diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a7736c2..8afc0ec 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.4
 	github.com/libp2p/go-buffer-pool v0.0.2
 	github.com/libp2p/go-flow-metrics v0.0.3
+	github.com/libp2p/go-msgio v0.0.4
 	github.com/libp2p/go-openssl v0.0.4
 	github.com/minio/sha256-simd v0.1.1
 	github.com/mr-tron/base58 v1.1.3
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index facec19..e5a2103 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -31,8 +31,6 @@ github.com/hpcloud/tail v1.0.0/go.mod h1:ab1qPbhIpdTxEkNHXyeSf5vhxWSCs/tWer42PpO
 github.com/ipfs/go-cid v0.0.5 h1:o0Ix8e/ql7Zb5UVUJEUfjsWCIY8t48++9lR8qi6oiJU=
 github.com/ipfs/go-cid v0.0.5/go.mod h1:plgt+Y5MnOey4vO4UlUazGqdbEXuFYitED67FexhXog=
 github.com/jbenet/go-cienv v0.1.0/go.mod h1:TqNnHUmJgXau0nCzC7kXWeotg3J9W34CUv5Djy1+FlA=
-github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.3 h1:YKyIEECS/XvcfHtBzxtjBBbWK+MbvA6dG8ASiqwvr10=
-github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.3/go.mod h1:5yspPrukOVuOLORacaBi858NqyClJPQxYZlqdZVfqY4=
 github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.4 h1:DRGOFReOMqqDNXwW70QkacFW0YN9QnwLV0Vqk+3oU0o=
 github.com/jbenet/goprocess v0.1.4/go.mod h1:5yspPrukOVuOLORacaBi858NqyClJPQxYZlqdZVfqY4=
 github.com/jessevdk/go-flags v0.0.0-20141203071132-1679536dcc89/go.mod h1:4FA24M0QyGHXBuZZK/XkWh8h0e1EYbRYJSGM75WSRxI=
@@ -40,10 +38,13 @@ github.com/jrick/logrotate v1.0.0/go.mod h1:LNinyqDIJnpAur+b8yyulnQw/wDuN1+BYKlT
 github.com/kisielk/errcheck v1.2.0/go.mod h1:/BMXB+zMLi60iA8Vv6Ksmxu/1UDYcXs4uQLJ+jE2L00=
 github.com/kisielk/gotool v1.0.0/go.mod h1:XhKaO+MFFWcvkIS/tQcRk01m1F5IRFswLeQ+oQHNcck=
 github.com/kkdai/bstream v0.0.0-20161212061736-f391b8402d23/go.mod h1:J+Gs4SYgM6CZQHDETBtE9HaSEkGmuNXF86RwHhHUvq4=
+github.com/libp2p/go-buffer-pool v0.0.1/go.mod h1:xtyIz9PMobb13WaxR6Zo1Pd1zXJKYg0a8KiIvDp3TzQ=
 github.com/libp2p/go-buffer-pool v0.0.2 h1:QNK2iAFa8gjAe1SPz6mHSMuCcjs+X1wlHzeOSqcmlfs=
 github.com/libp2p/go-buffer-pool v0.0.2/go.mod h1:MvaB6xw5vOrDl8rYZGLFdKAuk/hRoRZd1Vi32+RXyFM=
 github.com/libp2p/go-flow-metrics v0.0.3 h1:8tAs/hSdNvUiLgtlSy3mxwxWP4I9y/jlkPFT7epKdeM=
 github.com/libp2p/go-flow-metrics v0.0.3/go.mod h1:HeoSNUrOJVK1jEpDqVEiUOIXqhbnS27omG0uWU5slZs=
+github.com/libp2p/go-msgio v0.0.4 h1:agEFehY3zWJFUHK6SEMR7UYmk2z6kC3oeCM7ybLhguA=
+github.com/libp2p/go-msgio v0.0.4/go.mod h1:63lBBgOTDKQL6EWazRMCwXsEeEeK9O2Cd+0+6OOuipQ=
 github.com/libp2p/go-openssl v0.0.4 h1:d27YZvLoTyMhIN4njrkr8zMDOM4lfpHIp6A+TK9fovg=
 github.com/libp2p/go-openssl v0.0.4/go.mod h1:unDrJpgy3oFr+rqXsarWifmJuNnJR4chtO1HmaZjggc=
 github.com/minio/blake2b-simd v0.0.0-20160723061019-3f5f724cb5b1 h1:lYpkrQH5ajf0OXOcUbGjvZxxijuBwbbmlSxLiuofa+g=
diff --git a/sec/insecure/insecure.go b/sec/insecure/insecure.go
index b9a9394..1f40924 100644
--- a/sec/insecure/insecure.go
+++ b/sec/insecure/insecure.go
@@ -9,10 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"net"
 
-	gogoio "github.com/gogo/protobuf/io"
-
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-core/peer"
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-core/sec"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-msgio"
 
 	ci "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-core/crypto"
 	pb "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-core/sec/insecure/pb"
@@ -183,27 +182,34 @@ func (ic *Conn) runHandshakeSync() error {
 
 // read and write a message at the same time.
 func readWriteMsg(rw io.ReadWriter, out *pb.Exchange) (*pb.Exchange, error) {
-	const maxMsgSize = 1 << 16
-	r := gogoio.NewDelimitedReader(rw, maxMsgSize)
-	w := gogoio.NewDelimitedWriter(rw)
-	wresult := make(chan error)
-	go func() {
-		wresult <- w.WriteMsg(out)
-	}()
-
-	inMsg := pb.Exchange{}
-	err := r.ReadMsg(&inMsg)
-
-	// Always wait for the write to finish.
-	err2 := <-wresult
+	const maxMessageSize = 1 << 16
 
+	outBytes, err := out.Marshal()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	wresult := make(chan error)
+	go func() {
+		w := msgio.NewVarintWriter(rw)
+		wresult <- w.WriteMsg(outBytes)
+	}()
+
+	r := msgio.NewVarintReaderSize(rw, maxMessageSize)
+	msg, err1 := r.ReadMsg()
+
+	// Always wait for the read to finish.
+	err2 := <-wresult
+
+	if err1 != nil {
+		return nil, err1
+	}
 	if err2 != nil {
+		r.ReleaseMsg(msg)
 		return nil, err2
 	}
-	return &inMsg, err
+	inMsg := new(pb.Exchange)
+	err = inMsg.Unmarshal(msg)
+	return inMsg, err
 }
 
 // LocalPeer returns the local peer ID.