diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 37ecbe15db4..e7b813105d8 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2392,6 +2392,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "tracing",
  "tracing-subscriber",
  "url",
+ "z32",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/iroh-dns/Cargo.toml b/iroh-dns/Cargo.toml
index f451eeff8bd..251d4907a3a 100644
--- a/iroh-dns/Cargo.toml
+++ b/iroh-dns/Cargo.toml
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ rustls = "0.21"
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["rt", "sync"] }
 tracing = "0.1"
 url = { version = "2", features = ["serde"] }
+z32 = "1.0.3"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 clap = { version = "4.5.1", features = ["derive"] }
diff --git a/iroh-dns/examples/publish.rs b/iroh-dns/examples/publish.rs
index 5602fb3e3f4..9faf5181524 100644
--- a/iroh-dns/examples/publish.rs
+++ b/iroh-dns/examples/publish.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use iroh_dns::{
     packet::IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL,
     publish::{Config, Publisher},
     resolve::{EXAMPLE_DOMAIN, IROH_TEST_DOMAIN},
+    to_z32,
 };
 
 #[derive(ValueEnum, Clone, Debug, Default, Copy)]
@@ -71,20 +72,20 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     };
     // let an = NodeAnnounce::new(node_id, Some(args.home_derp), vec![]);
     publisher.publish_addr_info(&info).await?;
-    println!("published signed record to {}!", publisher.pkarr_relay());
+    println!(
+        "published signed record to {}! Resolve with ",
+        publisher.pkarr_relay()
+    );
     match args.env {
-        Env::IrohTest => println!(
-            "TXT record resolvable at {}",
-            node_domain(node_id, IROH_TEST_DOMAIN)
-        ),
+        Env::IrohTest => println!("dig {} TXT", node_domain(&node_id, IROH_TEST_DOMAIN)),
         Env::LocalDev => println!(
-            "TXT record resolvable at {}",
-            node_domain(node_id, EXAMPLE_DOMAIN)
+            "dig @localhost -p 5353 {} TXT",
+            node_domain(&node_id, EXAMPLE_DOMAIN)
         ),
     }
     Ok(())
 }
 
-fn node_domain(node_id: NodeId, origin: &str) -> String {
-    format!("{}.{}.{}", IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL, node_id, origin)
+fn node_domain(node_id: &NodeId, origin: &str) -> String {
+    format!("{}.{}.{}", IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL, to_z32(node_id), origin)
 }
diff --git a/iroh-dns/src/lib.rs b/iroh-dns/src/lib.rs
index 20c55182476..915a69e2864 100644
--- a/iroh-dns/src/lib.rs
+++ b/iroh-dns/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,18 @@
+use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
+use iroh_net::NodeId;
+
 pub mod discovery;
 pub mod packet;
 pub mod publish;
 pub mod resolve;
+
+pub fn to_z32(node_id: &NodeId) -> String {
+    z32::encode(node_id.as_bytes())
+}
+
+pub fn from_z32(s: &str) -> Result<NodeId> {
+    let bytes = z32::decode(s.as_bytes()).map_err(|_| anyhow!("invalid z32"))?;
+    let bytes: &[u8; 32] = &bytes.try_into().map_err(|_| anyhow!("not 32 bytes long"))?;
+    let node_id = NodeId::from_bytes(bytes)?;
+    Ok(node_id)
+}
diff --git a/iroh-dns/src/packet.rs b/iroh-dns/src/packet.rs
index af95db509c7..aae1aa66ea3 100644
--- a/iroh-dns/src/packet.rs
+++ b/iroh-dns/src/packet.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ use hickory_proto::error::ProtoError;
 use iroh_net::{AddrInfo, NodeAddr, NodeId};
 use url::Url;
 
+use crate::from_z32;
+
 pub const IROH_ROOT_ZONE: &str = "iroh";
 pub const IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL: &str = "_iroh_node";
 pub const DEFAULT_TTL: u32 = 30;
@@ -231,7 +233,7 @@ fn is_hickory_node_info_name(name: &hickory_proto::rr::Name) -> Option<NodeId> {
         return None;
     }
     let label = std::str::from_utf8(labels.next().expect("num_labels checked")).ok()?;
-    let node_id = NodeId::from_str(label).ok()?;
+    let node_id = from_z32(label).ok()?;
     Some(node_id)
 }
 
diff --git a/iroh-dns/src/resolve.rs b/iroh-dns/src/resolve.rs
index 739005aaee6..47fbe4f8215 100644
--- a/iroh-dns/src/resolve.rs
+++ b/iroh-dns/src/resolve.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@ use hickory_resolver::{
 use iroh_net::{AddrInfo, NodeAddr, NodeId};
 use tracing::debug;
 
-use crate::packet::{NodeAnnounce, IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL};
+use crate::{
+    packet::{NodeAnnounce, IROH_NODE_TXT_LABEL},
+    to_z32,
+};
 
 pub const IROH_TEST_DNS_IPV4: Ipv4Addr = Ipv4Addr::new(5, 75, 181, 3);
 pub const IROH_TEST_DOMAIN: &str = "testdns.iroh.link.";
@@ -93,7 +96,7 @@ impl Resolver {
 
     pub async fn resolve_node_by_id(&self, node_id: NodeId) -> Result<AddrInfo> {
         debug!(?node_id, "resolve node by id");
-        let name = Name::parse(&node_id.to_string(), Some(&self.default_node_origin))?;
+        let name = Name::parse(&to_z32(&node_id), Some(&self.default_node_origin))?;
         let addr = self.resolve_node(name).await;
         debug!(?node_id, ?addr, "resolved");
         let addr = addr?;