diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/RouterContext.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/RouterContext.java
index 6668a4dc7..32f880dcf 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/RouterContext.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/RouterContext.java
@@ -369,7 +369,10 @@ public class RouterContext extends I2PAppContext {
      */
     public SegmentedNetworkDatabaseFacade netDbSegmentor() { return _netDb; }
 
-    public NetworkDatabaseFacade netDb() { return _netDb.mainNetDB(); }
+    /**
+     * @return may be null if called very early or in some unit tests
+     */
+    public NetworkDatabaseFacade netDb() { return _netDb != null ? _netDb.mainNetDB() : null; }
 
     /**
      * Get the client netDb for the given id.
diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientConnectionRunner.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientConnectionRunner.java
index 69808eee7..2891674fe 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientConnectionRunner.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientConnectionRunner.java
@@ -675,7 +675,8 @@ class ClientConnectionRunner {
                 }
             }
         }
-        if (isPrimary && _floodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade == null) {
+        // router() null for some unit tests
+        if (isPrimary && _floodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade == null && _context.router() != null) {
             if (_log.shouldDebug())
                 _log.debug("Initializing subDb for client" + destHash);
             _floodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade = new FloodfillNetworkDatabaseFacade(_context, destHash);
diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientManager.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientManager.java
index ffe29e8dc..1e74b8361 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientManager.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/client/ClientManager.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import net.i2p.data.i2cp.SetDateMessage;
 import net.i2p.internal.I2CPMessageQueue;
 import net.i2p.router.ClientManagerFacade;
 import net.i2p.router.ClientMessage;
+import net.i2p.router.CommSystemFacade;
 import net.i2p.router.Job;
 import net.i2p.router.JobImpl;
 import net.i2p.router.RouterContext;
@@ -433,7 +434,8 @@ class ClientManager {
      *  @since 0.9.12
      */
     private SessionId locked_getNextSessionId() { 
-        if (_ctx.commSystem().isDummy())
+        CommSystemFacade csf = _ctx.commSystem();
+        if (csf != null && csf.isDummy())  // unit tests if null
             return null;
         int max = Math.max(1, Math.min(2048, _ctx.getProperty(PROP_MAX_SESSIONS, DEFAULT_MAX_SESSIONS)));
         if (_runnerSessionIds.size() >= max) {
diff --git a/router/java/test/junit/net/i2p/router/client/LocalClientManager.java b/router/java/test/junit/net/i2p/router/client/LocalClientManager.java
index c55f0095f..b9ee5fb3b 100644
--- a/router/java/test/junit/net/i2p/router/client/LocalClientManager.java
+++ b/router/java/test/junit/net/i2p/router/client/LocalClientManager.java
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ package net.i2p.router.client;
  *
  */
 
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
 
 import gnu.getopt.Getopt;
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@ import net.i2p.data.i2cp.MessageStatusMessage;
 import net.i2p.router.RouterContext;
 import net.i2p.util.I2PThread;
 import net.i2p.util.SimpleTimer2;
+import net.i2p.util.SyntheticREDQueue;
 
 /**
  * For testing clients without a full router.
@@ -30,7 +33,9 @@ import net.i2p.util.SimpleTimer2;
  * @since 0.9.8
  */
 class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
-    private static int dropX1000 = 0, jitter = 0, latency = 0;
+    private static int dropX1000 = 0, jitter = 0, latency = 0, ratelimit = 0;
+
+    private final Map<Destination, SyntheticREDQueue> limiters = new HashMap<Destination, SyntheticREDQueue>();
 
     /**
      *  @param context stub, may be constructed with new RouterContext(null),
@@ -66,6 +71,23 @@ class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
                     System.out.println("Message " + msgId + " DROPPED randomly");
                     // pretend success
                     sender.updateMessageDeliveryStatus(fromDest, msgId, messageNonce, MessageStatusMessage.STATUS_SEND_GUARANTEED_SUCCESS);
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+            if (ratelimit > 0) {
+                SyntheticREDQueue srq;
+                synchronized(limiters) {
+                    srq = limiters.get(fromDest);
+                    if (srq == null) {
+                        srq = new SyntheticREDQueue(_ctx, ratelimit * 1024);
+                        limiters.put(fromDest, srq);
+                    }
+                    if (!srq.offer(payload.getSize(), 1)) {
+                        System.out.println("Message " + msgId + " length " + payload.getSize() + " DROPPED by " + srq);
+                        // pretend success
+                        sender.updateMessageDeliveryStatus(fromDest, msgId, messageNonce, MessageStatusMessage.STATUS_SEND_GUARANTEED_SUCCESS);
+                        return;
+                    }
                 }
             }
             if (latency > 0 || jitter > 0) {
@@ -115,8 +137,9 @@ class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
     public static void main(String args[]) {
         int dropX1000 = 0, jitter = 0, latency = 0;
         int port = ClientManagerFacadeImpl.DEFAULT_PORT;
+        int rate = 0;
         boolean error = false;
-        Getopt g = new Getopt("LocalClientManager", args, "d:j:l:p:");
+        Getopt g = new Getopt("LocalClientManager", args, "d:j:l:p:r:");
         try {
             int c;
             while ((c = g.getopt()) != -1) {
@@ -146,6 +169,12 @@ class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
                             error = true;
                         break;
 
+                    case 'r':
+                        rate = Integer.parseInt(g.getOptarg());
+                        if (rate < 0)
+                            error = true;
+                        break;
+
                     default:
                         error = true;
                 }
@@ -167,6 +196,7 @@ class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
         mgr.dropX1000 = dropX1000;
         mgr.jitter = jitter;
         mgr.latency = latency;
+        mgr.ratelimit = rate;
         mgr.start();
         System.out.println("Listening on port " + port);
         try { Thread.sleep(60*60*1000); } catch (InterruptedException ie) {}
@@ -178,6 +208,7 @@ class LocalClientManager extends ClientManager {
                            "         [-d droppercent] // 0.0 - 99.99999 (default 0)\n" +
                            "         [-j jitter]      // (integer ms for 1 std. deviation, default 0)\n" +
                            "         [-l latency]     // (integer ms, default 0)\n" +
-                           "         [-p port]        // (I2CP port, default 7654)");
+                           "         [-p port]        // (I2CP port, default 7654)\n" +
+                           "         [-r ratelimit]   // (rate limit in KBps, default none)");
     }
 }