diff --git a/connectd/connectd.c b/connectd/connectd.c
index b2b07eaab..71f0d8976 100644
--- a/connectd/connectd.c
+++ b/connectd/connectd.c
@@ -1517,7 +1517,7 @@ static void connect_init(struct daemon *daemon, const u8 *msg)
 	struct wireaddr *announceable;
 	char *tor_password;
 	bool dev_fast_gossip;
-	bool dev_disconnect;
+	bool dev_disconnect, dev_no_ping_timer;
 	char *errstr;
 
 	/* Fields which require allocation are allocated off daemon */
@@ -1536,15 +1536,17 @@ static void connect_init(struct daemon *daemon, const u8 *msg)
 		&daemon->websocket_helper,
 		&daemon->websocket_port,
 		&dev_fast_gossip,
-		&dev_disconnect)) {
+		&dev_disconnect,
+		&dev_no_ping_timer)) {
 		/* This is a helper which prints the type expected and the actual
 		 * message, then exits (it should never be called!). */
 		master_badmsg(WIRE_CONNECTD_INIT, msg);
 	}
 
 #if DEVELOPER
-	/*~ Clearly mark this as a developer-only flag! */
+	/*~ Clearly mark these as developer-only flags! */
 	daemon->dev_fast_gossip = dev_fast_gossip;
+	daemon->dev_no_ping_timer = dev_no_ping_timer;
 #endif
 
 	if (!pubkey_from_node_id(&daemon->mykey, &daemon->id))
diff --git a/connectd/connectd.h b/connectd/connectd.h
index 825a21891..ce1fd44e2 100644
--- a/connectd/connectd.h
+++ b/connectd/connectd.h
@@ -191,6 +191,8 @@ struct daemon {
 #if DEVELOPER
 	/* Hack to speed up gossip timer */
 	bool dev_fast_gossip;
+	/* Hack to avoid ping timeouts */
+	bool dev_no_ping_timer;
 #endif
 };
 
diff --git a/connectd/connectd_wire.csv b/connectd/connectd_wire.csv
index 5b0950f93..dbb660095 100644
--- a/connectd/connectd_wire.csv
+++ b/connectd/connectd_wire.csv
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ msgdata,connectd_init,websocket_port,u16,
 msgdata,connectd_init,dev_fast_gossip,bool,
 # If this is set, then fd 5 is dev_disconnect_fd.
 msgdata,connectd_init,dev_disconnect,bool,
+msgdata,connectd_init,dev_no_ping_timer,bool,
 
 # Connectd->master, here are the addresses I bound, can announce.
 msgtype,connectd_init_reply,2100
diff --git a/connectd/multiplex.c b/connectd/multiplex.c
index c39c35ea0..959638e08 100644
--- a/connectd/multiplex.c
+++ b/connectd/multiplex.c
@@ -391,6 +391,10 @@ static void send_ping(struct peer *peer);
 
 static void set_ping_timer(struct peer *peer)
 {
+	if (IFDEV(peer->daemon->dev_no_ping_timer, false)) {
+		peer->ping_timer = NULL;
+		return;
+	}
 	peer->ping_timer = new_reltimer(&peer->daemon->timers, peer,
 					time_from_sec(15 + pseudorand(30)),
 					send_ping, peer);
diff --git a/lightningd/connect_control.c b/lightningd/connect_control.c
index df6993c81..1f8e80c74 100644
--- a/lightningd/connect_control.c
+++ b/lightningd/connect_control.c
@@ -558,7 +558,8 @@ int connectd_init(struct lightningd *ld)
 	    websocket_helper_path,
 	    ld->websocket_port,
 	    IFDEV(ld->dev_fast_gossip, false),
-	    IFDEV(ld->dev_disconnect_fd >= 0, false));
+	    IFDEV(ld->dev_disconnect_fd >= 0, false),
+	    IFDEV(ld->dev_no_ping_timer, false));
 
 	subd_req(ld->connectd, ld->connectd, take(msg), -1, 0,
 		 connect_init_done, NULL);
diff --git a/lightningd/lightningd.c b/lightningd/lightningd.c
index f7ffa99eb..c55e861d2 100644
--- a/lightningd/lightningd.c
+++ b/lightningd/lightningd.c
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ static struct lightningd *new_lightningd(const tal_t *ctx)
 	ld->dev_ignore_modern_onion = false;
 	ld->dev_ignore_obsolete_onion = false;
 	ld->dev_disable_commit = -1;
+	ld->dev_no_ping_timer = false;
 #endif
 
 	/*~ These are CCAN lists: an embedded double-linked list.  It's not
diff --git a/lightningd/lightningd.h b/lightningd/lightningd.h
index 973db2a7c..a90f13309 100644
--- a/lightningd/lightningd.h
+++ b/lightningd/lightningd.h
@@ -267,6 +267,9 @@ struct lightningd {
 
 	/* Tell channeld to disable commits after this many. */
 	int dev_disable_commit;
+
+	/* Tell channeld not to worry about pings. */
+	bool dev_no_ping_timer;
 #endif /* DEVELOPER */
 
 	/* tor support */
diff --git a/lightningd/options.c b/lightningd/options.c
index e75685492..635feb40e 100644
--- a/lightningd/options.c
+++ b/lightningd/options.c
@@ -740,6 +740,9 @@ static void dev_register_opts(struct lightningd *ld)
 			 opt_set_intval, opt_show_intval,
 			 &ld->dev_disable_commit,
 			 "Disable commit timer after this many commits");
+	opt_register_noarg("--dev-no-ping-timer", opt_set_bool,
+			   &ld->dev_no_ping_timer,
+			   "Don't hang up if we don't get a ping response");
 }
 #endif /* DEVELOPER */