diff --git a/bunker.go b/bunker.go
index 64d2d4e..4732af5 100644
--- a/bunker.go
+++ b/bunker.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ var bunker = &cli.Command{
 		qs := url.Values{}
 		relayURLs := make([]string, 0, c.Args().Len())
 		if relayUrls := c.Args().Slice(); len(relayUrls) > 0 {
-			_, relays := connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls)
+			_, relays := connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls, false)
 			if len(relays) == 0 {
 				log("failed to connect to any of the given relays.\n")
 				os.Exit(3)
diff --git a/event.go b/event.go
index 6e6b225..9fc3f4d 100644
--- a/event.go
+++ b/event.go
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ example:
 		// try to connect to the relays here
 		var relays []*nostr.Relay
 		if relayUrls := c.Args().Slice(); len(relayUrls) > 0 {
-			_, relays = connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls)
+			_, relays = connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls, false)
 			if len(relays) == 0 {
 				log("failed to connect to any of the given relays.\n")
 				os.Exit(3)
diff --git a/helpers.go b/helpers.go
index d6778db..673165a 100644
--- a/helpers.go
+++ b/helpers.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/chzyer/readline"
 	"github.com/fatih/color"
@@ -117,13 +118,48 @@ func normalizeAndValidateRelayURLs(wsurls []string) error {
 func connectToAllRelays(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	relayUrls []string,
+	forcePreAuth bool,
 	opts ...nostr.PoolOption,
 ) (*nostr.SimplePool, []*nostr.Relay) {
 	relays := make([]*nostr.Relay, 0, len(relayUrls))
 	pool := nostr.NewSimplePool(ctx, opts...)
+relayLoop:
 	for _, url := range relayUrls {
 		log("connecting to %s... ", url)
 		if relay, err := pool.EnsureRelay(url); err == nil {
+			if forcePreAuth {
+				log("waiting for auth challenge... ")
+				signer := opts[0].(nostr.WithAuthHandler)
+				time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 200)
+			challengeWaitLoop:
+				for {
+					// beginhack
+					// here starts the biggest and ugliest hack of this codebase
+					if err := relay.Auth(ctx, func(authEvent *nostr.Event) error {
+						challengeTag := authEvent.Tags.GetFirst([]string{"challenge", ""})
+						if (*challengeTag)[1] == "" {
+							return fmt.Errorf("auth not received yet *****")
+						}
+						return signer(authEvent)
+					}); err == nil {
+						// auth succeeded
+						break challengeWaitLoop
+					} else {
+						// auth failed
+						if strings.HasSuffix(err.Error(), "auth not received yet *****") {
+							// it failed because we didn't receive the challenge yet, so keep waiting
+							time.Sleep(time.Second)
+							continue challengeWaitLoop
+						} else {
+							// it failed for some other reason, so skip this relay
+							log(err.Error() + "\n")
+							continue relayLoop
+						}
+					}
+					// endhack
+				}
+			}
+
 			relays = append(relays, relay)
 			log("ok.\n")
 		} else {
diff --git a/req.go b/req.go
index 3ab5295..b987866 100644
--- a/req.go
+++ b/req.go
@@ -104,6 +104,11 @@ example:
 			Name:  "auth",
 			Usage: "always perform NIP-42 \"AUTH\" when facing an \"auth-required: \" rejection and try again",
 		},
+		&cli.BoolFlag{
+			Name:    "force-pre-auth",
+			Aliases: []string{"fpa"},
+			Usage:   "after connecting, for a NIP-42 \"AUTH\" message to be received, act on it and only then send the \"REQ\"",
+		},
 		&cli.StringFlag{
 			Name:        "sec",
 			Usage:       "secret key to sign the AUTH challenge, as hex or nsec",
@@ -127,11 +132,12 @@ example:
 	ArgsUsage: "[relay...]",
 	Action: func(ctx context.Context, c *cli.Command) error {
 		var pool *nostr.SimplePool
+
 		relayUrls := c.Args().Slice()
 		if len(relayUrls) > 0 {
 			var relays []*nostr.Relay
-			pool, relays = connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls, nostr.WithAuthHandler(func(evt *nostr.Event) error {
-				if !c.Bool("auth") {
+			pool, relays = connectToAllRelays(ctx, relayUrls, c.Bool("force-pre-auth"), nostr.WithAuthHandler(func(evt *nostr.Event) error {
+				if !c.Bool("auth") && !c.Bool("force-pre-auth") {
 					return fmt.Errorf("auth not authorized")
 				}
 				sec, bunker, err := gatherSecretKeyOrBunkerFromArguments(ctx, c)
@@ -148,7 +154,7 @@ example:
 				} else {
 					pk, _ = nostr.GetPublicKey(sec)
 				}
-				log("performing auth as %s...\n", pk)
+				log("performing auth as %s... ", pk)
 
 				if bunker != nil {
 					return bunker.SignEvent(ctx, evt)