diff --git a/test/3nodetest/Makefile b/test/3nodetest/Makefile
index ec13b9367..3dc3b4621 100644
--- a/test/3nodetest/Makefile
+++ b/test/3nodetest/Makefile
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ setup: docker_ipfs_image data/filetiny data/filerand
 save_logs:
 	sh bin/save_logs.sh
 
+save_profiling_data:
+	sh bin/save_profiling_data.sh
+
 data/filetiny: Makefile
 	cp Makefile ./data/filetiny # simple
 
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/bin/save_profiling_data.sh b/test/3nodetest/bin/save_profiling_data.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..03c0cbabe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/3nodetest/bin/save_profiling_data.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+for container in 3nodetest_bootstrap_1 3nodetest_client_1 3nodetest_server_1; do
+    # ipfs binary is required by `go tool pprof`
+    docker cp $container:/go/bin/ipfs build/profiling_data_$container
+done
+
+# since the nodes are executed with the --debug flag, profiling data is written
+# to the the working dir. by default, the working dir is /go.
+
+for container in 3nodetest_bootstrap_1 3nodetest_client_1 3nodetest_server_1; do
+    docker cp $container:/go/ipfs.cpuprof build/profiling_data_$container
+done
+
+# TODO get memprof from client (client daemon isn't terminated, so memprof isn't retrieved)
+for container in 3nodetest_bootstrap_1 3nodetest_server_1; do
+    docker cp $container:/go/ipfs.memprof build/profiling_data_$container
+done
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/build/.gitignore b/test/3nodetest/build/.gitignore
index ffb6b09b3..84820c767 100644
--- a/test/3nodetest/build/.gitignore
+++ b/test/3nodetest/build/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 .built_img
 *.log
+profiling_data*
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/client/run.sh b/test/3nodetest/client/run.sh
index 9bb1fb6fa..7a34d7bbc 100644
--- a/test/3nodetest/client/run.sh
+++ b/test/3nodetest/client/run.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 ipfs bootstrap add /ip4/$BOOTSTRAP_PORT_4011_TCP_ADDR/tcp/$BOOTSTRAP_PORT_4011_TCP_PORT/ipfs/QmNXuBh8HFsWq68Fid8dMbGNQTh7eG6hV9rr1fQyfmfomE
 ipfs bootstrap # list bootstrap nodes for debugging
 
-
 echo "3nodetest> starting client daemon"
-ipfs daemon &
+
+ipfs daemon --debug &
 sleep 3
 
+# switch dirs so ipfs client profiling data doesn't overwrite the ipfs daemon
+# profiling data
+cd /tmp
+
 while [ ! -f /data/idtiny ]
 do
     echo "3nodetest> waiting for server to add the file..."
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/fig.yml b/test/3nodetest/fig.yml
index 677078a97..18a28c8ff 100644
--- a/test/3nodetest/fig.yml
+++ b/test/3nodetest/fig.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ data:
 
 bootstrap:
     build: ./bootstrap
+    command: daemon --debug --init
     expose:
         - "4011"
         - "4012/udp"
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/run-test-on-img.sh b/test/3nodetest/run-test-on-img.sh
index d53cde34b..1baf02650 100755
--- a/test/3nodetest/run-test-on-img.sh
+++ b/test/3nodetest/run-test-on-img.sh
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ fig up --no-color | tee build/fig.log
 echo "make save_logs"
 make save_logs
 
+# save the ipfs logs for inspection
+echo "make save_profiling_data"
+make save_profiling_data
+
 # fig up won't report the error using an error code, so we grep the
 # fig.log file to find out whether the call succeeded
 echo 'tail build/fig.log | grep "exited with code 0"'
diff --git a/test/3nodetest/server/run.sh b/test/3nodetest/server/run.sh
index 68a45d4a3..325ae3c3c 100644
--- a/test/3nodetest/server/run.sh
+++ b/test/3nodetest/server/run.sh
@@ -5,10 +5,16 @@ ipfs bootstrap # list bootstrap nodes for debugging
 # wait for daemon to start/bootstrap
 # alternatively use ipfs swarm connect
 echo "3nodetest> starting server daemon"
-ipfs daemon &
+
+# run daemon in debug mode to collect profiling data
+ipfs daemon --debug &
 sleep 3
 # TODO instead of bootrapping: ipfs swarm connect /ip4/$BOOTSTRAP_PORT_4011_TCP_ADDR/tcp/$BOOTSTRAP_PORT_4011_TCP_PORT/ipfs/QmNXuBh8HFsWq68Fid8dMbGNQTh7eG6hV9rr1fQyfmfomE
 
+# change dir before running add commands so ipfs client profiling data doesn't
+# overwrite the daemon profiling data
+cd /tmp
+
 # must mount this volume from data container
 ipfs add -q /data/filetiny > tmptiny
 mv tmptiny /data/idtiny