diff --git a/packages/client/bin/cli.ts b/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
index 2a1e81f044..5e8648c257 100755
--- a/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/client/bin/cli.ts
@@ -658,7 +658,13 @@ async function startClient(
       validateConsensus = true
     }
 
-    const stateRoot = await generateVKTStateRoot(genesisMeta.genesisState, config.chainCommon)
+    let stateRoot
+    if (config.statefulVerkle) {
+      if (genesisMeta.genesisState === undefined) {
+        throw new Error('genesisState is required to compute stateRoot')
+      }
+      stateRoot = await generateVKTStateRoot(genesisMeta.genesisState, config.chainCommon)
+    }
 
     blockchain = await createBlockchain({
       db: new LevelDB(dbs.chainDB),
diff --git a/packages/client/src/util/vkt.ts b/packages/client/src/util/vkt.ts
index dad6189436..85f4edf716 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/util/vkt.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/util/vkt.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ export async function generateVKTStateRoot(genesisState: GenesisState, common: C
     }
     const address = createAddressFromString(addressStr)
     await state.putAccount(address, new Account())
-    console.log(addressStr, addrState)
     const codeBuf = hexToBytes((code as string) ?? '0x')
     if (common.customCrypto?.keccak256 === undefined) {
       throw Error('keccak256 required')