diff --git a/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim b/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
index f6f26f5af3..eeb9e85206 100644
--- a/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
+++ b/tests/v2/test_peer_manager.nim
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
       .withMaxConnections(5)
       .build(),
       maxFailedAttempts = 1,
-      maxRelayPeers = 5,
+      maxRelayPeers = some(5),
       storage = nil)
 
     # Create 15 peers and add them to the peerstore
@@ -660,7 +660,7 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
       initialBackoffInSec = 1, # with InitialBackoffInSec = 1 backoffs are: 1, 2, 4, 8secs.
       backoffFactor = 2,
       maxFailedAttempts = 10,
-      maxRelayPeers = 5,
+      maxRelayPeers = some(5),
       storage = nil)
     var p1: PeerId
     require p1.init("QmeuZJbXrszW2jdT7GdduSjQskPU3S7vvGWKtKgDfkDvW" & "1")
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
         .withPeerStore(10)
         .withMaxConnections(5)
         .build(),
-        maxRelayPeers = 5,
+        maxRelayPeers = some(5),
         maxFailedAttempts = 150,
         storage = nil)
 
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
         .withMaxConnections(5)
         .build(),
         maxFailedAttempts = 10,
-        maxRelayPeers = 5,
+        maxRelayPeers = some(5),
         storage = nil)
 
     let pm = PeerManager.new(
@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@ procSuite "Peer Manager":
       .withMaxConnections(5)
       .build(),
       maxFailedAttempts = 5,
-      maxRelayPeers = 5,
+      maxRelayPeers = some(5),
       storage = nil)
 
   asyncTest "colocationLimit is enforced by pruneConnsByIp()":
diff --git a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
index dbfcdd5e7a..c2e430c128 100644
--- a/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
+++ b/waku/v2/node/peer_manager/peer_manager.nim
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ proc onPeerEvent(pm: PeerManager, peerId: PeerId, event: PeerEvent) {.async.} =
 
 proc new*(T: type PeerManager,
           switch: Switch,
-          maxRelayPeers: Option[int],
+          maxRelayPeers: Option[int] = none(int),
           storage: PeerStorage = nil,
           initialBackoffInSec = InitialBackoffInSec,
           backoffFactor = BackoffFactor,