In one example, a peer-to-peer network may use partial seeding to increase the number of seed devices available to a peer device acting as a leeching device. A catalog service may maintain an active peer list for a peer-to-peer network describing active peer devices. The catalog service may track a data file composed of a set of sub-pieces for the peer-to-peer network. The catalog service may identify a device constraint for a peer device of the peer-to-peer network describing a characteristic of the peer device impacting an ability of the peer device to store a sub-piece of the data file. The catalog service may assign a seed sub-piece of the data file based on the device constraint to the peer device when executing a seed client to provide the seed sub-piece to a leeching client on the peer-to-peer network. The catalog service may direct the peer device to retain a persistent sub-piece on the peer device as the seed sub-piece for the peer device until a release event.