diff --git a/agent/consul/peering_backend.go b/agent/consul/peering_backend.go
index 85123e15e4..9ec6639c5f 100644
--- a/agent/consul/peering_backend.go
+++ b/agent/consul/peering_backend.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 type peeringBackend struct {
+	// TODO(peering): accept a smaller interface; maybe just funcs from the server that we actually need: DC, IsLeader, etc
 	srv      *Server
 	connPool GRPCClientConner
 	apply    *peeringApply
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ func NewPeeringBackend(srv *Server, connPool GRPCClientConner) peering.Backend {
 	}
 }
 
+// Forward should not be used to initiate forwarding over bidirectional streams
 func (b *peeringBackend) Forward(info structs.RPCInfo, f func(*grpc.ClientConn) error) (handled bool, err error) {
 	// Only forward the request if the dc in the request matches the server's datacenter.
 	if info.RequestDatacenter() != "" && info.RequestDatacenter() != b.srv.config.Datacenter {
@@ -103,6 +105,10 @@ func (b *peeringBackend) EnterpriseCheckPartitions(partition string) error {
 	return b.enterpriseCheckPartitions(partition)
 }
 
+func (b *peeringBackend) IsLeader() bool {
+	return b.srv.IsLeader()
+}
+
 type peeringApply struct {
 	srv *Server
 }
diff --git a/agent/rpc/peering/service.go b/agent/rpc/peering/service.go
index 562f161461..57343efb59 100644
--- a/agent/rpc/peering/service.go
+++ b/agent/rpc/peering/service.go
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ type Backend interface {
 
 	Subscribe(req *stream.SubscribeRequest) (*stream.Subscription, error)
 
+	// IsLeader indicates whether the consul server is in a leader state or not.
+	IsLeader() bool
+
 	Store() Store
 	Apply() Apply
 }
@@ -423,6 +426,14 @@ type BidirectionalStream interface {
 
 // StreamResources handles incoming streaming connections.
 func (s *Service) StreamResources(stream pbpeering.PeeringService_StreamResourcesServer) error {
+	if !s.Backend.IsLeader() {
+		// we are not the leader so we will hang up on the dialer
+
+		// TODO(peering): in the future we want to indicate the address of the leader server as a message to the dialer (best effort, non blocking)
+		s.logger.Error("cannot establish a peering stream on a follower node")
+		return grpcstatus.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "cannot establish a peering stream on a follower node")
+	}
+
 	// Initial message on a new stream must be a new subscription request.
 	first, err := stream.Recv()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -586,6 +597,14 @@ func (s *Service) HandleStream(req HandleStreamRequest) error {
 				return nil
 			}
 
+			if !s.Backend.IsLeader() {
+				// we are not the leader anymore so we will hang up on the dialer
+
+				// TODO(peering): in the future we want to indicate the address of the leader server as a message to the dialer (best effort, non blocking)
+				logger.Error("node is not a leader anymore; cannot continue streaming")
+				return grpcstatus.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "node is not a leader anymore; cannot continue streaming")
+			}
+
 			if req := msg.GetRequest(); req != nil {
 				switch {
 				case req.Nonce == "":
diff --git a/agent/rpc/peering/stream_test.go b/agent/rpc/peering/stream_test.go
index 9af44b75d0..04c4c89a1c 100644
--- a/agent/rpc/peering/stream_test.go
+++ b/agent/rpc/peering/stream_test.go
@@ -30,6 +30,107 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/sdk/testutil/retry"
 )
 
+func TestStreamResources_Server_Follower(t *testing.T) {
+	publisher := stream.NewEventPublisher(10 * time.Second)
+	store := newStateStore(t, publisher)
+
+	srv := NewService(testutil.Logger(t), &testStreamBackend{
+		store: store,
+		pub:   publisher,
+		leader: func() bool {
+			return false
+		},
+	})
+
+	client := NewMockClient(context.Background())
+
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	client.ErrCh = errCh
+
+	go func() {
+		// Pass errors from server handler into ErrCh so that they can be seen by the client on Recv().
+		// This matches gRPC's behavior when an error is returned by a server.
+		err := srv.StreamResources(client.ReplicationStream)
+		if err != nil {
+			errCh <- err
+		}
+	}()
+
+	msg, err := client.Recv()
+	require.Nil(t, msg)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.EqualError(t, err, "rpc error: code = FailedPrecondition desc = cannot establish a peering stream on a follower node")
+}
+
+// TestStreamResources_Server_LeaderBecomesFollower simulates a srv that is a leader when the
+// subscription request is sent but loses leadership status for subsequent messages.
+func TestStreamResources_Server_LeaderBecomesFollower(t *testing.T) {
+	publisher := stream.NewEventPublisher(10 * time.Second)
+	store := newStateStore(t, publisher)
+
+	first := true
+	leaderFunc := func() bool {
+		if first {
+			first = false
+			return true
+		}
+		return false
+	}
+	srv := NewService(testutil.Logger(t), &testStreamBackend{
+		store:  store,
+		pub:    publisher,
+		leader: leaderFunc,
+	})
+
+	client := NewMockClient(context.Background())
+
+	errCh := make(chan error, 1)
+	client.ErrCh = errCh
+
+	go func() {
+		err := srv.StreamResources(client.ReplicationStream)
+		if err != nil {
+			errCh <- err
+		}
+	}()
+
+	p := writeInitiatedPeering(t, store, 1, "my-peer")
+	peerID := p.ID
+
+	// Receive a subscription from a peer
+	sub := &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage{
+		Payload: &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage_Request_{
+			Request: &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage_Request{
+				PeerID:      peerID,
+				ResourceURL: pbpeering.TypeURLService,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	err := client.Send(sub)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	msg, err := client.Recv()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, msg)
+
+	input2 := &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage{
+		Payload: &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage_Request_{
+			Request: &pbpeering.ReplicationMessage_Request{
+				ResourceURL: pbpeering.TypeURLService,
+				Nonce:       "1",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	err2 := client.Send(input2)
+	require.NoError(t, err2)
+
+	msg2, err2 := client.Recv()
+	require.Nil(t, msg2)
+	require.Error(t, err2)
+	require.EqualError(t, err2, "rpc error: code = FailedPrecondition desc = node is not a leader anymore; cannot continue streaming")
+}
+
 func TestStreamResources_Server_FirstRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	type testCase struct {
 		name    string
@@ -694,8 +795,16 @@ func TestStreamResources_Server_ServiceUpdates(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 type testStreamBackend struct {
-	pub   state.EventPublisher
-	store *state.Store
+	pub    state.EventPublisher
+	store  *state.Store
+	leader func() bool
+}
+
+func (b *testStreamBackend) IsLeader() bool {
+	if b.leader != nil {
+		return b.leader()
+	}
+	return true
 }
 
 func (b *testStreamBackend) Subscribe(req *stream.SubscribeRequest) (*stream.Subscription, error) {