diff --git a/binaries/linux-contractless-testnet-0.1.0.tar.gz b/binaries/linux-contractless-testnet-0.1.0.tar.gz
deleted file mode 100644
index e6044c9..0000000
Binary files a/binaries/linux-contractless-testnet-0.1.0.tar.gz and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/binaries/linux-contractless-testnet-0.1.0.zip b/binaries/linux-contractless-testnet-0.1.0.zip
deleted file mode 100644
index 96d2a33..0000000
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diff --git a/src/rpc/server/command_loop_state.rs b/src/rpc/server/command_loop_state.rs
index aa8b59f..526ad50 100644
--- a/src/rpc/server/command_loop_state.rs
+++ b/src/rpc/server/command_loop_state.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 use crate::records::memory::connections::get_client_type_from_memory;
 use crate::records::memory::enums::ClientType;
 use crate::rpc::command_maps::RPC_REPLY;
-use crate::rpc::read_bytes_from_stream::read_first_byte;
 use crate::rpc::server::connection_memory_manager::remove_stream_from_memory;
 use crate::rpc::server::flood_protection::check_request_frequency_with_client_type;
 use crate::rpc::server::structs::IncomingCommand;
+use crate::io::ErrorKind;
 use crate::log::warn;
 use crate::sled::Db;
 use crate::Arc;
@@ -12,33 +12,35 @@ use crate::Duration;
 use crate::Mutex;
 use crate::sleep;
 use crate::TcpStream;
-use crate::timeout;
 
-async fn wait_for_stream_data(stream_locked: &Arc<Mutex<TcpStream>>) -> Result<bool, String> {
-    // Poll the socket with peek so the command byte stays in the stream
-    // until the normal byte reader consumes it.
+async fn read_next_command_byte(stream_locked: &Arc<Mutex<TcpStream>>) -> Result<Option<u8>, String> {
+    // Poll for a command byte with a nonblocking read. This avoids holding
+    // the stream lock across an awaited read while still removing the need
+    // for peek-based readiness checks.
     let timeout_duration = Duration::from_millis(100);
 
     loop {
         let stream = stream_locked.lock().await;
         let mut buffer = [0; 1];
 
-        match timeout(timeout_duration, async { stream.peek(&mut buffer).await }).await {
-            Ok(Ok(n)) => {
-                if n > 0 {
-                    return Ok(true);
-                }
-                if stream.peer_addr().is_err() {
-                    warn!("Dropped stream: {:?}", stream.peer_addr().unwrap_err());
-                    drop(stream);
-                    remove_stream_from_memory(stream_locked).await;
-                    return Ok(false);
-                }
+        match stream.try_read(&mut buffer) {
+            Ok(1) => return Ok(Some(buffer[0])),
+            Ok(0) => {
+                drop(stream);
+                remove_stream_from_memory(stream_locked).await;
+                return Ok(None);
             }
-            Ok(Err(_)) | Err(_) => {
+            Ok(_) => {}
+            Err(err) if err.kind() == ErrorKind::WouldBlock => {
                 drop(stream);
                 sleep(timeout_duration).await;
             }
+            Err(err) => {
+                warn!("Dropped stream: {err:?}");
+                drop(stream);
+                remove_stream_from_memory(stream_locked).await;
+                return Ok(None);
+            }
         }
     }
 }
@@ -61,12 +63,9 @@ pub async fn next_incoming_command(
 ) -> Result<Option<IncomingCommand>, String> {
     // A disconnected socket returns None so the caller can end the RPC
     // loop without treating a clean disconnect as a command failure.
-    if !wait_for_stream_data(&stream_locked).await? {
+    let Some(command) = read_next_command_byte(&stream_locked).await? else {
         return Ok(None);
-    }
-
-    let command =
-        read_first_byte(connections_key, stream_locked.clone()).await?;
+    };
     let ip = peer_ip(&stream_locked).await;
 
     // Connection memory is the source of truth for whether this stream