diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 11b314b..2f8a195 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -192,19 +192,11 @@ module.exports = class Corestore extends ReadyResource {
     }
   }
 
-  _getPrereadyUserData (core, key) {
-    // Need to manually read the header values before the Hypercore is ready, hence the ugliness.
-    for (const { key: savedKey, value } of core.core.header.userData) {
-      if (key === savedKey) return value
-    }
-    return null
-  }
-
   async _preready (core) {
-    const name = this._getPrereadyUserData(core, USERDATA_NAME_KEY)
+    const name = await core.getUserData(USERDATA_NAME_KEY, { force: true })
     if (!name) return
 
-    const namespace = this._getPrereadyUserData(core, USERDATA_NAMESPACE_KEY)
+    const namespace = await core.getUserData(USERDATA_NAMESPACE_KEY, { force: true })
     const keyPair = await this.createKeyPair(b4a.toString(name), namespace)
 
     core.setKeyPair(keyPair)
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 4509201..1f6d0d7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "b4a": "^1.6.4",
-    "hypercore": "^10.21.0",
+    "hypercore": "github:holepunchto/hypercore#force-get-user-data",
     "hypercore-crypto": "^3.4.0",
     "hypercore-id-encoding": "^1.2.0",
     "read-write-mutexify": "^2.1.0",