ 1 };
+	nano::account_sets_config config;
+	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
+	sets.priority_set (account, 10.0);
+	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), 10.0);
+}
+
 // Ensure priority value is bounded
 TEST (account_sets, saturate_priority)
 {
 	nano::test::system system;
 
 	nano::account account{ 1 };
-	auto store = nano::make_store (system.logger, nano::unique_path (), nano::dev::constants);
-	ASSERT_FALSE (store->init_error ());
 	nano::account_sets_config config;
 	nano::bootstrap::account_sets sets{ config, system.stats };
 	for (int n = 0; n < 1000; ++n)
@@ -166,6 +177,10 @@ TEST (account_sets, saturate_priority)
 	ASSERT_EQ (sets.priority (account), nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_max);
 }
 
+/*
+ * bootstrap
+ */
+
 /**
  * Tests the base case for returning
  */
diff --git a/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.cpp b/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.cpp
index 39857cead..3564f4167 100644
--- a/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.cpp
+++ b/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.cpp
@@ -30,11 +30,11 @@ void nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_up (nano::account const & account)
 	{
 		stats.inc (nano::stat::type::bootstrap_account_sets, nano::stat::detail::prioritize);
 
-		auto iter = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account);
-		if (iter != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
+		if (auto it = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account); it != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
 		{
-			priorities.get<tag_account> ().modify (iter, [] (auto & val) {
+			priorities.get<tag_account> ().modify (it, [] (auto & val) {
 				val.priority = std::min ((val.priority + account_sets::priority_increase), account_sets::priority_max);
+				val.fails = 0;
 			});
 		}
 		else
@@ -57,21 +57,19 @@ void nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_down (nano::account const & account
 		return;
 	}
 
-	auto iter = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account);
-	if (iter != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
+	if (auto it = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account); it != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
 	{
 		stats.inc (nano::stat::type::bootstrap_account_sets, nano::stat::detail::deprioritize);
 
-		auto priority_new = iter->priority / account_sets::priority_divide;
-		if (priority_new <= account_sets::priority_cutoff)
+		if (it->fails >= account_sets::max_fails || it->fails >= it->priority)
 		{
 			stats.inc (nano::stat::type::bootstrap_account_sets, nano::stat::detail::erase_by_threshold);
-			priorities.get<tag_account> ().erase (iter);
+			priorities.get<tag_account> ().erase (it);
 		}
 		else
 		{
-			priorities.get<tag_account> ().modify (iter, [priority_new] (auto & val) {
-				val.priority = priority_new;
+			priorities.get<tag_account> ().modify (it, [] (auto & val) {
+				val.fails += 1;
 			});
 		}
 	}
@@ -90,8 +88,7 @@ void nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority_set (nano::account const & account,
 
 	if (!blocked (account))
 	{
-		auto iter = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account);
-		if (iter == priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
+		if (!priorities.get<tag_account> ().contains (account))
 		{
 			stats.inc (nano::stat::type::bootstrap_account_sets, nano::stat::detail::priority_set);
 			priorities.get<tag_account> ().insert ({ account, priority });
@@ -332,8 +329,7 @@ double nano::bootstrap::account_sets::priority (nano::account const & account) c
 {
 	if (!blocked (account))
 	{
-		auto existing = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account);
-		if (existing != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
+		if (auto existing = priorities.get<tag_account> ().find (account); existing != priorities.get<tag_account> ().end ())
 		{
 			return existing->priority;
 		}
diff --git a/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.hpp b/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.hpp
index 9e04885c4..061da0fe5 100644
--- a/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.hpp
+++ b/nano/node/bootstrap/account_sets.hpp
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ namespace bootstrap
 		static double constexpr priority_divide = 2.0;
 		static double constexpr priority_max = 128.0;
 		static double constexpr priority_cutoff = 0.15;
+		static unsigned constexpr max_fails = 2;
 
 	public:
 		account_sets (account_sets_config const &, nano::stats &);
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ namespace bootstrap
 		{
 			nano::account account;
 			double priority;
-
+			unsigned fails{ 0 };
 			id_t id{ generate_id () }; // Uniformly distributed, used for random querying
 			std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point timestamp{};
 		};
@@ -103,7 +104,6 @@ namespace bootstrap
 			priority_entry original_entry;
 			nano::block_hash dependency;
 			nano::account dependency_account{ 0 };
-
 			id_t id{ generate_id () }; // Uniformly distributed, used for random querying
 
 			nano::account account () const