diff --git a/ipam/allocator.go b/ipam/allocator.go
index 888b9433..a98697c8 100644
--- a/ipam/allocator.go
+++ b/ipam/allocator.go
@@ -478,8 +478,8 @@ type ipamGossipData struct {
 	alloc *Allocator
 }
 
-func (d *ipamGossipData) Merge(other mesh.GossipData) {
-	// no-op
+func (d *ipamGossipData) Merge(other mesh.GossipData) mesh.GossipData {
+	return d // no-op
 }
 
 func (d *ipamGossipData) Encode() [][]byte {
diff --git a/mesh/gossip.go b/mesh/gossip.go
index abfab8fa..611639cb 100644
--- a/mesh/gossip.go
+++ b/mesh/gossip.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 type GossipData interface {
 	Encode() [][]byte
-	Merge(GossipData)
+	Merge(GossipData) GossipData
 }
 
 type Gossip interface {
@@ -79,8 +79,7 @@ func (sender *GossipSender) Send(data GossipData) {
 	// NB: this must not be invoked concurrently
 	select {
 	case pending := <-sender.cell:
-		pending.Merge(data)
-		sender.cell <- pending
+		sender.cell <- pending.Merge(data)
 	default:
 		sender.cell <- data
 	}
diff --git a/mesh/router.go b/mesh/router.go
index 916ea5b7..c19556d7 100644
--- a/mesh/router.go
+++ b/mesh/router.go
@@ -127,17 +127,19 @@ func (router *Router) BroadcastTopologyUpdate(update []*Peer) {
 	for _, p := range update {
 		names[p.Name] = void
 	}
-
-	router.TopologyGossip.GossipBroadcast(&TopologyGossipData{
-		peers:  router.Peers,
-		update: names,
-	})
+	router.TopologyGossip.GossipBroadcast(
+		&TopologyGossipData{peers: router.Peers, update: names})
 }
 
-func (d *TopologyGossipData) Merge(other GossipData) {
-	for name := range other.(*TopologyGossipData).update {
-		d.update[name] = void
+func (d *TopologyGossipData) Merge(other GossipData) GossipData {
+	names := make(PeerNameSet)
+	for name := range d.update {
+		names[name] = void
 	}
+	for name := range other.(*TopologyGossipData).update {
+		names[name] = void
+	}
+	return &TopologyGossipData{peers: d.peers, update: names}
 }
 
 func (d *TopologyGossipData) Encode() [][]byte {
diff --git a/mesh/surrogate_gossiper.go b/mesh/surrogate_gossiper.go
index aef844a8..7204d4aa 100644
--- a/mesh/surrogate_gossiper.go
+++ b/mesh/surrogate_gossiper.go
@@ -12,8 +12,12 @@ func (d *SurrogateGossipData) Encode() [][]byte {
 	return d.messages
 }
 
-func (d *SurrogateGossipData) Merge(other GossipData) {
-	d.messages = append(d.messages, other.(*SurrogateGossipData).messages...)
+func (d *SurrogateGossipData) Merge(other GossipData) GossipData {
+	o := other.(*SurrogateGossipData)
+	messages := make([][]byte, 0, len(d.messages)+len(o.messages))
+	messages = append(messages, d.messages...)
+	messages = append(messages, o.messages...)
+	return &SurrogateGossipData{messages: messages}
 }
 
 // SurrogateGossiper ignores unicasts and relays broadcasts and gossips.
diff --git a/nameserver/entry.go b/nameserver/entry.go
index 524845a3..cd18f6de 100644
--- a/nameserver/entry.go
+++ b/nameserver/entry.go
@@ -245,12 +245,18 @@ type GossipData struct {
 	Entries
 }
 
-func (g *GossipData) Merge(o mesh.GossipData) {
+func (g *GossipData) Merge(o mesh.GossipData) mesh.GossipData {
 	other := o.(*GossipData)
-	g.Entries.merge(other.Entries)
-	if g.Timestamp < other.Timestamp {
-		g.Timestamp = other.Timestamp
+	gossip := &GossipData{
+		Entries:   make(Entries, len(g.Entries)),
+		Timestamp: g.Timestamp,
 	}
+	copy(gossip.Entries, g.Entries)
+	gossip.Entries.merge(other.Entries)
+	if gossip.Timestamp < other.Timestamp {
+		gossip.Timestamp = other.Timestamp
+	}
+	return gossip
 }
 
 func (g *GossipData) Decode(msg []byte) error {
diff --git a/nameserver/entry_test.go b/nameserver/entry_test.go
index 1e794660..57dfde02 100644
--- a/nameserver/entry_test.go
+++ b/nameserver/entry_test.go
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func TestGossipDataMerge(t *testing.T) {
 	g1 := GossipData{Entries: makeEntries("AcDf")}
 	g2 := GossipData{Entries: makeEntries("BEf")}
 
-	g1.Merge(&g2)
+	g3 := g1.Merge(&g2).(*GossipData)
 
-	require.Equal(t, GossipData{Entries: makeEntries("ABcDEf")}, g1)
+	require.Equal(t, GossipData{Entries: makeEntries("ABcDEf")}, *g3)
 }