LND Peer Connection Issues -- Cannot Connect to Remote Node

Symptoms

lncli connect returns error, peer not appearing in lncli listpeers, channel open fails with connection refused.

Step 1: Verify Peer URI Format

# Correct format:
<pubkey>@<host>:<port>

# Example:
lncli connect 02abc...def@1.2.3.4:9735

Step 2: Check If Port 9735 Is Reachable

nc -zv 1.2.3.4 9735
# or
curl -v telnet://1.2.3.4:9735

Step 3: Verify Your Own Node Is Listening

lncli getinfo | grep uris
# Should show your public IP and port

Step 4: Check LND Listen Config

# In lnd.conf:
listen=0.0.0.0:9735
externalip=YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

Step 5: Firewall Rules

# Allow inbound port 9735
ufw allow 9735/tcp

# For router: forward port 9735 to LND host

Step 6: Tor-Only Nodes

If target node is Tor-only, ensure your node has Tor enabled:

# lnd.conf
[tor]
tor.active=true
tor.socks=localhost:9050

Common Error Messages

"connection refused" — port not open or node offline

"no route to host" — network/firewall issue

"context deadline exceeded" — node slow or overloaded

"EOF" — connection dropped mid-handshake, check TLS cert