diff --git a/src/local.c b/src/local.c
index f6637375..196361aa 100644
--- a/src/local.c
+++ b/src/local.c
@@ -371,8 +371,11 @@ server_recv_cb(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
                     ev_io_start(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->io);
                     ev_timer_start(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->watcher);
                 } else {
-#ifdef TCP_FASTOPEN
-#ifdef __APPLE__
+#if defined(MSG_FASTOPEN)
+                    int s = sendto(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, MSG_FASTOPEN,
+                                   (struct sockaddr *)&(remote->addr), remote->addr_len);
+#else
+#if defined(CONNECT_DATA_IDEMPOTENT)
                     ((struct sockaddr_in *)&(remote->addr))->sin_len = sizeof(struct sockaddr_in);
                     sa_endpoints_t endpoints;
                     memset((char *)&endpoints, 0, sizeof(endpoints));
@@ -382,12 +385,17 @@ server_recv_cb(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
                     int s = connectx(remote->fd, &endpoints, SAE_ASSOCID_ANY,
                                      CONNECT_RESUME_ON_READ_WRITE | CONNECT_DATA_IDEMPOTENT,
                                      NULL, 0, NULL, NULL);
-                    if (s == 0) {
-                        s = send(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, 0);
-                    }
+#elif defined(TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT)
+                    int optval = 1;
+                    if(setsockopt(remote->fd, IPPROTO_TCP, TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT,
+                                (void *)&optval, sizeof(optval)) < 0)
+                        FATAL("failed to set TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT");
+                    int s = connect(remote->fd, (struct sockaddr *)&(remote->addr), remote->addr_len);
 #else
-                    int s = sendto(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, MSG_FASTOPEN,
-                                   (struct sockaddr *)&(remote->addr), remote->addr_len);
+                    FATAL("fast open is not enabled in this build");
+#endif
+                    if (s == 0)
+                        s = send(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, 0);
 #endif
                     if (s == -1) {
                         if (errno == CONNECT_IN_PROGRESS) {
@@ -407,7 +415,7 @@ server_recv_cb(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
                             close_and_free_server(EV_A_ server);
                             return;
                         }
-                    } else if (s < (int)(remote->buf->len)) {
+                    } else if (s <= (int)(remote->buf->len)) {
                         remote->buf->len -= s;
                         remote->buf->idx  = s;
 
@@ -416,26 +424,8 @@ server_recv_cb(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
                         ev_timer_start(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->watcher);
                         return;
                     } else {
-                        // Just connected
-                        remote->buf->idx = 0;
-                        remote->buf->len = 0;
-#ifdef __APPLE__
-                        ev_io_stop(EV_A_ & server_recv_ctx->io);
-                        ev_io_start(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->io);
-                        ev_timer_start(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->watcher);
-#else
-                        remote->send_ctx->connected = 1;
-                        ev_timer_stop(EV_A_ & remote->send_ctx->watcher);
-                        ev_timer_start(EV_A_ & remote->recv_ctx->watcher);
-                        ev_io_start(EV_A_ & remote->recv_ctx->io);
-                        return;
-#endif
+                        FATAL("buffer corruption for fast open");
                     }
-#else
-                    // if TCP_FASTOPEN is not defined, fast_open will always be 0
-                    LOGE("can't come here");
-                    exit(1);
-#endif
                 }
             } else {
                 int s = send(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, 0);
diff --git a/src/netutils.h b/src/netutils.h
index 6e32e7d0..4cfe748d 100644
--- a/src/netutils.h
+++ b/src/netutils.h
@@ -27,27 +27,11 @@
 
 #if defined(__linux__)
 #include <netdb.h>
+#include <linux/tcp.h>
 #else
 #include <netinet/tcp.h>
 #endif
 
-// only enable TCP_FASTOPEN on linux
-#if defined(__linux__)
-#include <linux/tcp.h>
-/*  conditional define for TCP_FASTOPEN */
-#ifndef TCP_FASTOPEN
-#define TCP_FASTOPEN   23
-#endif
-/*  conditional define for MSG_FASTOPEN */
-#ifndef MSG_FASTOPEN
-#define MSG_FASTOPEN   0x20000000
-#endif
-#elif !defined(__APPLE__)
-#ifdef TCP_FASTOPEN
-#undef TCP_FASTOPEN
-#endif
-#endif
-
 /* MPTCP_ENABLED setsockopt values for kernel 4 & 3, best behaviour to be independant of kernel version is to test from newest to the latest values */
 #ifndef MPTCP_ENABLED
 static const char mptcp_enabled_values[] = { 42, 26, 0 };
diff --git a/src/redir.c b/src/redir.c
index 91b6579c..70915f06 100644
--- a/src/redir.c
+++ b/src/redir.c
@@ -552,28 +552,32 @@ remote_send_cb(EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
         // has data to send
         ssize_t s;
         if (remote->addr != NULL) {
+
+#if defined(TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT)
+            int optval = 1;
+            if(setsockopt(remote->fd, IPPROTO_TCP, TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT,
+                        (void *)&optval, sizeof(optval)) < 0)
+                FATAL("failed to set TCP_FASTOPEN_CONNECT");
+            s = connect(remote->fd, (struct sockaddr *)&(remote->addr), remote->addr_len);
+            if (s == 0)
+                s = send(remote->fd, remote->buf->data, remote->buf->len, 0);
+#elif defined(MSG_FASTOPEN)
             s = sendto(remote->fd, remote->buf->data + remote->buf->idx,
                        remote->buf->len, MSG_FASTOPEN, remote->addr,
                        get_sockaddr_len(remote->addr));
-
-            if (s == -1 && (errno == EOPNOTSUPP || errno == EPROTONOSUPPORT ||
-                            errno == ENOPROTOOPT)) {
-                fast_open = 0;
-                LOGE("fast open is not supported on this platform");
-                close_and_free_remote(EV_A_ remote);
-                close_and_free_server(EV_A_ server);
-                return;
-            }
+#else
+            FATAL("tcp fast open is not supported on this platform");
+#endif
 
             remote->addr = NULL;
 
             if (s == -1) {
-                if (errno == CONNECT_IN_PROGRESS || errno == EAGAIN
-                    || errno == EWOULDBLOCK) {
+                if (errno == CONNECT_IN_PROGRESS) {
                     ev_io_start(EV_A_ & remote_send_ctx->io);
                     ev_timer_start(EV_A_ & remote_send_ctx->watcher);
                 } else {
-                    ERROR("connect");
+                    fast_open = 0;
+                    LOGE("fast open is not supported on this platform");
                     close_and_free_remote(EV_A_ remote);
                     close_and_free_server(EV_A_ server);
                 }