diff --git a/network/network.go b/network/network.go
index a5b6fa51b9..ac4df70a0b 100644
--- a/network/network.go
+++ b/network/network.go
@@ -378,12 +378,31 @@ func (n *Network) Start() error {
 
 	// Resume all notifiers. Notifiers may access other components of the network stack.
 	// To prevent nil derefs run the notifiers last. https://github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/issues/3155
-	for _, notifier := range n.state.Notifiers() {
-		if err = notifier.Run(); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to start notifiers: %w", err)
+	// Run in a goroutine: connectToKnownNodes() above may already be loading transactions from peers,
+	// holding the BBolt write lock, causing notifier.Run() (which needs a read lock) to time out.
+	// See https://github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/issues/4162
+	go n.startNotifiers(30 * time.Second)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// startNotifiers starts all notifiers, retrying failed ones every retryDelay until all have started.
+// It is called in a goroutine from Start() to avoid blocking on BBolt lock contention during initial peer sync.
+// See https://github.com/nuts-foundation/nuts-node/issues/4162
+func (n *Network) startNotifiers(retryDelay time.Duration) {
+	pending := n.state.Notifiers()
+	for len(pending) > 0 {
+		var failed []dag.Notifier
+		for _, notifier := range pending {
+			if err := notifier.Run(); err != nil {
+				log.Logger().WithError(err).Errorf("Failed to start notifier '%s', retrying in %s", notifier.Name(), retryDelay)
+				failed = append(failed, notifier)
+			}
+		}
+		pending = failed
+		if len(pending) > 0 {
+			time.Sleep(retryDelay)
 		}
 	}
-	return nil
 }
 
 func (n *Network) connectToKnownNodes(nodeDID did.DID) error {
diff --git a/network/network_test.go b/network/network_test.go
index ea6a3f70f3..b8f4452423 100644
--- a/network/network_test.go
+++ b/network/network_test.go
@@ -567,6 +567,32 @@ func TestNetwork_Start(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestNetwork_startNotifiers(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("ok - succeeds on first try", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctrl := gomock.NewController(t)
+		cxt := createNetwork(t, ctrl)
+		notifier := dag.NewMockNotifier(ctrl)
+		notifier.EXPECT().Run().Return(nil)
+		notifier.EXPECT().Name().AnyTimes().Return("test")
+		cxt.state.EXPECT().Notifiers().Return([]dag.Notifier{notifier})
+
+		cxt.network.startNotifiers(time.Millisecond)
+	})
+	t.Run("ok - retries on first failure", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ctrl := gomock.NewController(t)
+		cxt := createNetwork(t, ctrl)
+		notifier := dag.NewMockNotifier(ctrl)
+		gomock.InOrder(
+			notifier.EXPECT().Run().Return(errors.New("lock timeout")),
+			notifier.EXPECT().Run().Return(nil),
+		)
+		notifier.EXPECT().Name().AnyTimes().Return("test")
+		cxt.state.EXPECT().Notifiers().Return([]dag.Notifier{notifier})
+
+		cxt.network.startNotifiers(time.Millisecond)
+	})
+}
+
 func TestNetwork_selfTestNutsCommAddress(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("TLS", func(t *testing.T) {
 		certificate := testPKI.Certificate()