diff --git a/src/nccl_ofi_interface_neuron.c b/src/nccl_ofi_interface_neuron.c
index 8ab2f83d5..151a20efc 100644
--- a/src/nccl_ofi_interface_neuron.c
+++ b/src/nccl_ofi_interface_neuron.c
@@ -6,6 +6,23 @@
 
 #include "nccl_ofi.h"
 #include "nccl_ofi_api.h"
+#include "nccl_ofi_param.h"
+
+static ncclResult_t init_v4(ncclDebugLogger_t logFunction)
+{
+	/*
+	 * RDMA protocol `connect()` returns a valid send communicator only
+	 * after a connect response message is received from peer. Because the
+	 * v4 net-plugin `connect()` API is expected to synchronously return a
+	 * valid send communicator (a behaviour that was changed since v5+),
+	 * this RDMA protocol behaviour is incompatible with v4 `connect()`
+	 * API.
+	 */
+	if (ofi_nccl_protocol() == NULL) {
+		setenv("OFI_NCCL_PROTOCOL", "SENDRECV", 0);
+	}
+	return nccl_net_ofi_init(logFunction);
+}
 
 static ncclResult_t getProperties_v4(int dev_id, ncclNetProperties_v4_t *props)
 {
@@ -29,10 +46,9 @@ static ncclResult_t getProperties_v4(int dev_id, ncclNetProperties_v4_t *props)
 	return ncclSuccess;
 }
 
-
 NCCL_OFI_EXPORT_SYMBOL const ncclNet_v4_t ncclNetPlugin_v4 = {
 	.name = "AWS Libfabric",
-	.init = nccl_net_ofi_init,
+	.init = init_v4,
 	.devices = nccl_net_ofi_devices,
 	.getProperties = getProperties_v4,
 	.listen = nccl_net_ofi_listen_v4,