diff --git a/cmd/priv_val_server/main.go b/cmd/priv_val_server/main.go
index 25a8bd4c3..57c3355f9 100644
--- a/cmd/priv_val_server/main.go
+++ b/cmd/priv_val_server/main.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ func main() {
 	var (
 		chainID     = flag.String("chain-id", "mychain", "chain id")
 		listenAddr  = flag.String("laddr", ":46659", "Validator listen address (0.0.0.0:0 means any interface, any port")
-		maxClients  = flag.Int("clients", 3, "number of concurrently connected clients")
+		maxConn     = flag.Int("clients", 3, "maximum of concurrent connections")
 		privValPath = flag.String("priv", "", "priv val file path")
 
 		logger = log.NewTMLogger(log.NewSyncWriter(os.Stdout)).With("module", "priv_val")
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func main() {
 		"Starting private validator",
 		"chainID", *chainID,
 		"listenAddr", *listenAddr,
-		"maxClients", *maxClients,
+		"maxConn", *maxConn,
 		"privPath", *privValPath,
 	)
 
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func main() {
 		logger,
 		*chainID,
 		*listenAddr,
-		*maxClients,
+		*maxConn,
 		privVal,
 		nil,
 	)
diff --git a/cmd/tendermint/commands/run_node.go b/cmd/tendermint/commands/run_node.go
index 619a94b1d..481aa0729 100644
--- a/cmd/tendermint/commands/run_node.go
+++ b/cmd/tendermint/commands/run_node.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ func AddNodeFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 
 	// priv val flags
 	cmd.Flags().String("priv_validator_addr", config.PrivValidatorAddr, "Socket address for private validator")
+	cmd.Flags().Int("priv_validator_max_conn", config.PrivValidatorMaxConn, "Limit of concurrent connections to the PrivValidator")
 
 	// node flags
 	cmd.Flags().Bool("fast_sync", config.FastSync, "Fast blockchain syncing")
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 6a882185f..bdafa7a62 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ var (
 
 	defaultConfigFileName  = "config.toml"
 	defaultGenesisJSONName = "genesis.json"
-	defaultPrivValName     = "priv_validator.json"
-	defaultNodeKeyName     = "node_key.json"
-	defaultAddrBookName    = "addrbook.json"
+
+	defaultPrivValName    = "priv_validator.json"
+	defaultPrivValMaxConn = 3
+	defaultNodeKeyName    = "node_key.json"
+	defaultAddrBookName   = "addrbook.json"
 
 	defaultConfigFilePath  = filepath.Join(defaultConfigDir, defaultConfigFileName)
 	defaultGenesisJSONPath = filepath.Join(defaultConfigDir, defaultGenesisJSONName)
@@ -106,6 +108,9 @@ type BaseConfig struct {
 	// TCP or UNIX socket address of the PrivValidator server
 	PrivValidatorAddr string `mapstructure:"priv_validator_addr"`
 
+	// Limit of concurrent connections to the PrivValidator.
+	PrivValidatorMaxConn int `mapstructure:"priv_validator_max_conn"`
+
 	// TCP or UNIX socket address of the ABCI application,
 	// or the name of an ABCI application compiled in with the Tendermint binary
 	ProxyApp string `mapstructure:"proxy_app"`
@@ -142,18 +147,19 @@ func (c BaseConfig) ChainID() string {
 // DefaultBaseConfig returns a default base configuration for a Tendermint node
 func DefaultBaseConfig() BaseConfig {
 	return BaseConfig{
-		Genesis:           defaultGenesisJSONPath,
-		PrivValidator:     defaultPrivValPath,
-		NodeKey:           defaultNodeKeyPath,
-		Moniker:           defaultMoniker,
-		ProxyApp:          "tcp://127.0.0.1:46658",
-		ABCI:              "socket",
-		LogLevel:          DefaultPackageLogLevels(),
-		ProfListenAddress: "",
-		FastSync:          true,
-		FilterPeers:       false,
-		DBBackend:         "leveldb",
-		DBPath:            "data",
+		Genesis:              defaultGenesisJSONPath,
+		PrivValidator:        defaultPrivValPath,
+		PrivValidatorMaxConn: defaultPrivValMaxConn,
+		NodeKey:              defaultNodeKeyPath,
+		Moniker:              defaultMoniker,
+		ProxyApp:             "tcp://127.0.0.1:46658",
+		ABCI:                 "socket",
+		LogLevel:             DefaultPackageLogLevels(),
+		ProfListenAddress:    "",
+		FastSync:             true,
+		FilterPeers:          false,
+		DBBackend:            "leveldb",
+		DBPath:               "data",
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/node/node.go b/node/node.go
index 64e8c02c1..4a0afd852 100644
--- a/node/node.go
+++ b/node/node.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/state/txindex/kv"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/state/txindex/null"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
+	priv_val "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types/priv_validator"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/version"
 
 	_ "net/http/pprof"
@@ -77,20 +78,8 @@ type NodeProvider func(*cfg.Config, log.Logger) (*Node, error)
 // PrivValidator, ClientCreator, GenesisDoc, and DBProvider.
 // It implements NodeProvider.
 func DefaultNewNode(config *cfg.Config, logger log.Logger) (*Node, error) {
-	var privVal types.PrivValidator
-	privVal = types.LoadOrGenPrivValidatorFS(config.PrivValidatorFile())
-	/* TODO
-	if config.PrivValidatorAddr != "" {
-		pvsc := priv_val.NewPrivValidatorSocketClient(logger.With("module", "priv_val"),
-			config.PrivValidatorAddr)
-		pvsc.Start()
-		privVal = pvsc
-	}
-	*/
-	fmt.Println("PRIV", config.PrivValidatorAddr)
-
 	return NewNode(config,
-		privVal,
+		types.LoadOrGenPrivValidatorFS(config.PrivValidatorFile()),
 		proxy.DefaultClientCreator(config.ProxyApp, config.ABCI, config.DBDir()),
 		DefaultGenesisDocProviderFunc(config),
 		DefaultDBProvider,
@@ -184,20 +173,21 @@ func NewNode(config *cfg.Config,
 	// reload the state (it may have been updated by the handshake)
 	state = sm.LoadState(stateDB)
 
-	/* TODO
-	// Generate node PrivKey
-	privKey := crypto.GenPrivKeyEd25519()
-
 	if config.PrivValidatorAddr != "" {
-		pvsc := priv_val.NewPrivValidatorSocketClient(
-			logger.With("module", "priv_val"),
-			config.PrivValidatorAddr,
-			&privKey,
+		var (
+			privKey = crypto.GenPrivKeyEd25519()
+			pvss    = priv_val.NewPrivValidatorSocketServer(
+				logger.With("module", "priv_val"),
+				config.ChainID(),
+				config.PrivValidatorAddr,
+				config.PrivValidatorMaxConn,
+				priv_val.LoadPrivValidatorJSON(config.PrivValidatorFile()),
+				&privKey,
+			)
 		)
-		pvsc.Start()
-		privValidator = pvsc
+
+		pvss.Start()
 	}
-	*/
 
 	// Decide whether to fast-sync or not
 	// We don't fast-sync when the only validator is us.