diff --git a/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock.go b/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock.go
index ff3507d..e46e156 100644
--- a/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock.go
+++ b/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/types"
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/utils"
 	fasthex "github.com/tmthrgd/go-hex"
+	"io"
 	"net/netip"
 	"slices"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -102,6 +103,77 @@ type PoolBlockReceptionMetadata struct {
 	SoftwareVersion uint32 `json:"software_version"`
 }
 
+func (m *PoolBlockReceptionMetadata) UnmarshalBinary(buf []byte) error {
+	r := bytes.NewReader(buf)
+	s, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	ns, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	m.LocalTime = time.Unix(int64(s), int64(ns)).UTC()
+
+	l, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	ip := make([]byte, l)
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(r, ip)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = m.AddressPort.UnmarshalBinary(ip)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	m.PeerId, err = binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	sId, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	sVer, err := binary.ReadUvarint(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	m.SoftwareId = uint32(sId)
+	m.SoftwareVersion = uint32(sVer)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (m *PoolBlockReceptionMetadata) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
+	s := uint64(m.LocalTime.Unix())
+	ns := uint64(m.LocalTime.Nanosecond())
+
+	ip, _ := m.AddressPort.MarshalBinary()
+	out := make([]byte, 0,
+		utils.UVarInt64Size(s)+utils.UVarInt64Size(ns)+
+			utils.UVarInt64Size(len(ip))+len(ip)+
+			utils.UVarInt64Size(m.PeerId)+
+			utils.UVarInt64Size(uint64(m.SoftwareId))+
+			utils.UVarInt64Size(uint64(m.SoftwareVersion)))
+
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, s)
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, ns)
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, uint64(len(ip)))
+	out = append(out, ip...)
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, m.PeerId)
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, uint64(m.SoftwareId))
+	out = binary.AppendUvarint(out, uint64(m.SoftwareVersion))
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 func (b *PoolBlock) iteratorGetParent(getByTemplateId GetByTemplateIdFunc) *PoolBlock {
 	if b.iterationCache == nil {
 		return getByTemplateId(b.Side.Parent)
diff --git a/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock_test.go b/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock_test.go
index b366e94..8186040 100644
--- a/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock_test.go
+++ b/p2pool/sidechain/poolblock_test.go
@@ -5,9 +5,13 @@ import (
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/monero/client"
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/monero/crypto"
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/monero/randomx"
+	types2 "git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/p2pool/types"
 	"git.gammaspectra.live/P2Pool/consensus/v3/types"
+	unsafeRandom "math/rand/v2"
+	"net/netip"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 )
 
 func testPoolBlock(b *PoolBlock, t *testing.T, expectedBufferLength int, majorVersion, minorVersion uint8, sideHeight uint64, nonce uint32, templateId, mainId, expectedPowHash, privateKeySeed, coinbaseId types.Hash, privateKey crypto.PrivateKeyBytes) {
@@ -77,6 +81,31 @@ func testPoolBlock(b *PoolBlock, t *testing.T, expectedBufferLength int, majorVe
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPoolBlockMetadata(t *testing.T) {
+	meta := PoolBlockReceptionMetadata{
+		LocalTime:       time.Now().UTC(),
+		AddressPort:     netip.AddrPortFrom(netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{127, 0, 0, 1}), 1234),
+		PeerId:          unsafeRandom.Uint64(),
+		SoftwareId:      uint32(types2.CurrentSoftwareId),
+		SoftwareVersion: uint32(types2.CurrentSoftwareVersion),
+	}
+
+	blob, err := meta.MarshalBinary()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var meta2 PoolBlockReceptionMetadata
+	err = meta2.UnmarshalBinary(blob)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if meta != meta2 {
+		t.Errorf("different metadata: %v, %v", meta, meta2)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPoolBlockDecode(t *testing.T) {
 
 	if buf, err := os.ReadFile("testdata/block.dat"); err != nil {