diff --git a/packages/libp2p/src/connection-manager/index.ts b/packages/libp2p/src/connection-manager/index.ts
index 08bb4126d3..607f0c23f5 100644
--- a/packages/libp2p/src/connection-manager/index.ts
+++ b/packages/libp2p/src/connection-manager/index.ts
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ export class DefaultConnectionManager implements ConnectionManager, Startable {
       }
 
       // make sure we don't already have a connection to this multiaddr
-      if (conn.id !== connection.id && conn.remoteAddr.equals(connection.remoteAddr)) {
+      if (options.force !== true && conn.id !== connection.id && conn.remoteAddr.equals(connection.remoteAddr)) {
         connection.abort(new InvalidMultiaddrError('Duplicate multiaddr connection'))
 
         // return the existing connection
diff --git a/packages/libp2p/test/connection-manager/index.spec.ts b/packages/libp2p/test/connection-manager/index.spec.ts
index d58b82d5bb..6a500e264e 100644
--- a/packages/libp2p/test/connection-manager/index.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/libp2p/test/connection-manager/index.spec.ts
@@ -529,10 +529,13 @@ describe('Connection Manager', () => {
     const existingConnection = stubInterface<Connection>({
       limits: {
         bytes: 100n
-      }
+      },
+      remotePeer: targetPeer,
+      remoteAddr: multiaddr(`/ip4/123.123.123.123/tcp/123/p2p-circuit/p2p/${targetPeer}`)
     })
     const newConnection = stubInterface<Connection>({
-      remotePeer: targetPeer
+      remotePeer: targetPeer,
+      remoteAddr: addr
     })
 
     sinon.stub(connectionManager.dialQueue, 'dial')