diff --git a/zebrad/src/async_ext.rs b/zebrad/src/async_ext.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e316689d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zebrad/src/async_ext.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+//! Extensions used in [`Future`]s and async code.
+
+mod now_or_later;
+
+pub use self::now_or_later::NowOrLater;
diff --git a/zebrad/src/async_ext/now_or_later.rs b/zebrad/src/async_ext/now_or_later.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0941dba3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zebrad/src/async_ext/now_or_later.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+use std::{
+    future::Future,
+    pin::Pin,
+    task::{Context, Poll},
+};
+
+use pin_project::pin_project;
+
+/// A helper [`Future`] wrapper that will always return [`Poll::Ready`].
+///
+/// If the inner [`Future`] `F` is ready and produces an output `value`, then [`NowOrNever`] will
+/// also be ready but with an output `Some(value)`.
+///
+/// If the inner [`Future`] `F` is not ready, then:
+///
+/// - [`NowOrNever`] will be still be ready but with an output `None`,
+/// - and the task associated with the future will be scheduled to awake whenever the inner
+///   [`Future`] `F` becomes ready.
+///
+/// This is different from [`FutureExt::now_or_never`] because `now_or_never` uses a fake task
+/// [`Context`], which means that calling `now_or_never` inside an `async` function doesn't
+/// schedule the generated future to be polled again when the inner future becomes ready.
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// ```
+/// use futures::{FutureExt, future};
+/// # use zebrad::async_ext::NowOrLater;
+///
+/// let inner_future = future::ready(());
+///
+/// # let runtime = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().expect("Failed to create Tokio runtime");
+/// #
+/// # runtime.block_on(async move {
+/// assert_eq!(NowOrLater(inner_future).await, Some(()));
+/// # });
+/// ```
+///
+/// ```
+/// use futures::{FutureExt, future};
+/// # use zebrad::async_ext::NowOrLater;
+///
+/// let inner_future = future::pending::<()>();
+///
+/// # let runtime = tokio::runtime::Runtime::new().expect("Failed to create Tokio runtime");
+/// #
+/// # runtime.block_on(async move {
+/// assert_eq!(NowOrLater(inner_future).await, None);
+/// # });
+/// ```
+#[pin_project]
+pub struct NowOrLater<F>(#[pin] pub F);
+
+impl<F: Future> Future for NowOrLater<F> {
+    type Output = Option<F::Output>;
+
+    fn poll(self: Pin<&mut Self>, context: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Self::Output> {
+        match self.project().0.poll(context) {
+            Poll::Ready(value) => Poll::Ready(Some(value)),
+            Poll::Pending => Poll::Ready(None),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/zebrad/src/components/sync.rs b/zebrad/src/components/sync.rs
index 66185510..0385269b 100644
--- a/zebrad/src/components/sync.rs
+++ b/zebrad/src/components/sync.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 use std::{collections::HashSet, pin::Pin, sync::Arc, time::Duration};
 
 use color_eyre::eyre::{eyre, Report};
-use futures::{
-    future::FutureExt,
-    stream::{FuturesUnordered, StreamExt},
-};
+use futures::stream::{FuturesUnordered, StreamExt};
 use tokio::time::sleep;
 use tower::{
     builder::ServiceBuilder, hedge::Hedge, limit::ConcurrencyLimit, retry::Retry, timeout::Timeout,
@@ -22,7 +19,8 @@ use zebra_network as zn;
 use zebra_state as zs;
 
 use crate::{
-    components::sync::downloads::BlockDownloadVerifyError, config::ZebradConfig, BoxError,
+    async_ext::NowOrLater, components::sync::downloads::BlockDownloadVerifyError,
+    config::ZebradConfig, BoxError,
 };
 
 mod downloads;
@@ -314,7 +312,7 @@ where
 
             while !self.prospective_tips.is_empty() {
                 // Check whether any block tasks are currently ready:
-                while let Some(Some(rsp)) = self.downloads.next().now_or_never() {
+                while let Some(Some(rsp)) = NowOrLater(self.downloads.next()).await {
                     match rsp {
                         Ok(hash) => {
                             tracing::trace!(?hash, "verified and committed block to state");
diff --git a/zebrad/src/lib.rs b/zebrad/src/lib.rs
index ad3a94e6..38ae0eac 100644
--- a/zebrad/src/lib.rs
+++ b/zebrad/src/lib.rs
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ pub type BoxError = Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync + 'static>;
 mod components;
 
 pub mod application;
+pub mod async_ext;
 pub mod commands;
 pub mod config;
 pub mod prelude;