diff --git a/veilid-core/src/storage_manager/mod.rs b/veilid-core/src/storage_manager/mod.rs
index b6dad7a2..4b21abb7 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/storage_manager/mod.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/storage_manager/mod.rs
@@ -347,8 +347,9 @@ impl StorageManager {
             if last_signed_value_data.value_data().data() == &data
                 && last_signed_value_data.value_data().writer() == &writer.key
             {
-                // Data and writer is the name, nothing is changing, just return the same ValueData
-                return Ok(Some(last_signed_value_data.into_value_data()));
+                // Data and writer is the same, nothing is changing,
+                // just return that we set it, but no network activity needs to happen
+                return Ok(None);
             }
             let seq = last_signed_value_data.value_data().seq();
             ValueData::new_with_seq(seq + 1, data, writer.key)
diff --git a/veilid-python/tests/test_dht.py b/veilid-python/tests/test_dht.py
index 8faae302..713f5675 100644
--- a/veilid-python/tests/test_dht.py
+++ b/veilid-python/tests/test_dht.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import json
 from . import *
 
 ##################################################################
-BOGUS_KEY = veilid.TypedKey.from_value(veilid.CryptoKind.CRYPTO_KIND_VLD0, veilid.PublicKey.from_bytes(b'                                '))
+BOGUS_KEY = veilid.TypedKey.from_value(
+    veilid.CryptoKind.CRYPTO_KIND_VLD0, veilid.PublicKey.from_bytes(b'                                '))
+
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_get_dht_value_unopened(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ async def test_open_dht_record_nonexistent_no_writer(api_connection: veilid.Veil
         with pytest.raises(veilid.VeilidAPIError):
             out = await rc.open_dht_record(BOGUS_KEY, None)
 
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_close_dht_record_nonexistent(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
@@ -31,13 +34,15 @@ async def test_close_dht_record_nonexistent(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
         with pytest.raises(veilid.VeilidAPIError):
             await rc.close_dht_record(BOGUS_KEY)
 
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_delete_dht_record_nonexistent(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
     async with rc:
         with pytest.raises(veilid.VeilidAPIError):
             await rc.delete_dht_record(BOGUS_KEY)
-        
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_create_delete_dht_record_simple(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
@@ -46,6 +51,7 @@ async def test_create_delete_dht_record_simple(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI)
         await rc.close_dht_record(rec.key)
         await rc.delete_dht_record(rec.key)
 
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_get_dht_value_nonexistent(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
@@ -55,34 +61,34 @@ async def test_get_dht_value_nonexistent(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
         await rc.close_dht_record(rec.key)
         await rc.delete_dht_record(rec.key)
 
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_set_get_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
     async with rc:
         rec = await rc.create_dht_record(veilid.DHTSchema.dflt(2))
-        
+
         vd = await rc.set_dht_value(rec.key, 0, b"BLAH BLAH BLAH")
-        assert vd != None
-        
+        assert vd == None
+
         vd2 = await rc.get_dht_value(rec.key, 0, False)
         assert vd2 != None
-        
+
         vd3 = await rc.get_dht_value(rec.key, 0, True)
         assert vd3 != None
 
         vd4 = await rc.get_dht_value(rec.key, 1, False)
         assert vd4 == None
 
-        print("vd: {}", vd.__dict__)
         print("vd2: {}", vd2.__dict__)
         print("vd3: {}", vd3.__dict__)
 
-        assert vd == vd2
         assert vd2 == vd3
 
         await rc.close_dht_record(rec.key)
         await rc.delete_dht_record(rec.key)
 
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
     rc = await api_connection.new_routing_context()
@@ -104,10 +110,7 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
 
         # Test subkey writes
         vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 1, va)
-        assert vdtemp != None
-        assert vdtemp.data == va
-        assert vdtemp.seq == 0
-        assert vdtemp.writer == owner
+        assert vdtemp == None
 
         vdtemp = await rc.get_dht_value(key, 1, False)
         assert vdtemp.data == va
@@ -118,8 +121,7 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
         assert vdtemp == None
 
         vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 0, vb)
-        assert vdtemp.data == vb
-        assert vdtemp.seq == 0
+        assert vdtemp == None
 
         vdtemp = await rc.get_dht_value(key, 0, True)
         assert vdtemp.data == vb
@@ -129,17 +131,11 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
 
         # Equal value should not trigger sequence number update
         vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 1, va)
-        assert vdtemp != None
-        assert vdtemp.data == va
-        assert vdtemp.seq == 0
-        assert vdtemp.writer == owner
+        assert vdtemp == None
 
         # Different value should trigger sequence number update
         vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 1, vb)
-        assert vdtemp != None
-        assert vdtemp.data == vb
-        assert vdtemp.seq == 1
-        assert vdtemp.writer == owner
+        assert vdtemp == None
 
         # Now that we initialized some subkeys
         # and verified they stored correctly
@@ -166,11 +162,8 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
 
         # Verify subkey 1 can be set a second time and it updates because seq is newer
         vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 1, vc)
-        assert vdtemp != None
-        assert vdtemp.data == vc
-        assert vdtemp.seq == 2
-        assert vdtemp.writer == owner
-        
+        assert vdtemp == None
+
         # Verify the network got the subkey update with a refresh check
         vdtemp = await rc.get_dht_value(key, 1, True)
         assert vdtemp != None
@@ -183,7 +176,7 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
 
         await rc.close_dht_record(key)
         await rc.delete_dht_record(key)
-        
+
         rec = await rc.open_dht_record(key, other_keypair)
         assert rec != None
         assert rec.key == key
@@ -195,12 +188,11 @@ async def test_open_writer_dht_value(api_connection: veilid.VeilidAPI):
         # Verify subkey 1 can NOT be set because we have the wrong writer
         with pytest.raises(veilid.VeilidAPIError):
             vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 1, va)
-    
+
         # Verify subkey 0 can NOT be set because we have the wrong writer
         with pytest.raises(veilid.VeilidAPIError):
             vdtemp = await rc.set_dht_value(key, 0, va)
-        
+
         # Clean up
         await rc.close_dht_record(key)
         await rc.delete_dht_record(key)
-