diff --git a/integration_testing/connection_controller_routines_test.go b/integration_testing/connection_controller_routines_test.go
index 582031bd8..6eec830dd 100644
--- a/integration_testing/connection_controller_routines_test.go
+++ b/integration_testing/connection_controller_routines_test.go
@@ -85,6 +85,223 @@ func TestConnectionControllerInitiatePersistentConnections(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Logf("Test #2 passed | Successfully run validator node6 with --connect-ips set to node2, node3, node4, node5")
 }
 
+func TestConnectionControllerValidatorConnector(t *testing.T) {
+	require := require.New(t)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		setGetActiveValidatorImpl(lib.BasicGetActiveValidators)
+	})
+
+	// Spawn 5 validators node1, node2, node3, node4, node5 and two non-validators node6 and node7.
+	// All the validators are initially in the validator set. And later, node1 and node2 will be removed from the
+	// validator set. Then, make node3 inactive, and node2 active again. Then, make all the validators inactive.
+	// Make node6, and node7 connect-ips to all the validators.
+
+	blsPriv1, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node1 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18000, "node1", blsPriv1)
+	blsPriv2, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node2 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18001, "node2", blsPriv2)
+	blsPriv3, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node3 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18002, "node3", blsPriv3)
+	blsPriv4, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node4 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18003, "node4", blsPriv4)
+	blsPriv5, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node5 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18004, "node5", blsPriv5)
+
+	node6 := spawnNonValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18005, "node6")
+	node7 := spawnNonValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18006, "node7")
+
+	node1 = startNode(t, node1)
+	defer node1.Stop()
+	node2 = startNode(t, node2)
+	defer node2.Stop()
+	node3 = startNode(t, node3)
+	defer node3.Stop()
+	node4 = startNode(t, node4)
+	defer node4.Stop()
+	node5 = startNode(t, node5)
+	defer node5.Stop()
+	setGetActiveValidatorImplWithValidatorNodes(t, node1, node2, node3, node4, node5)
+
+	node6.Config.ConnectIPs = []string{
+		node1.Listeners[0].Addr().String(),
+		node2.Listeners[0].Addr().String(),
+		node3.Listeners[0].Addr().String(),
+		node4.Listeners[0].Addr().String(),
+		node5.Listeners[0].Addr().String(),
+	}
+	node7.Config.ConnectIPs = node6.Config.ConnectIPs
+	node6 = startNode(t, node6)
+	defer node6.Stop()
+	node7 = startNode(t, node7)
+	defer node7.Stop()
+
+	// Verify full graph between active validators.
+	waitForValidatorFullGraph(t, node1, node2, node3, node4, node5)
+	// Verify connections of non-validators.
+	for _, nonValidator := range []*cmd.Node{node6, node7} {
+		waitForValidatorConnectionOneWay(t, nonValidator, node1, node2, node3, node4, node5)
+	}
+	// Verify connections of initial validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node6)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node7)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of active validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 4, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// NOOP Verify connection counts of inactive validators.
+	// Verify connection counts of non-validators.
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node6, 5, 5, 0, 0)
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node7, 5, 5, 0, 0)
+	t.Logf("Test #1 passed | Successfully run validators node1, node2, node3, node4, node5; non-validators node6, node7")
+
+	// Remove node1 and node2 from the validator set.
+	setGetActiveValidatorImplWithValidatorNodes(t, node3, node4, node5)
+	// Verify full graph between active validators.
+	waitForValidatorFullGraph(t, node3, node4, node5)
+	// Verify connections of non-validators.
+	for _, nonValidator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node6, node7} {
+		waitForValidatorConnectionOneWay(t, nonValidator, node3, node4, node5)
+	}
+	// Verify connections of initial validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node6)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node7)
+	}
+	// Verify connections of active validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, validator, node1)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, validator, node2)
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 2, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of inactive validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2} {
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 3, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of non-validators.
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node6, 5, 3, 2, 0)
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node7, 5, 3, 2, 0)
+	t.Logf("Test #2 passed | Successfully run validators node3, node4, node5; inactive-validators node1, node2; " +
+		"non-validators node6, node7")
+
+	// Remove node3 from the validator set. Make node1 active again.
+	setGetActiveValidatorImplWithValidatorNodes(t, node1, node4, node5)
+	// Verify full graph between active validators.
+	waitForValidatorFullGraph(t, node1, node4, node5)
+	// Verify connections of non-validators.
+	for _, nonValidator := range []*cmd.Node{node2, node3, node6, node7} {
+		waitForValidatorConnectionOneWay(t, nonValidator, node1, node4, node5)
+	}
+	// Verify connections of initial validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node6)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node7)
+	}
+	// Verify connections of active validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, validator, node2)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, validator, node3)
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 2, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of inactive validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node2, node3} {
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 3, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of non-validators.
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node6, 5, 3, 2, 0)
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node7, 5, 3, 2, 0)
+	t.Logf("Test #3 passed | Successfully run validators node1, node4, node5; inactive validators node2, node3; " +
+		"non-validators node6, node7")
+
+	// Make all validators inactive.
+	setGetActiveValidatorImplWithValidatorNodes(t)
+	// NOOP Verify full graph between active validators.
+	// NOOP Verify connections of non-validators.
+	// Verify connections of initial validators.
+	for _, validator := range []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5} {
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node6)
+		waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t, validator, node7)
+	}
+	// NOOP Verify connections of active validators.
+	// Verify connections and counts of inactive validators.
+	inactiveValidators := []*cmd.Node{node1, node2, node3, node4, node5}
+	for ii := 0; ii < len(inactiveValidators); ii++ {
+		for jj := ii + 1; jj < len(inactiveValidators); jj++ {
+			waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, inactiveValidators[ii], inactiveValidators[jj])
+		}
+	}
+	inactiveValidatorsRev := []*cmd.Node{node5, node4, node3, node2, node1}
+	for ii := 0; ii < len(inactiveValidatorsRev); ii++ {
+		for jj := ii + 1; jj < len(inactiveValidatorsRev); jj++ {
+			waitForNonValidatorInboundXOROutboundConnection(t, inactiveValidatorsRev[ii], inactiveValidatorsRev[jj])
+		}
+	}
+	for _, validator := range inactiveValidators {
+		waitForMinNonValidatorCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, validator, 6, 0, 0, 2)
+	}
+	// Verify connection counts of non-validators.
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node6, 5, 0, 5, 0)
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node7, 5, 0, 5, 0)
+	t.Logf("Test #4 passed | Successfully run inactive validators node1, node2, node3, node4, node5; " +
+		"non-validators node6, node7")
+}
+
+func TestConnectionControllerValidatorInboundDeduplication(t *testing.T) {
+	require := require.New(t)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		setGetActiveValidatorImpl(lib.BasicGetActiveValidators)
+	})
+
+	// Spawn a non-validator node1, and two validators node2, node3. The validator nodes will have the same public key.
+	// Node2 and node3 will not initially be in the validator set. First, node2 will start an outbound connection to
+	// node1. We wait until the node2 is re-indexed as non-validator by node1, and then we make node3 open an outbound
+	// connection to node1. We wait until node3 is re-indexed as non-validator by node1. Then, we make node2 and node3
+	// join the validator set (i.e. add one entry with the duplicated public key). Now, node1 should disconnect from
+	// either node2 or node3 because of duplicate public key.
+
+	node1 := spawnNonValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18000, "node1")
+	blsPriv2, err := bls.NewPrivateKey()
+	require.NoError(err)
+	node2 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18001, "node2", blsPriv2)
+	node3 := spawnValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18002, "node3", blsPriv2)
+
+	node1 = startNode(t, node1)
+	defer node1.Stop()
+	node2 = startNode(t, node2)
+	defer node2.Stop()
+	node3 = startNode(t, node3)
+	defer node3.Stop()
+
+	cc2 := node2.Server.GetConnectionController()
+	require.NoError(cc2.CreateNonValidatorOutboundConnection(node1.Listeners[0].Addr().String()))
+	// First wait for node2 to be indexed as a validator by node1.
+	waitForValidatorConnection(t, node1, node2)
+	// Now wait for node2 to be re-indexed as a non-validator.
+	waitForNonValidatorInboundConnectionDynamic(t, node1, node2, true)
+	waitForNonValidatorOutboundConnection(t, node2, node1)
+
+	// Now connect node3 to node1.
+	cc3 := node3.Server.GetConnectionController()
+	require.NoError(cc3.CreateNonValidatorOutboundConnection(node1.Listeners[0].Addr().String()))
+	// First wait for node3 to be indexed as a validator by node1.
+	waitForValidatorConnection(t, node1, node3)
+	// Now wait for node3 to be re-indexed as a non-validator.
+	waitForNonValidatorInboundConnectionDynamic(t, node1, node3, true)
+	waitForNonValidatorOutboundConnection(t, node3, node1)
+
+	// Now add node2 and node3 to the validator set.
+	setGetActiveValidatorImplWithValidatorNodes(t, node2)
+	// Now wait for node1 to disconnect from either node2 or node3.
+	waitForCountRemoteNodeIndexer(t, node1, 1, 1, 0, 0)
+	t.Logf("Test #1 passed | Successfully run non-validator node1; validators node2, node3 with duplicate public key")
+}
+
 func TestConnectionControllerNonValidatorCircularConnectIps(t *testing.T) {
 	node1 := spawnNonValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18000, "node1")
 	node2 := spawnNonValidatorNodeProtocol2(t, 18001, "node2")
diff --git a/integration_testing/connection_controller_utils_test.go b/integration_testing/connection_controller_utils_test.go
index 74a33b943..43cf418bc 100644
--- a/integration_testing/connection_controller_utils_test.go
+++ b/integration_testing/connection_controller_utils_test.go
@@ -69,6 +69,14 @@ func waitForNonValidatorInboundConnection(t *testing.T, node1 *cmd.Node, node2 *
 	waitForCondition(t, fmt.Sprintf("Waiting for Node (%s) to connect to inbound non-validator Node (%s)", userAgentN1, userAgentN2), condition)
 }
 
+func waitForNonValidatorInboundConnectionDynamic(t *testing.T, node1 *cmd.Node, node2 *cmd.Node, inactiveValidator bool) {
+	userAgentN1 := node1.Params.UserAgent
+	userAgentN2 := node2.Params.UserAgent
+	condition := conditionNonValidatorInboundConnectionDynamic(t, node1, node2, inactiveValidator)
+	waitForCondition(t, fmt.Sprintf("Waiting for Node (%s) to connect to inbound non-validator Node (%s), "+
+		"inactiveValidator (%v)", userAgentN1, userAgentN2, inactiveValidator), condition)
+}
+
 func conditionNonValidatorInboundConnection(t *testing.T, node1 *cmd.Node, node2 *cmd.Node) func() bool {
 	return conditionNonValidatorInboundConnectionDynamic(t, node1, node2, false)
 }
diff --git a/lib/connection_controller.go b/lib/connection_controller.go
index 18d423f46..e025c24a2 100644
--- a/lib/connection_controller.go
+++ b/lib/connection_controller.go
@@ -87,11 +87,12 @@ func NewConnectionController(params *DeSoParams, cmgr *ConnectionManager, handsh
 }
 
 func (cc *ConnectionController) Start() {
-	cc.startGroup.Add(1)
+	cc.startGroup.Add(2)
 	go cc.startPersistentConnector()
+	go cc.startValidatorConnector()
 
 	cc.startGroup.Wait()
-	cc.exitGroup.Add(1)
+	cc.exitGroup.Add(2)
 }
 
 func (cc *ConnectionController) Stop() {
@@ -116,6 +117,26 @@ func (cc *ConnectionController) startPersistentConnector() {
 	}
 }
 
+// startValidatorConnector is responsible for ensuring that the node is connected to all active validators. It does
+// this in two steps. First, it looks through the already established connections and checks if any of these connections
+// are validators. If they are, it adds them to the validator index. It also checks if any of the existing validators
+// are no longer active and removes them from the validator index. Second, it checks if any of the active validators
+// are missing from the validator index. If they are, it attempts to connect to them.
+func (cc *ConnectionController) startValidatorConnector() {
+	cc.startGroup.Done()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-cc.exitChan:
+			cc.exitGroup.Done()
+			return
+		case <-time.After(1 * time.Second):
+			activeValidatorsMap := GetActiveValidatorImpl()
+			cc.refreshValidatorIndex(activeValidatorsMap)
+			cc.connectValidators(activeValidatorsMap)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // ###########################
 // ## Handlers (Peer, DeSoMessage)
 // ###########################
@@ -231,6 +252,84 @@ func (cc *ConnectionController) refreshConnectIps() {
 	}
 }
 
+// ###########################
+// ## Validator Connections
+// ###########################
+
+// refreshValidatorIndex re-indexes validators based on the activeValidatorsMap. It is called periodically by the
+// validator connector.
+func (cc *ConnectionController) refreshValidatorIndex(activeValidatorsMap *collections.ConcurrentMap[bls.SerializedPublicKey, *ValidatorEntry]) {
+	// De-index inactive validators. We skip any checks regarding RemoteNodes connection status, nor do we verify whether
+	// de-indexing the validator would result in an excess number of outbound/inbound connections. Any excess connections
+	// will be cleaned up by the peer connector.
+	validatorRemoteNodeMap := cc.rnManager.GetValidatorIndex().Copy()
+	for pk, rn := range validatorRemoteNodeMap {
+		// If the validator is no longer active, de-index it.
+		if _, ok := activeValidatorsMap.Get(pk); !ok {
+			cc.rnManager.SetNonValidator(rn)
+			cc.rnManager.UnsetValidator(rn)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Look for validators in our existing outbound / inbound connections.
+	allNonValidators := cc.rnManager.GetAllNonValidators()
+	for _, rn := range allNonValidators {
+		// It is possible for a RemoteNode to be in the non-validator indices, and still have a public key. This can happen
+		// if the RemoteNode advertised support for the SFValidator service flag during handshake, and provided us
+		// with a public key, and a corresponding proof of possession signature.
+		pk := rn.GetValidatorPublicKey()
+		if pk == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		// It is possible that through unlikely concurrence, and malevolence, two non-validators happen to have the same
+		// public key, which goes undetected during handshake. To prevent this from affecting the indexing of the validator
+		// set, we check that the non-validator's public key is not already present in the validator index.
+		if _, ok := cc.rnManager.GetValidatorIndex().Get(pk.Serialize()); ok {
+			cc.rnManager.Disconnect(rn)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// If the RemoteNode turns out to be in the validator set, index it.
+		if _, ok := activeValidatorsMap.Get(pk.Serialize()); ok {
+			cc.rnManager.SetValidator(rn)
+			cc.rnManager.UnsetNonValidator(rn)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// connectValidators attempts to connect to all active validators that are not already connected. It is called
+// periodically by the validator connector.
+func (cc *ConnectionController) connectValidators(activeValidatorsMap *collections.ConcurrentMap[bls.SerializedPublicKey, *ValidatorEntry]) {
+	// Look through the active validators and connect to any that we're not already connected to.
+	if cc.blsKeystore == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	validators := activeValidatorsMap.Copy()
+	for pk, validator := range validators {
+		_, exists := cc.rnManager.GetValidatorIndex().Get(pk)
+		// If we're already connected to the validator, continue.
+		if exists {
+			continue
+		}
+		if cc.blsKeystore.GetSigner().GetPublicKey().Serialize() == pk {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		publicKey, err := pk.Deserialize()
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// For now, we only dial the first domain in the validator's domain list.
+		address := string(validator.Domains[0])
+		if err := cc.CreateValidatorConnection(address, publicKey); err != nil {
+			// TODO: Do we want to log an error here?
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func (cc *ConnectionController) CreateValidatorConnection(ipStr string, publicKey *bls.PublicKey) error {
 	netAddr, err := cc.ConvertIPStringToNetAddress(ipStr)
 	if err != nil {