diff --git a/portalnet/src/overlay_service.rs b/portalnet/src/overlay_service.rs
index 123721da1..aba56d358 100644
--- a/portalnet/src/overlay_service.rs
+++ b/portalnet/src/overlay_service.rs
@@ -1281,22 +1281,6 @@ where
                 )
             })?;
 
-        // Attempt to get semaphore permit if fails we return an empty accept
-        let permit = match self
-            .utp_controller
-            .inbound_utp_transfer_semaphore
-            .clone()
-            .try_acquire_owned()
-        {
-            Ok(permit) => permit,
-            Err(_) => {
-                return Ok(Accept {
-                    connection_id: 0,
-                    content_keys: requested_keys,
-                });
-            }
-        };
-
         let content_keys: Vec<TContentKey> = request
             .content_keys
             .into_iter()
@@ -1341,6 +1325,22 @@ where
             });
         }
 
+        // Attempt to get semaphore permit, if this fails we return an empty accept
+        let permit = match self
+            .utp_controller
+            .inbound_utp_transfer_semaphore
+            .clone()
+            .try_acquire_owned()
+        {
+            Ok(permit) => permit,
+            Err(_) => {
+                return Ok(Accept {
+                    connection_id: 0,
+                    content_keys: requested_keys,
+                });
+            }
+        };
+
         // Generate a connection ID for the uTP connection if there is data we would like to
         // accept.
         let node_addr = self.discovery.cached_node_addr(source).ok_or_else(|| {
@@ -1417,7 +1417,7 @@ where
             {
                 debug!(%err, cid.send, cid.recv, peer = ?cid.peer.client(), content_keys = ?content_keys_string, "unable to process uTP payload");
             }
-            // explictically drop semaphore permit in thread so the permit is moved into the thread
+            // explicitly drop semaphore permit in thread so the permit is moved into the thread
             drop(permit);
         });