diff --git a/packages/ipfs/src/core/components/start.js b/packages/ipfs/src/core/components/start.js
index 2b5639f5c3..e4c7e71273 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs/src/core/components/start.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs/src/core/components/start.js
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 'use strict'
 
+const log = require('debug')('ipfs:components:start')
 const Bitswap = require('ipfs-bitswap')
 const multiaddr = require('multiaddr')
 const get = require('dlv')
 const defer = require('p-defer')
+const errCode = require('err-code')
 const IPNS = require('../ipns')
 const routingConfig = require('../ipns/routing/config')
 const { AlreadyInitializedError, NotEnabledError } = require('../errors')
@@ -11,6 +13,8 @@ const Components = require('./')
 const createMfsPreload = require('../mfs-preload')
 const { withTimeoutOption } = require('../utils')
 
+const WEBSOCKET_STAR_PROTO_CODE = 479
+
 module.exports = ({
   apiManager,
   options: constructorOptions,
@@ -26,6 +30,8 @@ module.exports = ({
   repo
 }) => withTimeoutOption(async function start () {
   const startPromise = defer()
+  startPromise.promise.catch((err) => log(err))
+
   const { cancel } = apiManager.update({ start: () => startPromise.promise })
 
   try {
@@ -41,6 +47,12 @@ module.exports = ({
       config.Addresses.Swarm.forEach(addr => {
         let ma = multiaddr(addr)
 
+        // Temporary error for users migrating using websocket-star multiaddrs for listenning on libp2p
+        // websocket-star support was removed from ipfs and libp2p
+        if (ma.protoCodes().includes(WEBSOCKET_STAR_PROTO_CODE)) {
+          throw errCode(new Error('websocket-star swarm addresses are not supported. See https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/issues/2779'), 'ERR_WEBSOCKET_STAR_SWARM_ADDR_NOT_SUPPORTED')
+        }
+
         // multiaddrs that go via a signalling server or other intermediary (e.g. stardust,
         // webrtc-star) can have the intermediary's peer ID in the address, so append our
         // peer ID to the end of it
diff --git a/packages/ipfs/test/core/create-node.spec.js b/packages/ipfs/test/core/create-node.spec.js
index 7a742120e9..66afc7584d 100644
--- a/packages/ipfs/test/core/create-node.spec.js
+++ b/packages/ipfs/test/core/create-node.spec.js
@@ -250,4 +250,21 @@ describe('create node', function () {
 
     await node.stop()
   })
+
+  it('should error when receiving websocket-star swarm addresses', async () => {
+    const node = await IPFS.create({
+      repo: tempRepo,
+      init: { bits: 512 },
+      start: false,
+      config: {
+        Addresses: {
+          Swarm: ['/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/13579/wss/p2p-websocket-star']
+        },
+        Bootstrap: []
+      },
+      preload: { enabled: false }
+    })
+
+    await expect(node.start()).to.eventually.be.rejected().with.property('code', 'ERR_WEBSOCKET_STAR_SWARM_ADDR_NOT_SUPPORTED')
+  })
 })