diff --git a/pkg/config/config.go b/pkg/config/config.go
index 513b0ae00..059e59497 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config.go
@@ -1520,6 +1520,11 @@ func (cli *CLI) CheckConfig() error {
 			errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("--signing-key: %w", err))
 		}
 	}
+	if cli.DisableSyndication && len(cli.Peers) > 0 {
+		// A node pushing to peers announces its streams, then refuses every
+		// subscription to them with syndication off: the peers retry forever.
+		errs = append(errs, fmt.Errorf("--peers pushes this node's streams, which --disable-syndication refuses to serve; drop one of them"))
+	}
 	if err := cli.validateVODCDN(); err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/config/config_check_test.go b/pkg/config/config_check_test.go
index 0534ffc52..bcfa1f1c3 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config_check_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config_check_test.go
@@ -59,6 +59,10 @@ func TestCheckConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	bad(CLI{TranscodeRenditions: "not-a-rendition",
 		FirebaseServiceAccountFile: filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nope.json")},
 		"--transcode-renditions", "--firebase-service-account-file")
+	// Pushing to peers needs syndication: a pushing node refuses the peers'
+	// subscriptions without it.
+	bad(CLI{DataDir: t.TempDir(), DisableSyndication: true, Peers: []string{"https://peer.example"}},
+		"--peers", "--disable-syndication")
 
 	// Multiple problems are reported together, not one at a time.
 	multi := CLI{LivepeerGateway: true, LivepeerGatewayURL: "http://127.0.0.1:8935",