diff --git a/src/runtime2/component/component.rs b/src/runtime2/component/component.rs
index 57d89d9ba93a959fd7f7c14ebe9ff3d5f0fa7f0c..299c64f158dd53f70f55f17456bcb4a1d7570d8c 100644
--- a/src/runtime2/component/component.rs
+++ b/src/runtime2/component/component.rs
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ pub(crate) fn default_handle_control_message(
                 let last_instruction = port_info.last_instruction;
                 let port_has_had_message = port_info.received_message_for_sync;
                 default_send_ack(message.id, peer_handle, sched_ctx, comp_ctx);
-                comp_ctx.remove_peer(sched_ctx, port_handle, peer_comp_id, false); // do not remove if closed
+                comp_ctx.change_port_peer(sched_ctx, port_handle, None);
 
                 // Handle any possible error conditions (which boil down to: the
                 // port has been used, but the peer has died). If not in sync
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ pub(crate) fn default_handle_control_message(
                     if closed_during_sync_round || closed_before_sync_round {
                         return Err((
                             last_instruction,
-                            format!("Peer component (id:{}) shut down, so previous communication cannot have succeeded", peer_comp_id.0)
+                            format!("Peer component (id:{}) shut down, so communication cannot (have) succeed(ed)", peer_comp_id.0)
                         ));
                     }
                 } else {
@@ -543,14 +543,11 @@ pub(crate) fn default_handle_control_message(
             debug_assert!(port_info.state.is_set(PortStateFlag::BlockedDueToPeerChange));
             let old_peer_id = port_info.peer_comp_id;
 
-            comp_ctx.remove_peer(sched_ctx, port_handle, old_peer_id, false);
-
             let port_info = comp_ctx.get_port_mut(port_handle);
-            port_info.peer_comp_id = new_comp_id;
             port_info.peer_port_id = new_port_id;
 
             port_info.state.clear(PortStateFlag::BlockedDueToPeerChange);
-            comp_ctx.add_peer(port_handle, sched_ctx, new_comp_id, None);
+            comp_ctx.change_port_peer(sched_ctx, port_handle, Some(new_comp_id));
             default_handle_recently_unblocked_port(exec_state, consensus, port_handle, sched_ctx, comp_ctx);
         }
     }