diff --git a/pipewire-jack/src/pipewire-jack.c b/pipewire-jack/src/pipewire-jack.c
index 113a96c2b..018a32fd1 100644
--- a/pipewire-jack/src/pipewire-jack.c
+++ b/pipewire-jack/src/pipewire-jack.c
@@ -278,7 +278,6 @@ struct link {
 	struct pw_memmap *mem;
 	struct pw_node_activation *activation;
 	int signalfd;
-	bool active;
 };
 
 struct context {
@@ -1909,29 +1908,8 @@ static void trigger_link(struct link *l, uint64_t nsec)
 	}
 }
 
-static inline void activate_link(struct client *c, struct link *l)
-{
-	if (SPA_UNLIKELY(!l->active)) {
-		if (!c->async) {
-			struct pw_node_activation_state *state = &l->activation->state[0];
-			SPA_ATOMIC_INC(state->required);
-                        SPA_ATOMIC_INC(state->pending);
-		}
-		l->active = true;
-	}
-}
-
 static inline void deactivate_link(struct client *c, struct link *l, uint64_t trigger)
 {
-	if (SPA_UNLIKELY(l->active)) {
-		if (!c->async) {
-			struct pw_node_activation_state *state = &l->activation->state[0];
-			if (trigger != 0)
-				trigger_link(l, trigger);
-			SPA_ATOMIC_DEC(state->required);
-		}
-		l->active = false;
-	}
 }
 
 static inline void signal_sync(struct client *c)
@@ -1954,7 +1932,6 @@ static inline void signal_sync(struct client *c)
 		if (SPA_UNLIKELY(l->activation == NULL))
 			continue;
 
-		activate_link(c, l);
 		trigger_link(l, nsec);
 	}
 }
@@ -2261,6 +2238,7 @@ static int do_prepare_client(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
 {
 	struct client *c = user_data;
 
+	pw_log_debug("%p prepared:%d ", c, c->rt.prepared);
 	if (c->rt.prepared)
 		return 0;
 
@@ -2283,6 +2261,7 @@ static int do_unprepare_client(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
 	uint64_t trigger = 0;
 	struct link *l;
 
+	pw_log_debug("%p prepared:%d ", c, c->rt.prepared);
 	if (!c->rt.prepared)
 		return 0;
 
@@ -2290,8 +2269,10 @@ static int do_unprepare_client(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
 	if (old_state != PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_FINISHED)
 		trigger = get_time_ns(c->l->system);
 
-	spa_list_for_each(l, &c->rt.target_links, target_link)
-		deactivate_link(c, l, trigger);
+	spa_list_for_each(l, &c->rt.target_links, target_link) {
+		if (!c->async && trigger != 0)
+			trigger_link(l, trigger);
+	}
 
 	pw_loop_update_io(c->l,
 			  c->socket_source, SPA_IO_ERR | SPA_IO_HUP);
@@ -2980,7 +2961,7 @@ do_add_link(struct spa_loop *loop,
 {
 	struct link *link = user_data;
 	struct client *c = link->client;
-	pw_log_trace("link %p activate", link);
+	pw_log_trace("link %p", link);
 	spa_list_append(&c->rt.target_links, &link->target_link);
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -2992,7 +2973,7 @@ do_remove_link(struct spa_loop *loop,
 	struct link *link = user_data;
 	struct client *c = link->client;
 
-	pw_log_trace("link %p activate", link);
+	pw_log_trace("link %p", link);
 	spa_list_remove(&link->target_link);
 
 	if (c->rt.prepared) {
diff --git a/src/modules/module-client-node/client-node.c b/src/modules/module-client-node/client-node.c
index a2db94f46..163b48679 100644
--- a/src/modules/module-client-node/client-node.c
+++ b/src/modules/module-client-node/client-node.c
@@ -1802,10 +1802,6 @@ struct pw_impl_client_node *pw_impl_client_node_new(struct pw_resource *resource
 	if (resource->version < 5) {
 		pw_log_warn("using server side driver for old client version %d", resource->version);
 	}
-	if (resource->version < 6) {
-		this->node->server_prepare = true;
-		pw_log_warn("using server side prepare for old client version %d", resource->version);
-	}
 
 	pw_resource_add_listener(this->resource,
 				&impl->resource_listener,
diff --git a/src/pipewire/extensions/client-node.h b/src/pipewire/extensions/client-node.h
index 285479688..a7d98658e 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/extensions/client-node.h
+++ b/src/pipewire/extensions/client-node.h
@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@ extern "C" {
 /*
  * version 4: new port_set_mix_info event added
  * version 5: driver nodes are scheduled on the client
- * version 6: nodes activate peer links themselves when ready
  */
-#define PW_VERSION_CLIENT_NODE			6
+#define PW_VERSION_CLIENT_NODE			5
 struct pw_client_node;
 
 #define PW_EXTENSION_MODULE_CLIENT_NODE		PIPEWIRE_MODULE_PREFIX "module-client-node"
diff --git a/src/pipewire/impl-node.c b/src/pipewire/impl-node.c
index 344bc08d5..f539c8ee8 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/impl-node.c
+++ b/src/pipewire/impl-node.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static inline void activate_target(struct pw_impl_node *node, struct pw_node_tar
 {
 	struct pw_node_activation_state *state = &t->activation->state[0];
 	if (!t->active) {
-		if (!node->async || node->driving) {
+		if (!node->async && !node->exported) {
 			SPA_ATOMIC_INC(state->required);
 			SPA_ATOMIC_INC(state->pending);
 		}
@@ -88,14 +88,15 @@ static inline void deactivate_target(struct pw_impl_node *node, struct pw_node_t
 {
 	if (t->active) {
 		struct pw_node_activation_state *state = &t->activation->state[0];
-		if (!node->async || node->driving) {
+		if (!node->async) {
 			/* the driver copies the required to the pending state
 			 * so first try to resume the node and then decrement the
 			 * required state. This way we either resume with the old value
 			 * or we don't when the driver has not yet copied */
 			if (trigger != 0)
 				trigger_target(t, trigger);
-			SPA_ATOMIC_DEC(state->required);
+			if (!node->exported)
+				SPA_ATOMIC_DEC(state->required);
 		}
 		t->active = false;
 		pw_log_debug("%p: target state:%p id:%d pending:%d/%d trigger:%"PRIu64,
@@ -115,21 +116,6 @@ static inline void trigger_targets(struct pw_impl_node *node, int status, uint64
 		trigger_target(ta, nsec);
 }
 
-static inline void trigger_activate_targets(struct pw_impl_node *node, int status, uint64_t nsec)
-{
-	struct pw_node_target *ta;
-
-	pw_log_trace_fp("%p: (%s-%u) activate and trigger targets %"PRIu64,
-			node, node->name, node->info.id, nsec);
-
-	spa_list_for_each(ta, &node->rt.target_list, link) {
-		activate_target(node, ta);
-		trigger_target(ta, nsec);
-	}
-	node->rt.trigger_targets = trigger_targets;
-}
-
-
 /** \endcond */
 
 /* Called from the node data loop when a node needs to be scheduled by
@@ -154,27 +140,29 @@ do_node_prepare(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
 	if (this->rt.prepared)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (!this->server_prepare) {
+	if (!this->remote) {
 		/* clear the eventfd in case it was written to while the node was stopped */
 		res = spa_system_eventfd_read(this->rt.target.system, this->source.fd, &dummy);
 		if (SPA_UNLIKELY(res != -EAGAIN && res != 0))
 			pw_log_warn("%p: read failed %m", this);
 
 		spa_loop_add_source(loop, &this->source);
-	}
-	spa_list_for_each(t, &this->rt.target_list, link) {
-		/* we can now trigger ourself */
-		if (t->id == this->info.id || this->server_prepare)
-			activate_target(this, t);
-	}
-	SPA_ATOMIC_STORE(this->rt.target.activation->status, PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_FINISHED);
 
-	this->rt.trigger_targets = trigger_activate_targets;
+		SPA_ATOMIC_STORE(this->rt.target.activation->status, PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_FINISHED);
+	}
+	spa_list_for_each(t, &this->rt.target_list, link)
+		activate_target(this, t);
+
 	this->rt.prepared = true;
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static void add_node_to_graph(struct pw_impl_node *node)
+{
+	pw_loop_invoke(node->data_loop, do_node_prepare, 1, NULL, 0, true, node);
+}
+
 /* called from the node data loop and undoes the changes done in do_node_prepare.  */
 static int
 do_node_unprepare(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
@@ -190,37 +178,26 @@ do_node_unprepare(struct spa_loop *loop, bool async, uint32_t seq,
 	if (!this->rt.prepared)
 		return 0;
 
-	/* We mark ourself as finished now, this will avoid going further into the process loop
-	 * in case our fd was ready (removing ourselfs from the loop should avoid that as well).
-	 * If we were supposed to be scheduled make sure we continue the graph for the peers we
-	 * were supposed to trigger */
-	old_state = SPA_ATOMIC_XCHG(this->rt.target.activation->status, PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_INACTIVE);
-	if (old_state != PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_FINISHED)
-		trigger = get_time_ns(this->rt.target.system);
+	if (!this->remote) {
+		/* We mark ourself as finished now, this will avoid going further into the process loop
+		 * in case our fd was ready (removing ourselfs from the loop should avoid that as well).
+		 * If we were supposed to be scheduled make sure we continue the graph for the peers we
+		 * were supposed to trigger */
+		old_state = SPA_ATOMIC_XCHG(this->rt.target.activation->status, PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_INACTIVE);
+		if (old_state != PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_FINISHED)
+			trigger = get_time_ns(this->rt.target.system);
 
+		spa_loop_remove_source(loop, &this->source);
+	}
 	spa_list_for_each(t, &this->rt.target_list, link)
 		deactivate_target(this, t, trigger);
 
-	if (!this->server_prepare)
-		spa_loop_remove_source(loop, &this->source);
-
 	this->rt.prepared = false;
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void add_node_to_graph(struct pw_impl_node *node)
-{
-	if (node->remote && !node->server_prepare)
-		return;
-
-	pw_loop_invoke(node->data_loop, do_node_prepare, 1, NULL, 0, true, node);
-}
-
 static void remove_node_from_graph(struct pw_impl_node *node)
 {
-	if (node->remote && !node->server_prepare)
-		return;
-
 	pw_loop_invoke(node->data_loop, do_node_unprepare, 1, NULL, 0, true, node);
 }
 
@@ -806,7 +783,7 @@ do_add_target(struct spa_loop *loop,
 		spa_list_append(&node->rt.target_list, &t->link);
 		t->added = true;
 		if (node->rt.prepared)
-			node->rt.trigger_targets = trigger_activate_targets;
+			activate_target(node, t);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -1468,7 +1445,7 @@ static inline int process_node(void *data, uint64_t nsec)
 	 * graph because that means we finished the graph. */
 	if (SPA_LIKELY(!this->driving)) {
 		if (!this->async && old_status == PW_NODE_ACTIVATION_AWAKE)
-			this->rt.trigger_targets(this, status, nsec);
+			trigger_targets(this, status, nsec);
 	} else {
 		/* calculate CPU time when finished */
 		a->signal_time = this->driver_start;
@@ -2118,7 +2095,7 @@ retry_status:
 			spa_node_process_fast(p->mix);
 	}
 	/* now signal all the nodes we drive */
-	node->rt.trigger_targets(node, status, nsec);
+	trigger_targets(node, status, nsec);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/pipewire/private.h b/src/pipewire/private.h
index fc725393f..8f32d7761 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/private.h
+++ b/src/pipewire/private.h
@@ -740,7 +740,6 @@ struct pw_impl_node {
 	unsigned int sync:1;		/**< the sync-groups are active */
 	unsigned int transport:1;	/**< the transport is active */
 	unsigned int async:1;		/**< async processing, one cycle latency */
-	unsigned int server_prepare:1;	/**< prepare links server side for old clients */
 
 	uint32_t port_user_data_size;	/**< extra size for port user data */
 
@@ -791,7 +790,6 @@ struct pw_impl_node {
 		struct spa_ratelimit rate_limit;
 
 		bool prepared;				/**< the node was added to loop */
-		void (*trigger_targets) (struct pw_impl_node *node, int status, uint64_t nsec);
 	} rt;
 	struct spa_fraction target_rate;
 	uint64_t target_quantum;