diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f66994b5b..5253b9572 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ set(RELEASE_MOTTO "Our Lord And Savior" CACHE STRING "Release motto")
 
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/cmake")
 
-set(BOOTSTRAP_SYSTEM_PATH "" CACHE PATH "Fallback bootstrap path")
 set(DEFAULT_WITH_BOOTSTRAP ON)
 if(APPLE)
   set(DEFAULT_WITH_BOOTSTRAP OFF)
@@ -64,6 +63,8 @@ option(WITH_BOOTSTRAP "build lokinet-bootstrap tool" ${DEFAULT_WITH_BOOTSTRAP})
 option(WITH_PEERSTATS "build with experimental peerstats db support" OFF)
 option(STRIP_SYMBOLS "strip off all debug symbols into an external archive for all executables built" OFF)
 
+set(BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK_MAINNET "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/contrib/bootstrap/mainnet.signed" CACHE PATH "Fallback bootstrap path (mainnet)")
+set(BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK_TESTNET "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/contrib/bootstrap/testnet.signed" CACHE PATH "Fallback bootstrap path (testnet)")
 
 include(cmake/enable_lto.cmake)
 
diff --git a/contrib/bootstrap/testnet.signed b/contrib/bootstrap/testnet.signed
index 9ad107115..366c5c5a0 100644
--- a/contrib/bootstrap/testnet.signed
+++ b/contrib/bootstrap/testnet.signed
@@ -1 +1 @@
-d1:ald1:ci2e1:d3:iwp1:e32:9ãxÚsX«l%ìû€ê<,sØ›”•©÷ïå_1:i21:::ffff:144.76.164.2021:pi1666e1:vi0eee1:i5:gamma1:k32:ÞÊðòm=o›„ZÐ1ÿßmcŒ%»¸ÿû¾™SĹ1:p32:!E
Ïâéz˜ý:Š‹úý…/0¡Ú„Ãݪ„µNçB1:rli0ei0ei8ei3ee1:ui1614788310454e1:vi0e1:xle1:z64:Œ¤u G¿”D“=Œxµ¢{ïÌ51þ`í߀ùEâwm)q2Øg¯±˜øš ï³À)˜TÑP•´ò³ö—Á1e
\ No newline at end of file
+ld1:ald1:ci2e1:d3:iwp1:e32:9ãxÚsX«l%ìû€ê<,sØ›”•©÷ïå_1:i21:::ffff:144.76.164.2021:pi1666e1:vi0eee1:i5:gamma1:k32:ÞÊðòm=o›„ZÐ1ÿßmcŒ%»¸ÿû¾™SĹ1:p32:!E
Ïâéz˜ý:Š‹úý…/0¡Ú„Ãݪ„µNçB1:rli0ei0ei8ei3ee1:ui1614788310454e1:vi0e1:xle1:z64:Œ¤u G¿”D“=Œxµ¢{ïÌ51þ`í߀ùEâwm)q2Øg¯±˜øš ï³À)˜TÑP•´ò³ö—Á1ee
diff --git a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
index b4a8cab18..a42c76bb1 100644
--- a/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/llarp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -235,10 +235,24 @@ add_library(lokinet-amalgum
   service/tag.cpp
 )
 
-if(BOOTSTRAP_SYSTEM_PATH)
-  message(STATUS "Building with fallback boostrap path \"${BOOTSTRAP_SYSTEM_PATH}\"")
-  target_compile_definitions(lokinet-amalgum PRIVATE "BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK=\"${BOOTSTRAP_SYSTEM_PATH}\"")
-endif()
+set(BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACKS)
+foreach(bs IN ITEMS MAINNET TESTNET)
+  if(BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK_${bs})
+    message(STATUS "Building with ${bs} fallback boostrap path \"${BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK_${bs}}\"")
+    file(READ "${BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK_${bs}}" bs_data HEX)
+    if(bs STREQUAL TESTNET)
+      set(network "gamma")
+    elseif(bs STREQUAL MAINNET)
+      set(network "lokinet")
+    else()
+      string(TOLOWER "${bs}" network)
+    endif()
+    string(REGEX REPLACE "([0-9a-f][0-9a-f])" "\\\\x\\1" bs_data "${bs_data}")
+    set(BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACKS "${BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACKS}{\"${network}\"s, \"${bs_data}\"sv},\n")
+  endif()
+endforeach()
+configure_file("bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp.in" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp" @ONLY)
+target_sources(lokinet-amalgum PRIVATE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp")
 
 if(WITH_PEERSTATS_BACKEND)
   target_compile_definitions(lokinet-amalgum PRIVATE -DLOKINET_PEERSTATS_BACKEND)
diff --git a/llarp/bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp.in b/llarp/bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5c81ea716
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llarp/bootstrap-fallbacks.cpp.in
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#include <initializer_list>
+#include "llarp/bootstrap.hpp"
+
+namespace llarp
+{
+  using namespace std::literals;
+
+  std::unordered_map<std::string, BootstrapList>
+  load_bootstrap_fallbacks()
+  {
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, BootstrapList> fallbacks;
+    using init_list = std::initializer_list<std::pair<std::string, std::string_view>>;
+    // clang-format off
+    for (const auto& [network, bootstrap] : init_list{
+@BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACKS@
+    })
+    // clang-format on
+    {
+      llarp_buffer_t buf{bootstrap.data(), bootstrap.size()};
+      auto& bsl = fallbacks[network];
+      bsl.BDecode(&buf);
+    }
+    return fallbacks;
+  }
+}  // namespace llarp
diff --git a/llarp/bootstrap.hpp b/llarp/bootstrap.hpp
index ba126c03a..c4a4b7d3f 100644
--- a/llarp/bootstrap.hpp
+++ b/llarp/bootstrap.hpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #include "router_contact.hpp"
 #include <set>
+#include <unordered_map>
 #include "llarp/util/fs.hpp"
 
 namespace llarp
@@ -20,4 +21,8 @@ namespace llarp
     void
     Clear();
   };
+
+  std::unordered_map<std::string, BootstrapList>
+  load_bootstrap_fallbacks();
+
 }  // namespace llarp
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.cpp b/llarp/router/router.cpp
index 8d207c38e..975c6074b 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.cpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.cpp
@@ -665,21 +665,14 @@ namespace llarp
 
     // if our conf had no bootstrap files specified, try the default location of
     // <DATA_DIR>/bootstrap.signed. If this isn't present, leave a useful error message
+    // TODO: use constant
+    fs::path defaultBootstrapFile = conf.router.m_dataDir / "bootstrap.signed";
     if (configRouters.empty() and conf.bootstrap.routers.empty())
     {
-      // TODO: use constant
-      fs::path defaultBootstrapFile = conf.router.m_dataDir / "bootstrap.signed";
       if (fs::exists(defaultBootstrapFile))
       {
         configRouters.push_back(defaultBootstrapFile);
       }
-      else if (not conf.bootstrap.seednode)
-      {
-        LogError("No bootstrap files specified in config file, and the default");
-        LogError("bootstrap file ", defaultBootstrapFile, " does not exist.");
-        LogError("Please provide a bootstrap file (e.g. run 'lokinet-bootstrap)'");
-        throw std::runtime_error("No bootstrap files available.");
-      }
     }
 
     BootstrapList b_list;
@@ -708,7 +701,7 @@ namespace llarp
       {
         if (rc.IsObsoleteBootstrap())
         {
-          LogWarn("ignoring obsolete boostrap RC: ", RouterID(rc.pubkey));
+          log::warning(logcat, "ignoring obsolete boostrap RC: {}", RouterID(rc.pubkey));
           continue;
         }
         if (not rc.Verify(Now()))
@@ -722,29 +715,29 @@ namespace llarp
 
     verifyRCs();
 
-#ifdef BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK
-    constexpr std::string_view bootstrap_fallback = BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK;
-#else
-    constexpr std::string_view bootstrap_fallback{};
-#endif  // BOOTSTRAP_FALLBACK
-
     if (bootstrapRCList.empty() and not conf.bootstrap.seednode)
     {
-      if (not bootstrap_fallback.empty())
+      auto fallbacks = llarp::load_bootstrap_fallbacks();
+      if (auto itr = fallbacks.find(_rc.netID.ToString()); itr != fallbacks.end())
       {
-        b_list.clear();
-        b_list.AddFromFile(bootstrap_fallback);
+        b_list = itr->second;
 
         verifyRCs();
       }
-      if (bootstrapRCList.empty())  // empty after trying fallback, if set
-        throw std::runtime_error{"we have no bootstrap nodes"};
+      if (bootstrapRCList.empty()
+          and not conf.bootstrap.seednode)  // empty after trying fallback, if set
+      {
+        log::error(
+            logcat,
+            "No bootstrap routers were loaded.  The default bootstrap file {} does not exist, and "
+            "loading fallback bootstrap RCs failed.",
+            defaultBootstrapFile);
+        throw std::runtime_error("No bootstrap nodes available.");
+      }
     }
 
     if (conf.bootstrap.seednode)
-    {
       LogInfo("we are a seed node");
-    }
     else
       LogInfo("Loaded ", bootstrapRCList.size(), " bootstrap routers");