Go-ipfs - after adding a file it takes 10+ minutes before it is accessible from another node

Hi,

I have a problem with go-ipfs. When I add a file it is available locally, however when I try to access it from another ipfs node (or a gateway) it is not there. Eventually it does appear but it takes between 1 and 20 minutes (1 min is reasonable of course). I am using the default configs. I also tried ipfs dht provides but to no avail.

Is this a general limitation of IPFS or a config I can tweak?

Thank you very much in advance

EDIT: I discovered this only happens for the first file I add after I start the daemon. I am assuming it is the consensus protocol that takes a while to sync initially. Is there a way to trigger it so that once I need to share a file, I know it will take a predictable amount of time.