This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatuses for dynamically changing a primary communication link on which wireless devices contend for access to a shared wireless medium. An access point (AP) may monitor the channel conditions on a primary link and one or more secondary links of a multi-link environment, and may signal a change in the primary link (such as to one of the secondary links) when one or more conditions are satisfied. The AP may signal the change to one or more wireless stations (STAs) in its Basic Service Set (BSS). In some aspects, the AP may signal the change in primary link via beacon frames broadcast periodically at Target Beacon Transmission Times (TBTTs). In some other aspects, the AP may signal the change in primary link via unicast management or control frames targeted at STAs that may not receive one or more beacons broadcast by the AP.