diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 396ad04c..8eadb92d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   lint:
     name: Swift Lint
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
 
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/Networking/Sources/MsQuicSwift/QuicStream.swift b/Networking/Sources/MsQuicSwift/QuicStream.swift
index 9690d75f..22f16c4b 100644
--- a/Networking/Sources/MsQuicSwift/QuicStream.swift
+++ b/Networking/Sources/MsQuicSwift/QuicStream.swift
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ private struct Storage {
     let connection: QuicConnection
 }
 
+public enum SendError: Error {
+    case emptyData
+}
+
 public final class QuicStream: Sendable {
     public let id: UniqueId
     private let logger: Logger
@@ -97,9 +101,13 @@ public final class QuicStream: Sendable {
                 throw QuicError.alreadyClosed
             }
 
-            // TODO: improve the case when data is empty
             let messageLength = data.count
 
+            if messageLength == 0 {
+                logger.trace("No data to send.")
+                throw SendError.emptyData // Throw a specific error or return
+            }
+
             let sendBufferRaw = UnsafeMutableRawPointer.allocate( // !! allocate
                 byteCount: MemoryLayout<QUIC_BUFFER>.size + messageLength,
                 alignment: MemoryLayout<QUIC_BUFFER>.alignment
@@ -108,7 +116,6 @@ public final class QuicStream: Sendable {
             let sendBuffer = sendBufferRaw.assumingMemoryBound(to: QUIC_BUFFER.self)
             let bufferPointer = sendBufferRaw.advanced(by: MemoryLayout<QUIC_BUFFER>.size).assumingMemoryBound(to: UInt8.self)
             data.copyBytes(to: bufferPointer, count: messageLength) // TODO: figure out a better way to avoid memory copy here
-
             sendBuffer.pointee.Buffer = bufferPointer
             sendBuffer.pointee.Length = UInt32(messageLength)
 
diff --git a/Networking/Sources/Networking/Connection.swift b/Networking/Sources/Networking/Connection.swift
index 2fe24b91..998b2116 100644
--- a/Networking/Sources/Networking/Connection.swift
+++ b/Networking/Sources/Networking/Connection.swift
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import AsyncChannels
 import Foundation
 import MsQuicSwift
+import Synchronization
 import TracingUtils
 import Utils
 
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ public final class Connection<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable, ConnectionInfoP
 
     public let role: PeerRole
     public let remoteAddress: NetAddr
-
+    private let lastActive: Atomic<TimeInterval> = Atomic(0)
     let presistentStreams: ThreadSafeContainer<
         [Handler.PresistentHandler.StreamKind: Stream<Handler>]
     > = .init([:])
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ public final class Connection<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable, ConnectionInfoP
         }
     }
 
+    func getLastActive() -> TimeInterval {
+        lastActive.load(ordering: .sequentiallyConsistent)
+    }
+
     public var id: UniqueId {
         connection.id
     }
@@ -68,6 +73,11 @@ public final class Connection<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable, ConnectionInfoP
         self.role = role
         self.remoteAddress = remoteAddress
         self.initiatedByLocal = initiatedByLocal
+        updateLastActive()
+    }
+
+    func updateLastActive() {
+        lastActive.store(Date().timeIntervalSince1970, ordering: .releasing)
     }
 
     func opened(publicKey: Data) throws {
diff --git a/Networking/Sources/Networking/Peer.swift b/Networking/Sources/Networking/Peer.swift
index 342cd881..eef08566 100644
--- a/Networking/Sources/Networking/Peer.swift
+++ b/Networking/Sources/Networking/Peer.swift
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public struct PeerOptions<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable {
     }
 }
 
-// TODO: reopen UP stream, peer reputation system to ban peers not following the protocol
+// TODO: peer reputation system to ban peers not following the protocol
 public final class Peer<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable {
     private let impl: PeerImpl<Handler>
 
@@ -271,9 +271,15 @@ final class PeerImpl<Handler: StreamHandler>: Sendable {
             if role == .builder {
                 let currentCount = connections.byAddr.values.filter { $0.role == role }.count
                 if currentCount >= self.settings.maxBuilderConnections {
-                    self.logger.warning("max builder connections reached")
-                    // TODO: consider connection rotation strategy
-                    return false
+                    if let conn = connections.byAddr.values.filter({ $0.role == .builder })
+                        .sorted(by: { $0.getLastActive() < $1.getLastActive() }).first
+                    {
+                        self.logger.warning("Replacing least active builder connection at \(conn.remoteAddress)")
+                        conn.close(abort: false)
+                    } else {
+                        self.logger.warning("Max builder connections reached, no eligible replacement found")
+                        return false
+                    }
                 }
             }
             if connections.byAddr[addr] != nil {
@@ -584,6 +590,10 @@ private struct PeerEventHandler<Handler: StreamHandler>: QuicEventHandler {
         }
         if let stream {
             stream.received(data: data)
+            let connection = impl.connections.read { connections in
+                connections.byId[stream.connectionId]
+            }
+            connection?.updateLastActive()
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/Networking/Tests/NetworkingTests/PeerTests.swift b/Networking/Tests/NetworkingTests/PeerTests.swift
index 29b2f3dd..07079bcd 100644
--- a/Networking/Tests/NetworkingTests/PeerTests.swift
+++ b/Networking/Tests/NetworkingTests/PeerTests.swift
@@ -143,6 +143,58 @@ struct PeerTests {
         typealias EphemeralHandler = MockEphemeralStreamHandler
     }
 
+    @Test
+    func connectionRotationStrategy() async throws {
+        var peers: [Peer<MockStreamHandler>] = []
+        var handlers: [MockPresentStreamHandler] = []
+        let centerPeer = try Peer(
+            options: PeerOptions<MockStreamHandler>(
+                role: .validator,
+                listenAddress: NetAddr(ipAddress: "127.0.0.1", port: 0)!,
+                genesisHeader: Data32(),
+                secretKey: Ed25519.SecretKey(from: Data32.random()),
+                presistentStreamHandler: MockPresentStreamHandler(),
+                ephemeralStreamHandler: MockEphemeralStreamHandler(),
+                serverSettings: .defaultSettings,
+                clientSettings: .defaultSettings
+            )
+        )
+        // Create 30 peer nodes
+        for _ in 0 ..< 30 {
+            let handler = MockPresentStreamHandler()
+            handlers.append(handler)
+            let peer = try Peer(
+                options: PeerOptions<MockStreamHandler>(
+                    role: .builder,
+                    listenAddress: NetAddr(ipAddress: "127.0.0.1", port: 0)!,
+                    genesisHeader: Data32(),
+                    secretKey: Ed25519.SecretKey(from: Data32.random()),
+                    presistentStreamHandler: handler,
+                    ephemeralStreamHandler: MockEphemeralStreamHandler(),
+                    serverSettings: .defaultSettings,
+                    clientSettings: .defaultSettings
+                )
+            )
+            peers.append(peer)
+        }
+
+        // Make some connections
+        for i in 0 ..< 30 {
+            let peer = peers[i]
+            let con = try peer.connect(to: centerPeer.listenAddress(), role: .builder)
+            try await con.ready()
+        }
+        // Simulate close connections 3~5s
+        try? await Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(5000))
+        centerPeer.broadcast(kind: .uniqueA, message: .init(kind: .uniqueA, data: Data("connection rotation strategy".utf8)))
+        try? await Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(1000))
+        var receivedCount = 0
+        for handler in handlers {
+            receivedCount += await handler.receivedData.count
+        }
+        #expect(receivedCount == PeerSettings.defaultSettings.maxBuilderConnections)
+    }
+
     @Test
     func mockHandshakeFailure() async throws {
         let mockPeerTest = try MockPeerEventTests()