diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8fb5560..619b3a3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@
     "detect-node": "^2.0.4",
     "dirty-chai": "^2.0.1",
     "ipfs": "~0.31.5",
-    "ipfsd-ctl": "~0.39.1"
+    "ipfsd-ctl": "~0.39.1",
+    "sinon": "^7.0.0"
   },
   "contributors": [
     "Vasco Santos <vasco.santos@moxy.studio>",
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index c8e266a..d95c9a3 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -86,17 +86,28 @@ class DatastorePubsub {
 
     const stringifiedTopic = key.toString()
 
-    // Subscribe
-    this._pubsub.subscribe(stringifiedTopic, this._handleSubscription, (err) => {
+    this._pubsub.ls((err, res) => {
       if (err) {
-        const errMsg = `cannot subscribe topic ${stringifiedTopic}`
+        return callback(err)
+      }
 
-        log.error(errMsg)
-        return callback(errcode(new Error(errMsg), 'ERR_SUBSCRIBING_TOPIC'))
+      // If already subscribed, just try to get it
+      if (res && Array.isArray(res) && res.indexOf(stringifiedTopic) > -1) {
+        return this._getLocal(key, callback)
       }
-      log(`subscribed values for key ${stringifiedTopic}`)
 
-      this._getLocal(key, callback)
+      // Subscribe
+      this._pubsub.subscribe(stringifiedTopic, this._handleSubscription, (err) => {
+        if (err) {
+          const errMsg = `cannot subscribe topic ${stringifiedTopic}`
+
+          log.error(errMsg)
+          return callback(errcode(new Error(errMsg), 'ERR_SUBSCRIBING_TOPIC'))
+        }
+        log(`subscribed values for key ${stringifiedTopic}`)
+
+        this._getLocal(key, callback)
+      })
     })
   }
 
diff --git a/test/index.spec.js b/test/index.spec.js
index def5448..1a5266d 100644
--- a/test/index.spec.js
+++ b/test/index.spec.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ const chai = require('chai')
 const dirtyChai = require('dirty-chai')
 const expect = chai.expect
 chai.use(dirtyChai)
+const sinon = require('sinon')
 
 const isNode = require('detect-node')
 const parallel = require('async/parallel')
@@ -495,4 +496,20 @@ describe('datastore-pubsub', function () {
       })
     })
   })
+
+  it('should subscribe a topic only once', function (done) {
+    const dsPubsubA = new DatastorePubsub(pubsubA, datastoreA, peerIdA, smoothValidator)
+
+    sinon.spy(pubsubA, 'subscribe')
+
+    dsPubsubA.get(key, (err) => {
+      expect(err).to.exist() // not locally stored record
+      dsPubsubA.get(key, (err) => {
+        expect(err).to.exist() // not locally stored record
+        expect(pubsubA.subscribe.calledOnce).to.equal(true)
+
+        done()
+      })
+    })
+  })
 })