A system for facilitating enhanced virtual channel switching in a node of a distributed computing environment is provided. During operation, the system can allocate flow control credits for a first virtual channel to an upstream node in the distributed computing environment. The system can receive, via a message path comprising the upstream node, a message on the first virtual channel based on the allocated flow control credits. The system can then store the message in a queue associated with an input port and determine whether the message is a candidate for changing the first virtual channel at the node based on a mapping rule associated with the input port. If the message is a candidate, the system can associate the message with a second virtual channel indicated in the mapping rule in the queue. Subsequently, the system can send the message from the queue on the second virtual channel.