diff --git a/src/Service/NostrClient.php b/src/Service/NostrClient.php
index 436e443..e14453b 100644
--- a/src/Service/NostrClient.php
+++ b/src/Service/NostrClient.php
@@ -44,22 +44,31 @@ class NostrClient
                                 private readonly ArticleFactory         $articleFactory,
                                 private readonly TokenStorageInterface  $tokenStorage,
                                 private readonly LoggerInterface        $logger,
-                                private readonly CacheItemPoolInterface $npubCache)
+                                private readonly CacheItemPoolInterface $npubCache,
+                                private readonly NostrRelayPool         $relayPool)
     {
+        // Initialize default relay set using the relay pool to avoid duplicate connections
+        $defaultRelayUrls = [
+            'wss://theforest.nostr1.com',
+            'wss://nostr.land',
+            'wss://relay.primal.net'
+        ];
         $this->defaultRelaySet = new RelaySet();
-        $this->defaultRelaySet->addRelay(new Relay('wss://theforest.nostr1.com')); // public aggregator relay
-        $this->defaultRelaySet->addRelay(new Relay('wss://nostr.land')); // aggregator relay, has AUTH
-        $this->defaultRelaySet->addRelay(new Relay('wss://relay.primal.net')); // profile aggregator
+        foreach ($defaultRelayUrls as $url) {
+            $this->defaultRelaySet->addRelay($this->relayPool->getRelay($url));
+        }
     }
 
     /**
-     * Creates a RelaySet from a list of relay URLs
+     * Creates a RelaySet from a list of relay URLs using the connection pool
      */
     private function createRelaySet(array $relayUrls): RelaySet
     {
-        $relaySet = $this->defaultRelaySet;
+        $relaySet = new RelaySet();
         foreach ($relayUrls as $relayUrl) {
-            $relaySet->addRelay(new Relay($relayUrl));
+            // Use the pool to get persistent relay connections
+            $relay = $this->relayPool->getRelay($relayUrl);
+            $relaySet->addRelay($relay);
         }
         return $relaySet;
     }
@@ -107,9 +116,15 @@ class NostrClient
      */
     public function getPubkeyMetadata($pubkey): \stdClass
     {
-        $relaySet = $this->defaultRelaySet;
-        // $relaySet->addRelay(new Relay('wss://profiles.nostr1.com')); // profile aggregator
-        $relaySet->addRelay(new Relay('wss://purplepag.es')); // profile aggregator
+        // Use relay pool for all relays including purplepag.es
+        $relayUrls = [
+            'wss://theforest.nostr1.com',
+            'wss://nostr.land',
+            'wss://relay.primal.net',
+            'wss://purplepag.es'
+        ];
+        $relaySet = $this->createRelaySet($relayUrls);
+
         $this->logger->info('Getting metadata for pubkey ' . $pubkey );
         $request = $this->createNostrRequest(
             kinds: [KindsEnum::METADATA],
@@ -142,11 +157,8 @@ class NostrClient
             $relays = $this->getTopReputableRelaysForAuthor($key->convertPublicKeyToBech32($event->getPublicKey()), 5);
         }
 
-        $relaySet = new RelaySet();
-        foreach ($relays as $relayWss) {
-            $relay = new Relay($relayWss);
-            $relaySet->addRelay($relay);
-        }
+        // Use relay pool instead of creating new Relay instances
+        $relaySet = $this->createRelaySet($relays);
         $relaySet->setMessage($eventMessage);
         // TODO handle responses appropriately
         return $relaySet->send();
@@ -470,32 +482,38 @@ class NostrClient
         $kind = (int)$parts[0];
         $pubkey = $parts[1];
         $identifier = end($parts);
+
         // Get relays for the author
         $authorRelays = $this->getTopReputableRelaysForAuthor($pubkey);
-        // Turn into a relaySet
-        $relaySet = $this->createRelaySet($authorRelays);
 
-        // filters
-        $filters = [
-            'tag' => ['#A', [$coordinate]], // #A means root event
-        ];
+        // Build the request message
+        $subscription = new Subscription();
+        $subscriptionId = $subscription->setId();
+        $filter = new Filter();
+        $filter->setKinds([
+            KindsEnum::COMMENTS->value,
+            // KindsEnum::ZAP_RECEIPT->value  // Not yet
+        ]);
+        $filter->setTag('#A', [$coordinate]);
+
         if (is_int($since) && $since > 0) {
-            $filters['since'] = $since;
+            $filter->setSince($since);
         }
 
-        // Create request using the helper method
-        $request = $this->createNostrRequest(
-            kinds: [
-                KindsEnum::COMMENTS->value,
-                // KindsEnum::ZAP_RECEIPT->value  // Not yet
-            ],
-            filters: $filters,
-            relaySet: $relaySet
+        $requestMessage = new RequestMessage($subscriptionId, [$filter]);
+
+        // Use the relay pool to send the request
+        // Pass subscription ID so the pool can send CLOSE message after receiving responses
+        $responses = $this->relayPool->sendToRelays(
+            $authorRelays,
+            fn() => $requestMessage,
+            30, // timeout in seconds
+            $subscriptionId // close subscription after receiving responses
         );
 
         // Process the response and deduplicate by eventId
         $uniqueEvents = [];
-        $this->processResponse($request->send(), function($event) use (&$uniqueEvents, $pubkey) {
+        $this->processResponse($responses, function($event) use (&$uniqueEvents) {
             $this->logger->debug('Received comment event', ['event_id' => $event->id]);
             $uniqueEvents[$event->id] = $event;
             return null;
@@ -725,9 +743,9 @@ class NostrClient
     public function getMediaEventsByHashtags(array $hashtags): array
     {
         $allEvents = [];
-        $relayset = new RelaySet();
-        $relayset->addRelay(new Relay('wss://theforest.nostr1.com'));
-        $relayset->addRelay(new Relay('wss://relay.nostr.band'));
+        // Use relay pool for media relays
+        $relayUrls = ['wss://theforest.nostr1.com', 'wss://relay.nostr.band'];
+        $relayset = $this->createRelaySet($relayUrls);
 
         // Fetch events for each hashtag
         foreach ($hashtags as $hashtag) {
diff --git a/src/Service/NostrRelayPool.php b/src/Service/NostrRelayPool.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d0729a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Service/NostrRelayPool.php
@@ -0,0 +1,310 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Service;
+
+use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;
+use swentel\nostr\Relay\Relay;
+use swentel\nostr\RelayResponse\RelayResponse;
+
+/**
+ * Manages persistent WebSocket connections to Nostr relays
+ * Keeps connections alive across multiple requests to avoid reconnection overhead
+ */
+class NostrRelayPool
+{
+    /** @var array<string, Relay> Map of relay URLs to Relay instances */
+    private array $relays = [];
+
+    /** @var array<string, int> Track connection attempts for backoff */
+    private array $connectionAttempts = [];
+
+    /** @var array<string, int> Track last connection time */
+    private array $lastConnected = [];
+
+    private const MAX_RETRIES = 3;
+    private const RETRY_DELAY = 5; // seconds
+    private const CONNECTION_TIMEOUT = 30; // seconds
+    private const KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL = 60; // seconds
+
+    public function __construct(
+        private readonly LoggerInterface $logger,
+        private readonly array $defaultRelays = [
+            'wss://theforest.nostr1.com',
+            'wss://nostr.land',
+            'wss://relay.primal.net',
+        ]
+    ) {}
+
+    /**
+     * Normalize relay URL to ensure consistency
+     */
+    private function normalizeRelayUrl(string $url): string
+    {
+        $url = trim($url);
+        // Remove trailing slash for consistency
+        $url = rtrim($url, '/');
+        return $url;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get or create a relay connection
+     */
+    public function getRelay(string $relayUrl): Relay
+    {
+        // Normalize the URL to avoid duplicates (e.g., with/without trailing slash)
+        $relayUrl = $this->normalizeRelayUrl($relayUrl);
+
+        if (!isset($this->relays[$relayUrl])) {
+            $this->logger->debug('Creating new relay connection', ['relay' => $relayUrl]);
+            $relay = new Relay($relayUrl);
+            $this->relays[$relayUrl] = $relay;
+            $this->connectionAttempts[$relayUrl] = 0;
+            $this->lastConnected[$relayUrl] = time();
+        } else {
+            // Check if connection might be stale (older than keepalive interval)
+            $age = time() - ($this->lastConnected[$relayUrl] ?? 0);
+            if ($age > self::KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL) {
+                $this->logger->debug('Relay connection might be stale, will validate', [
+                    'relay' => $relayUrl,
+                    'age' => $age
+                ]);
+                // The nostr library handles reconnection internally, so we just update timestamp
+                $this->lastConnected[$relayUrl] = time();
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $this->relays[$relayUrl];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get multiple relay connections
+     *
+     * @param array $relayUrls
+     * @return array<Relay>
+     */
+    public function getRelays(array $relayUrls): array
+    {
+        $relays = [];
+        foreach ($relayUrls as $url) {
+            try {
+                $relays[] = $this->getRelay($url);
+            } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+                $this->logger->warning('Failed to get relay connection', [
+                    'relay' => $url,
+                    'error' => $e->getMessage()
+                ]);
+            }
+        }
+        return $relays;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Send a request to multiple relays and collect responses
+     *
+     * @param array $relayUrls Array of relay URLs to query
+     * @param callable $messageBuilder Function that builds the message to send
+     * @param int|null $timeout Optional timeout in seconds
+     * @param string|null $subscriptionId Optional subscription ID to close after receiving responses
+     * @return array Responses from all relays
+     */
+    public function sendToRelays(array $relayUrls, callable $messageBuilder, ?int $timeout = null, ?string $subscriptionId = null): array
+    {
+        $timeout = $timeout ?? self::CONNECTION_TIMEOUT;
+        $relays = $this->getRelays($relayUrls);
+
+        if (empty($relays)) {
+            $this->logger->error('No relays available for request');
+            return [];
+        }
+
+        $responses = [];
+        foreach ($relays as $relay) {
+            $relayResponses = [];
+            try {
+                $message = $messageBuilder();
+                $payload = $message->generate();
+
+                $this->logger->debug('Sending request to relay', [
+                    'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                    'subscription_id' => $subscriptionId
+                ]);
+
+                // Ensure relay is connected
+                if (!$relay->isConnected()) {
+                    $relay->connect();
+                }
+
+                $client = $relay->getClient();
+                $client->setTimeout(15); // 15 seconds timeout for receiving
+
+                // Send the request
+                $client->text($payload);
+
+                // Receive and parse responses
+                while ($resp = $client->receive()) {
+                    // Handle PING/PONG
+                    if ($resp instanceof \WebSocket\Message\Ping) {
+                        $client->text((new \WebSocket\Message\Pong())->getPayload());
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    if (!$resp instanceof \WebSocket\Message\Text) {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    $decoded = json_decode($resp->getContent());
+                    if (!$decoded) {
+                        $this->logger->debug('Failed to decode response from relay', [
+                            'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                            'content' => $resp->getContent()
+                        ]);
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
+                    $relayResponse = \swentel\nostr\RelayResponse\RelayResponse::create($decoded);
+                    $relayResponses[] = $relayResponse;
+
+                    // Check for EOSE (End of Stored Events) or CLOSED
+                    if (in_array($relayResponse->type, ['EOSE', 'CLOSED'])) {
+                        $this->logger->debug('Received EOSE/CLOSED from relay', [
+                            'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                            'type' => $relayResponse->type
+                        ]);
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // Key responses by relay URL so processResponse can identify which relay they came from
+                $responses[$relay->getUrl()] = $relayResponses;
+
+                // If subscription ID provided, send CLOSE message to clean up
+                if ($subscriptionId !== null) {
+                    try {
+                        $closeMessage = new \swentel\nostr\Message\CloseMessage($subscriptionId);
+                        $client->text($closeMessage->generate());
+                        $this->logger->debug('Sent CLOSE message to relay', [
+                            'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                            'subscription_id' => $subscriptionId
+                        ]);
+                    } catch (\Throwable $closeError) {
+                        $this->logger->warning('Failed to send CLOSE message', [
+                            'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                            'subscription_id' => $subscriptionId,
+                            'error' => $closeError->getMessage()
+                        ]);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // Update last connected time on successful send
+                $this->lastConnected[$relay->getUrl()] = time();
+
+            } catch (\WebSocket\TimeoutException $e) {
+                // Timeout is normal - relay has sent all events
+                $this->logger->debug('Relay timeout (normal - all events received)', [
+                    'relay' => $relay->getUrl()
+                ]);
+                $responses[$relay->getUrl()] = $relayResponses;
+                $this->lastConnected[$relay->getUrl()] = time();
+
+            } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+                $this->logger->error('Error sending to relay', [
+                    'relay' => $relay->getUrl(),
+                    'error' => $e->getMessage(),
+                    'class' => get_class($e)
+                ]);
+
+                // Track failed attempts
+                $url = $relay->getUrl();
+                $this->connectionAttempts[$url] = ($this->connectionAttempts[$url] ?? 0) + 1;
+
+                // If too many failures, remove from pool
+                if ($this->connectionAttempts[$url] >= self::MAX_RETRIES) {
+                    $this->logger->warning('Removing relay from pool due to repeated failures', [
+                        'relay' => $url,
+                        'attempts' => $this->connectionAttempts[$url]
+                    ]);
+                    unset($this->relays[$url]);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $responses;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Close a specific relay connection
+     */
+    public function closeRelay(string $relayUrl): void
+    {
+        if (isset($this->relays[$relayUrl])) {
+            $this->logger->debug('Closing relay connection', ['relay' => $relayUrl]);
+            unset($this->relays[$relayUrl]);
+            unset($this->connectionAttempts[$relayUrl]);
+            unset($this->lastConnected[$relayUrl]);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Close all relay connections
+     */
+    public function closeAll(): void
+    {
+        $this->logger->info('Closing all relay connections', [
+            'count' => count($this->relays)
+        ]);
+
+        $this->relays = [];
+        $this->connectionAttempts = [];
+        $this->lastConnected = [];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get statistics about the connection pool
+     */
+    public function getStats(): array
+    {
+        return [
+            'active_connections' => count($this->relays),
+            'relays' => array_map(function($url) {
+                return [
+                    'url' => $url,
+                    'attempts' => $this->connectionAttempts[$url] ?? 0,
+                    'last_connected' => $this->lastConnected[$url] ?? null,
+                    'age' => time() - ($this->lastConnected[$url] ?? time()),
+                ];
+            }, array_keys($this->relays))
+        ];
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Cleanup stale connections (call this periodically)
+     */
+    public function cleanupStaleConnections(int $maxAge = 300): int
+    {
+        $now = time();
+        $cleaned = 0;
+
+        foreach ($this->relays as $url => $relay) {
+            $age = $now - ($this->lastConnected[$url] ?? 0);
+            if ($age > $maxAge) {
+                $this->logger->info('Removing stale relay connection', [
+                    'relay' => $url,
+                    'age' => $age
+                ]);
+                $this->closeRelay($url);
+                $cleaned++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $cleaned;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get default relays
+     */
+    public function getDefaultRelays(): array
+    {
+        return $this->defaultRelays;
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/src/Twig/Components/Organisms/Comments.php b/src/Twig/Components/Organisms/Comments.php
index a1578ad..155ab58 100644
--- a/src/Twig/Components/Organisms/Comments.php
+++ b/src/Twig/Components/Organisms/Comments.php
@@ -84,19 +84,21 @@ final class Comments
     {
         foreach ($this->list as $comment) {
             $content = $comment['content'] ?? '';
-            if (empty($content)) {
+            $commentId = $comment['id'] ?? null;
+
+            if (empty($content) || empty($commentId)) {
                 continue;
             }
 
             // Store the original content
-            $this->processedContent[$comment->id] = $content;
+            $this->processedContent[$commentId] = $content;
 
             // Parse the content for Nostr links
             $links = $this->nostrLinkParser->parseLinks($content);
 
             if (!empty($links)) {
                 // Save the links for the client-side to fetch
-                $this->commentLinks[$comment->id] = $links;
+                $this->commentLinks[$commentId] = $links;
             }
         }
     }
@@ -106,9 +108,16 @@ final class Comments
      */
     public function parseZaps(): void
     {
-        foreach ($this->list as $comment) {
+        // Use reference (&$comment) so changes to content are saved back to $this->list
+        foreach ($this->list as &$comment) {
+            $commentId = $comment['id'] ?? null;
+
+            if (empty($commentId)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             // check if kind is 9735 to get zaps
-            if ($comment['kind'] !== 9735) {
+            if (($comment['kind'] ?? null) !== 9735) {
                 continue;
             }
 
@@ -125,15 +134,15 @@ final class Comments
             }
             $description = json_decode($descriptionJson);
 
-            // 2) If description has content, add it to the comment
+            // 2) If description has content, add it to the comment (now this actually saves!)
             if (!empty($description->content)) {
-                $comment->content = $description->content;
+                $comment['content'] = $description->content;
             }
 
             // 3) Get amount: prefer explicit 'amount' tag (msat), fallback to BOLT11 invoice parsing
             $amountSats = null;
 
-            $amountMsatStr = $this->findTagValue($description->tags, 'amount');
+            $amountMsatStr = $this->findTagValue($description->tags ?? [], 'amount');
             if (is_numeric($amountMsatStr)) {
                 // amount in millisats per NIP-57
                 $msats = (int) $amountMsatStr;
@@ -149,11 +158,13 @@ final class Comments
                 }
             }
 
-            $this->zappers[$comment->id] = $this->findTagValue($tags, 'P');
+            $this->zappers[$commentId] = $this->findTagValue($tags, 'P');
             if ($amountSats !== null && $amountSats > 0) {
-                $this->zapAmounts[$comment->id] = $amountSats;
+                $this->zapAmounts[$commentId] = $amountSats;
             }
         }
+        // Unset reference to avoid accidental modification later
+        unset($comment);
     }
 
     // --- Helpers ---