diff --git a/discv5/crawler.go b/discv5/crawler.go
index 04fb750..e719efd 100644
--- a/discv5/crawler.go
+++ b/discv5/crawler.go
@@ -504,26 +504,22 @@ func (c *Crawler) crawlDiscV5(ctx context.Context, pi PeerInfo) chan DiscV5Resul
 		}
 
 		result.DoneAt = time.Now()
-		result.Error = err
+		// if we have at least a successful result, don't record error
+		if noSuccessfulRequest(err, errorBits.Load()) {
+			result.Error = err
+		}
 
 		result.RoutingTable = &core.RoutingTable[PeerInfo]{
 			PeerID:    pi.ID(),
 			Neighbors: []PeerInfo{},
 			ErrorBits: uint16(errorBits.Load()),
-			Error:     err,
+			Error:     result.Error,
 		}
 
 		for _, n := range allNeighbors {
 			result.RoutingTable.Neighbors = append(result.RoutingTable.Neighbors, n)
 		}
 
-		// if we have at least a successful result, delete error
-		// bitwise operation checks whether errorBits is a power of 2 minus 1,
-		// if not, then there was at least one successful result
-		if result.Error != nil && (result.RoutingTable.ErrorBits&(result.RoutingTable.ErrorBits+1)) == 0 {
-			result.Error = nil
-		}
-
 		// if there was a connection error, parse it to a known one
 		if result.Error != nil {
 			result.ErrorStr = db.NetError(result.Error)
@@ -539,3 +535,16 @@ func (c *Crawler) crawlDiscV5(ctx context.Context, pi PeerInfo) chan DiscV5Resul
 
 	return resultCh
 }
+
+// noSuccessfulRequest returns true if the given error is non nil, and all bits
+// of the given errorBits are set. This means that no successful request has
+// been made. This is equivalent to verifying that all righmost bits are equal
+// to 1, or that the errorBits is a power of 2 minus 1.
+//
+// Examples:
+// 0b00000011 -> true
+// 0b00000111 -> true
+// 0b00001101 -> false
+func noSuccessfulRequest(err error, errorBits uint32) bool {
+	return err != nil && errorBits&(errorBits+1) == 0
+}
diff --git a/discv5/crawler_test.go b/discv5/crawler_test.go
index a3cd44d..b803ba4 100644
--- a/discv5/crawler_test.go
+++ b/discv5/crawler_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 package discv5
 
 import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"math"
 	"testing"
 
 	ma "github.com/multiformats/go-multiaddr"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/dennis-tra/nebula-crawler/nebtest"
 )
@@ -98,3 +102,90 @@ func Test_sanitizeAddrs(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestNoSuccessfulRequest(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		err       error
+		errorBits uint32
+		want      bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "no err",
+			err:       nil,
+			errorBits: 0b00000000,
+			want:      false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "first failed",
+			err:       fmt.Errorf("some err"),
+			errorBits: 0b00000001,
+			want:      true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "second failed, first worked",
+			err:       fmt.Errorf("some err"),
+			errorBits: 0b00000010,
+			want:      false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "all four failed",
+			err:       fmt.Errorf("some err"),
+			errorBits: 0b00001111,
+			want:      true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "seven failed, one worked",
+			err:       fmt.Errorf("some err"),
+			errorBits: 0b11110111,
+			want:      false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "eight failed, but the last one overflowing succeeded (no error)",
+			err:       nil,
+			errorBits: 0b11111111,
+			want:      false,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := noSuccessfulRequest(tt.err, tt.errorBits); got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("noSuccessfulRequest() = %v, want %v, %s", got, tt.want, tt.name)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+
+	// fail if err is nil
+	require.False(t, noSuccessfulRequest(nil, 0))
+	require.False(t, noSuccessfulRequest(nil, 0b11111111))
+
+	err := errors.New("error")
+
+	// list of numbers that are power of two minus one
+	// for which noSuccessfulRequest should return true
+	// because all bits are set (all failures = no success)
+	powerOfTwoMinusOneList := []uint32{
+		0b00000000,
+		0b00000001,
+		0b00000011,
+		0b00000111,
+		0b00001111,
+		0b00011111,
+		0b00111111,
+		0b01111111,
+		0b11111111,
+	}
+
+	for i := uint32(0); i < uint32(math.Pow(2, 8)); i++ {
+		powerOfTwoMinusOne := false
+		for _, v := range powerOfTwoMinusOneList {
+			if i == v {
+				powerOfTwoMinusOne = true
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		// assert that noSuccessfulRequest returns true if and only if
+		// all bits are set
+		require.Equal(t, powerOfTwoMinusOne, noSuccessfulRequest(err, i))
+	}
+}