diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
index 07ea4a8b..f8f9a1d2 100644
--- a/.vscode/launch.json
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@
         "args": [
           "test",
           "--no-run",
+          "--features=rt-tokio",
           "--manifest-path",
           "veilid-core/Cargo.toml"
         ],
diff --git a/veilid-core/src/tests/common/test_veilid_config.rs b/veilid-core/src/tests/common/test_veilid_config.rs
index 31af8b1f..b7a511a9 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/tests/common/test_veilid_config.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/tests/common/test_veilid_config.rs
@@ -192,17 +192,8 @@ fn config_callback(key: String) -> ConfigCallbackReturn {
         "network.client_whitelist_timeout_ms" => Ok(Box::new(300_000u32)),
         "network.reverse_connection_receipt_time_ms" => Ok(Box::new(5_000u32)),
         "network.hole_punch_receipt_time_ms" => Ok(Box::new(5_000u32)),
-        "network.routing_table.node_ids" => {
-            let mut nids = BTreeMap::<CryptoKind, VeilidConfigNodeId>::new();
-            nids.insert(
-                CRYPTO_KIND_VLD0,
-                VeilidConfigNodeId {
-                    node_id: None,
-                    node_id_secret: None,
-                },
-            );
-            Ok(Box::new(nids))
-        }
+        "network.routing_table.node_id" => Ok(Box::new(TypedKeySet::new())),
+        "network.routing_table.node_id_secret" => Ok(Box::new(TypedSecretSet::new())),
         "network.routing_table.bootstrap" => Ok(Box::new(Vec::<String>::new())),
         "network.routing_table.limit_over_attached" => Ok(Box::new(64u32)),
         "network.routing_table.limit_fully_attached" => Ok(Box::new(32u32)),
@@ -329,7 +320,7 @@ pub async fn test_config() {
     assert_eq!(inner.network.rpc.timeout_ms, 10_000u32);
     assert_eq!(inner.network.rpc.max_route_hop_count, 4u8);
     assert_eq!(inner.network.rpc.default_route_hop_count, 1u8);
-    assert_eq!(inner.network.routing_table.node_ids.len(), 1);
+    assert_eq!(inner.network.routing_table.node_ids.len(), 0);
     assert_eq!(inner.network.routing_table.bootstrap, Vec::<String>::new());
     assert_eq!(inner.network.routing_table.limit_over_attached, 64u32);
     assert_eq!(inner.network.routing_table.limit_fully_attached, 32u32);
diff --git a/veilid-core/src/veilid_api/types.rs b/veilid-core/src/veilid_api/types.rs
index 2f728e2d..18c0e8d0 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/veilid_api/types.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/veilid_api/types.rs
@@ -1883,7 +1883,7 @@ impl SignedDirectNodeInfo {
         // Verify the signatures that we can
         let valid_crypto_kinds =
             crypto.verify_signatures(node_ids, &node_info_bytes, &typed_signatures)?;
-        node_ids.remove_all(&valid_crypto_kinds);
+        xx wrong! should remove only the kinds that are not valid! also fix relayed node_ids.remove_all(&valid_crypto_kinds);
         if node_ids.len() == 0 {
             apibail_generic!("no valid node ids in direct node info");
         }
diff --git a/veilid-core/src/veilid_config.rs b/veilid-core/src/veilid_config.rs
index f3045a8a..1bfa1868 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/veilid_config.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/veilid_config.rs
@@ -622,8 +622,8 @@ impl VeilidConfig {
                     let v = cb(keyname.to_owned())?;
                     $key = match v.downcast() {
                         Ok(v) => *v,
-                        Err(_) => {
-                            apibail_generic!(format!("incorrect type for key {}", keyname))
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            apibail_generic!(format!("incorrect type for key {}: {:?}", keyname, type_name_of_val(&*e)))
                         }
                     };
                 };
@@ -632,27 +632,26 @@ impl VeilidConfig {
             macro_rules! get_config_node_ids {
                 () => {
                     let keys = cb("network.routing_table.node_id".to_owned())?;
-                    let keys: Option<TypedKeySet> = match keys.downcast() {
+                    let keys: TypedKeySet = match keys.downcast() {
                         Ok(v) => *v,
-                        Err(_) => {
-                            apibail_generic!(
-                                "incorrect type for key 'network.routing_table.node_id'".to_owned()
-                            )
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            apibail_generic!(format!(
+                                "incorrect type for key 'network.routing_table.node_id': {:?}",
+                                type_name_of_val(&*e)
+                            ))
                         }
                     };
-                    let keys = keys.unwrap_or_default();
 
                     let secrets = cb("network.routing_table.node_id_secret".to_owned())?;
-                    let secrets: Option<TypedSecretSet> = match secrets.downcast() {
+                    let secrets: TypedSecretSet = match secrets.downcast() {
                         Ok(v) => *v,
-                        Err(_) => {
-                            apibail_generic!(
-                                "incorrect type for key 'network.routing_table.node_id_secret'"
-                                    .to_owned()
-                            )
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            apibail_generic!(format!(
+                                "incorrect type for key 'network.routing_table.node_id_secret': {:?}",
+                                type_name_of_val(&*e)
+                            ))
                         }
                     };
-                    let secrets = secrets.unwrap_or_default();
 
                     for ck in VALID_CRYPTO_KINDS {
                         if let Some(key) = keys.get(ck) {
diff --git a/veilid-server/src/settings.rs b/veilid-server/src/settings.rs
index 4677e777..3867edbb 100644
--- a/veilid-server/src/settings.rs
+++ b/veilid-server/src/settings.rs
@@ -1057,11 +1057,23 @@ impl Settings {
                 "network.hole_punch_receipt_time_ms" => {
                     Ok(Box::new(inner.core.network.hole_punch_receipt_time_ms))
                 }
-                "network.routing_table.node_id" => {
-                    Ok(Box::new(inner.core.network.routing_table.node_id.clone()))
-                }
+                "network.routing_table.node_id" => Ok(Box::new(
+                    inner
+                        .core
+                        .network
+                        .routing_table
+                        .node_id
+                        .clone()
+                        .unwrap_or_default(),
+                )),
                 "network.routing_table.node_id_secret" => Ok(Box::new(
-                    inner.core.network.routing_table.node_id_secret.clone(),
+                    inner
+                        .core
+                        .network
+                        .routing_table
+                        .node_id_secret
+                        .clone()
+                        .unwrap_or_default(),
                 )),
                 "network.routing_table.bootstrap" => {
                     Ok(Box::new(inner.core.network.routing_table.bootstrap.clone()))
diff --git a/veilid-tools/src/tools.rs b/veilid-tools/src/tools.rs
index ac3e6be4..a58a1fd6 100644
--- a/veilid-tools/src/tools.rs
+++ b/veilid-tools/src/tools.rs
@@ -336,3 +336,7 @@ pub fn is_debug_backtrace_enabled() -> bool {
         }
     }
 }
+
+pub fn type_name_of_val<T: ?Sized>(_val: &T) -> &'static str {
+    std::any::type_name::<T>()
+}