diff --git a/radicle-tools/src/rad-push.rs b/radicle-tools/src/rad-push.rs
index b8b35fe0..de4cc3ff 100644
--- a/radicle-tools/src/rad-push.rs
+++ b/radicle-tools/src/rad-push.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use std::path::Path;
 
-use radicle::storage::WriteStorage;
+use radicle::{node::Handle, storage::WriteStorage};
 
 fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let cwd = Path::new(".").canonicalize()?;
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
 
     let project = profile.storage.repository(&id)?;
     let sigrefs = profile.storage.sign_refs(&project, &profile.signer)?;
+    profile.node()?.announce_refs(&id)?;
+
     println!("ok: {}", sigrefs.signature);
 
     Ok(())
diff --git a/radicle/src/profile.rs b/radicle/src/profile.rs
index f2e063f1..7b9ec1f0 100644
--- a/radicle/src/profile.rs
+++ b/radicle/src/profile.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ pub struct Profile {
     pub home: PathBuf,
     pub signer: UnsafeSigner,
     pub storage: Storage,
-    pub node: Option<node::Connection>,
 }
 
 impl Profile {
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@ impl Profile {
             home,
             signer,
             storage,
-            node: None,
         })
     }
 
@@ -73,16 +71,12 @@ impl Profile {
             home,
             signer,
             storage,
-            node: None,
         })
     }
 
-    /// Connect to the local radicle node.
-    pub fn connect(&mut self) -> Result<(), io::Error> {
-        let conn = node::Connection::connect(self.socket())?;
-        self.node = Some(conn);
-
-        Ok(())
+    /// Return a connection to the locally running node.
+    pub fn node(&self) -> Result<node::Connection, io::Error> {
+        node::Connection::connect(self.socket())
     }
 
     pub fn id(&self) -> &PublicKey {