diff --git a/bitswap/bitswap.go b/bitswap/bitswap.go
index e80a407aae..4794ded77b 100644
--- a/bitswap/bitswap.go
+++ b/bitswap/bitswap.go
@@ -96,6 +96,13 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, net network.BitSwapNetwork, bstore blockstore.Bloc
 	return bs
 }
 
+func (bs *Bitswap) NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, blk blocks.Block) error {
+	return multierr.Combine(
+		bs.Client.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, blk),
+		bs.Server.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, blk),
+	)
+}
+
 func (bs *Bitswap) NotifyNewBlocks(ctx context.Context, blks ...blocks.Block) error {
 	return multierr.Combine(
 		bs.Client.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, blks...),
diff --git a/bitswap/client/client.go b/bitswap/client/client.go
index 46e3a0ecc5..51645ed144 100644
--- a/bitswap/client/client.go
+++ b/bitswap/client/client.go
@@ -259,6 +259,16 @@ func (bs *Client) GetBlocks(ctx context.Context, keys []cid.Cid) (<-chan blocks.
 	return session.GetBlocks(ctx, keys)
 }
 
+// NotifyNewBlock announces the existence of blocks to this bitswap service.
+// Bitswap itself doesn't store new blocks. It's the caller responsibility to ensure
+// that those blocks are available in the blockstore before calling this function.
+func (bs *Client) NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, blk blocks.Block) error {
+	// Call to the variadic to avoid code duplication.
+	// This is actually fine to do because no calls is virtual the compiler is able
+	// to see that the slice does not leak and the slice is stack allocated.
+	return bs.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, blk)
+}
+
 // NotifyNewBlocks announces the existence of blocks to this bitswap service.
 // Bitswap itself doesn't store new blocks. It's the caller responsibility to ensure
 // that those blocks are available in the blockstore before calling this function.
diff --git a/bitswap/server/server.go b/bitswap/server/server.go
index a3378d6c44..924bcee382 100644
--- a/bitswap/server/server.go
+++ b/bitswap/server/server.go
@@ -404,6 +404,17 @@ func (bs *Server) Stat() (Stat, error) {
 	return s, nil
 }
 
+// NotifyNewBlock announces the existence of block to this bitswap service. The
+// service will potentially notify its peers.
+// Bitswap itself doesn't store new blocks. It's the caller responsibility to ensure
+// that those blocks are available in the blockstore before calling this function.
+func (bs *Server) NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, blk blocks.Block) error {
+	// Call to the variadic to avoid code duplication.
+	// This is actually fine to do because no calls is virtual the compiler is able
+	// to see that the slice does not leak and the slice is stack allocated.
+	return bs.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, blk)
+}
+
 // NotifyNewBlocks announces the existence of blocks to this bitswap service. The
 // service will potentially notify its peers.
 // Bitswap itself doesn't store new blocks. It's the caller responsibility to ensure
diff --git a/blockservice/blockservice.go b/blockservice/blockservice.go
index f1a450834d..2e2a8cfd16 100644
--- a/blockservice/blockservice.go
+++ b/blockservice/blockservice.go
@@ -157,8 +157,8 @@ func (s *blockService) AddBlock(ctx context.Context, o blocks.Block) error {
 	logger.Debugf("BlockService.BlockAdded %s", c)
 
 	if s.exchange != nil {
-		if err := s.exchange.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, o); err != nil {
-			logger.Errorf("NotifyNewBlocks: %s", err.Error())
+		if err := s.exchange.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, o); err != nil {
+			logger.Errorf("NotifyNewBlock: %s", err.Error())
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ func getBlock(ctx context.Context, c cid.Cid, bs blockstore.Blockstore, fget fun
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		err = f.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, blk)
+		err = f.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, blk)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -334,7 +334,6 @@ func getBlocks(ctx context.Context, ks []cid.Cid, bs blockstore.Blockstore, fget
 			return
 		}
 
-		var cache [1]blocks.Block // preallocate once for all iterations
 		for {
 			var b blocks.Block
 			select {
@@ -355,13 +354,11 @@ func getBlocks(ctx context.Context, ks []cid.Cid, bs blockstore.Blockstore, fget
 			}
 
 			// inform the exchange that the blocks are available
-			cache[0] = b
-			err = f.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, cache[:]...)
+			err = f.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, b)
 			if err != nil {
 				logger.Errorf("could not tell the exchange about new blocks: %s", err)
 				return
 			}
-			cache[0] = nil // early gc
 
 			select {
 			case out <- b:
@@ -391,6 +388,7 @@ func (s *blockService) Close() error {
 }
 
 type notifier interface {
+	NotifyNewBlock(context.Context, blocks.Block) error
 	NotifyNewBlocks(context.Context, ...blocks.Block) error
 }
 
diff --git a/blockservice/blockservice_test.go b/blockservice/blockservice_test.go
index 14396c8a1e..4258a8c71d 100644
--- a/blockservice/blockservice_test.go
+++ b/blockservice/blockservice_test.go
@@ -195,6 +195,11 @@ type notifyCountingExchange struct {
 	notifyCount int
 }
 
+func (n *notifyCountingExchange) NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, blocks blocks.Block) error {
+	n.notifyCount++
+	return n.Interface.NotifyNewBlock(ctx, blocks)
+}
+
 func (n *notifyCountingExchange) NotifyNewBlocks(ctx context.Context, blocks ...blocks.Block) error {
 	n.notifyCount += len(blocks)
 	return n.Interface.NotifyNewBlocks(ctx, blocks...)
diff --git a/exchange/interface.go b/exchange/interface.go
index 3ae174d5c3..7d32960a5f 100644
--- a/exchange/interface.go
+++ b/exchange/interface.go
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ import (
 type Interface interface { // type Exchanger interface
 	Fetcher
 
+	// NotifyNewBlock tells the exchange that a new block is available and can be served.
+	NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, blocks blocks.Block) error
 	// NotifyNewBlocks tells the exchange that new blocks are available and can be served.
 	NotifyNewBlocks(ctx context.Context, blocks ...blocks.Block) error
 
diff --git a/exchange/offline/offline.go b/exchange/offline/offline.go
index f3590893e3..1e8cdd2fe2 100644
--- a/exchange/offline/offline.go
+++ b/exchange/offline/offline.go
@@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ func (e *offlineExchange) GetBlock(ctx context.Context, k cid.Cid) (blocks.Block
 	return blk, err
 }
 
+// NotifyNewBlock tells the exchange that a new block is available and can be served.
+func (e *offlineExchange) NotifyNewBlock(ctx context.Context, block blocks.Block) error {
+	// as an offline exchange we have nothing to do
+	return nil
+}
+
 // NotifyNewBlocks tells the exchange that new blocks are available and can be served.
 func (e *offlineExchange) NotifyNewBlocks(ctx context.Context, blocks ...blocks.Block) error {
 	// as an offline exchange we have nothing to do