diff --git a/nimbus/p2p/chain.nim b/nimbus/p2p/chain.nim
index ff835ed5e..33cba076b 100644
--- a/nimbus/p2p/chain.nim
+++ b/nimbus/p2p/chain.nim
@@ -71,80 +71,23 @@ method persistBlocks*(c: Chain, headers: openarray[BlockHeader], bodies: openarr
     debug "Number of headers not matching number of bodies"
     return ValidationResult.Error
 
-  let blockReward = 5.u256 * pow(10.u256, 18) # 5 ETH
-
   let transaction = c.db.db.beginTransaction()
   defer: transaction.dispose()
 
   trace "Persisting blocks", fromBlock = headers[0].blockNumber, toBlock = headers[^1].blockNumber
   for i in 0 ..< headers.len:
     let head = c.db.getCanonicalHead()
-    var stateDb = newAccountStateDB(c.db.db, head.stateRoot, c.db.pruneTrie)
-    var receipts = newSeq[Receipt](bodies[i].transactions.len)
+    let vmState = if headers[i].txRoot != BLANK_ROOT_HASH: newBaseVMState(head, c.db)
+                  else: nil
+    let success = processBlock(c.db, head, headers[i], bodies[i], vmState)
 
-    if bodies[i].transactions.calcTxRoot != headers[i].txRoot:
-      debug "Mismatched txRoot", i
-      return ValidationResult.Error
+    if not success:
+      let ttrace = traceTransaction(c.db, headers[i], bodies[i], bodies[i].transactions.len - 1, {})
+      trace "NIMBUS TRACE", transactionTrace=ttrace.pretty()
+      let dump = dumpBlockState(headers[i], bodies[i])
+      trace "NIMBUS STATE DUMP", dump=dump.pretty()
 
-    if headers[i].txRoot != BLANK_ROOT_HASH:
-      let vmState = newBaseVMState(head, c.db)
-      if bodies[i].transactions.len == 0:
-        debug "No transactions in body", i
-        return ValidationResult.Error
-      else:
-        trace "Has transactions", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, blockHash = headers[i].blockHash
-
-        var cumulativeGasUsed = GasInt(0)
-        for txIndex, tx in bodies[i].transactions:
-          var sender: EthAddress
-          if tx.getSender(sender):
-            let txFee = processTransaction(stateDb, tx, sender, vmState)
-
-            # perhaps this can be altered somehow
-            # or processTransaction return only gasUsed
-            # a `div` here is ugly and possibly div by zero
-            let gasUsed = (txFee div tx.gasPrice.u256).truncate(GasInt)
-            cumulativeGasUsed += gasUsed
-
-            # miner fee
-            stateDb.addBalance(headers[i].coinbase, txFee)
-          else:
-            debug "Could not get sender", i, tx
-            return ValidationResult.Error
-          receipts[txIndex] = makeReceipt(vmState, stateDb.rootHash, cumulativeGasUsed)
-
-    var mainReward = blockReward
-    if headers[i].ommersHash != EMPTY_UNCLE_HASH:
-      let h = c.db.persistUncles(bodies[i].uncles)
-      if h != headers[i].ommersHash:
-        debug "Uncle hash mismatch"
-        return ValidationResult.Error
-      for u in 0 ..< bodies[i].uncles.len:
-        var uncleReward = bodies[i].uncles[u].blockNumber + 8.u256
-        uncleReward -= headers[i].blockNumber
-        uncleReward = uncleReward * blockReward
-        uncleReward = uncleReward div 8.u256
-        stateDb.addBalance(bodies[i].uncles[u].coinbase, uncleReward)
-        mainReward += blockReward div 32.u256
-
-    # Reward beneficiary
-    stateDb.addBalance(headers[i].coinbase, mainReward)
-
-    if headers[i].stateRoot != stateDb.rootHash:
-      error "Wrong state root in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, expected = headers[i].stateRoot, actual = stateDb.rootHash, arrivedFrom = c.db.getCanonicalHead().stateRoot
-      # this one is a show stopper until we are confident in our VM's
-      # compatibility with the main chain
-      raise(newException(Exception, "Wrong state root in block"))
-
-    let bloom = createBloom(receipts)
-    if headers[i].bloom != bloom:
-      debug "wrong bloom in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber
-    assert(headers[i].bloom == bloom)
-
-    let receiptRoot = calcReceiptRoot(receipts)
-    if headers[i].receiptRoot != receiptRoot:
-      debug "wrong receiptRoot in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, actual=receiptRoot, expected=headers[i].receiptRoot
-    assert(headers[i].receiptRoot == receiptRoot)
+    assert(success)
 
     discard c.db.persistHeaderToDb(headers[i])
     if c.db.getCanonicalHead().blockHash != headers[i].blockHash:
diff --git a/nimbus/p2p/executor.nim b/nimbus/p2p/executor.nim
index eefffd848..82b602393 100644
--- a/nimbus/p2p/executor.nim
+++ b/nimbus/p2p/executor.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import ../db/[db_chain, state_db], ../transaction, eth_common,
   ../vm_state, ../vm_types, ../vm_state_transactions, ranges,
   chronicles, ../vm/[computation, interpreter_dispatch, message],
-  ../rpc/hexstrings, byteutils, nimcrypto
+  ../rpc/hexstrings, byteutils, nimcrypto,
+  ../utils, ../constants
 
 proc processTransaction*(db: var AccountStateDB, t: Transaction, sender: EthAddress, vmState: BaseVMState): UInt256 =
   ## Process the transaction, write the results to db.
@@ -66,3 +67,74 @@ proc processTransaction*(db: var AccountStateDB, t: Transaction, sender: EthAddr
 
   db.addBalance(sender, refund)
   return gasUsed.u256 * t.gasPrice.u256
+
+
+proc processBlock*(chainDB: BaseChainDB, head, header: BlockHeader, body: BlockBody, vmState: BaseVMState): bool =
+  let blockReward = 5.u256 * pow(10.u256, 18) # 5 ETH
+
+  var stateDb = newAccountStateDB(c.db.db, head.stateRoot, c.db.pruneTrie)
+  var receipts = newSeq[Receipt](bodies[i].transactions.len)
+
+  if bodies[i].transactions.calcTxRoot != headers[i].txRoot:
+    debug "Mismatched txRoot", i
+    return ValidationResult.Error
+
+  if headers[i].txRoot != BLANK_ROOT_HASH:
+    let vmState = newBaseVMState(head, c.db)
+    if bodies[i].transactions.len == 0:
+      debug "No transactions in body", i
+      return ValidationResult.Error
+    else:
+      trace "Has transactions", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, blockHash = headers[i].blockHash
+
+      var cumulativeGasUsed = GasInt(0)
+      for txIndex, tx in bodies[i].transactions:
+        var sender: EthAddress
+        if tx.getSender(sender):
+          let txFee = processTransaction(stateDb, tx, sender, vmState)
+
+          # perhaps this can be altered somehow
+          # or processTransaction return only gasUsed
+          # a `div` here is ugly and possibly div by zero
+          let gasUsed = (txFee div tx.gasPrice.u256).truncate(GasInt)
+          cumulativeGasUsed += gasUsed
+
+          # miner fee
+          stateDb.addBalance(headers[i].coinbase, txFee)
+        else:
+          debug "Could not get sender", i, tx
+          return ValidationResult.Error
+        receipts[txIndex] = makeReceipt(vmState, stateDb.rootHash, cumulativeGasUsed)
+
+  var mainReward = blockReward
+  if headers[i].ommersHash != EMPTY_UNCLE_HASH:
+    let h = c.db.persistUncles(bodies[i].uncles)
+    if h != headers[i].ommersHash:
+      debug "Uncle hash mismatch"
+      return ValidationResult.Error
+    for u in 0 ..< bodies[i].uncles.len:
+      var uncleReward = bodies[i].uncles[u].blockNumber + 8.u256
+      uncleReward -= headers[i].blockNumber
+      uncleReward = uncleReward * blockReward
+      uncleReward = uncleReward div 8.u256
+      stateDb.addBalance(bodies[i].uncles[u].coinbase, uncleReward)
+      mainReward += blockReward div 32.u256
+
+  # Reward beneficiary
+  stateDb.addBalance(headers[i].coinbase, mainReward)
+
+  if headers[i].stateRoot != stateDb.rootHash:
+    error "Wrong state root in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, expected = headers[i].stateRoot, actual = stateDb.rootHash, arrivedFrom = c.db.getCanonicalHead().stateRoot
+    # this one is a show stopper until we are confident in our VM's
+    # compatibility with the main chain
+    raise(newException(Exception, "Wrong state root in block"))
+
+  let bloom = createBloom(receipts)
+  if headers[i].bloom != bloom:
+    debug "wrong bloom in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber
+  assert(headers[i].bloom == bloom)
+
+  let receiptRoot = calcReceiptRoot(receipts)
+  if headers[i].receiptRoot != receiptRoot:
+    debug "wrong receiptRoot in block", blockNumber = headers[i].blockNumber, actual=receiptRoot, expected=headers[i].receiptRoot
+  assert(headers[i].receiptRoot == receiptRoot)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/nimbus/rpc/debug.nim b/nimbus/rpc/debug.nim
index a2c533272..5f3054ace 100644
--- a/nimbus/rpc/debug.nim
+++ b/nimbus/rpc/debug.nim
@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@ proc setupDebugRpc*(chainDB: BaseChainDB, rpcsrv: RpcServer) =
     ## "latest" or "pending", as in the default block parameter.
     let
       header = chainDB.headerFromTag(quantityTag)
+      blockHash = chainDB.getBlockHash(header.blockNumber)
+      body = getBlockBody(blockHash)
 
-    dumpBlockState(header)
+    dumpBlockState(header, body)
 
   rpcsrv.rpc("debug_dumpBlockStateByHash") do(data: EthHashStr) -> JsonNode:
     ## Retrieves the state that corresponds to the block number and returns
@@ -80,5 +82,7 @@ proc setupDebugRpc*(chainDB: BaseChainDB, rpcsrv: RpcServer) =
     let
       h = data.toHash
       header = chainDB.getBlockHeader(h)
+      blockHash = chainDB.getBlockHash(header.blockNumber)
+      body = getBlockBody(blockHash)
 
-    dumpBlockState(header)
+    dumpBlockState(header, body)
diff --git a/nimbus/tracer.nim b/nimbus/tracer.nim
index 5f53abe2c..fc9192db9 100644
--- a/nimbus/tracer.nim
+++ b/nimbus/tracer.nim
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ proc getParentHeader(self: BaseChainDB, header: BlockHeader): BlockHeader =
 proc prefixHex(x: openArray[byte]): string =
   "0x" & toHex(x, true)
 
-proc toJson(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, name: string): JsonNode =
+proc accountToJson(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, name: string): JsonNode =
   result = newJObject()
   result["name"] = %name
   result["address"] = %($address)
@@ -28,14 +28,14 @@ proc toJson(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, name: string): JsonNode =
   result["storage"] = storage
 
 proc captureStateAccount(n: JsonNode, db: AccountStateDB, sender: EthAddress, header: BlockHeader, tx: Transaction) =
-  n.add toJson(db, sender, "sender")
-  n.add toJson(db, header.coinbase, "miner")
+  n.add accountToJson(db, sender, "sender")
+  n.add accountToJson(db, header.coinbase, "miner")
 
   if tx.isContractCreation:
     let contractAddress = generateAddress(sender, tx.accountNonce)
-    n.add toJson(db, contractAddress, "contract")
+    n.add accountToJson(db, contractAddress, "contract")
   else:
-    n.add toJson(db, tx.to, "recipient")
+    n.add accountToJson(db, tx.to, "recipient")
 
 proc traceTransaction*(db: BaseChainDB, header: BlockHeader,
                        body: BlockBody, txIndex: int, tracerFlags: set[TracerFlags] = {}): JsonNode =
@@ -88,5 +88,5 @@ proc traceTransaction*(db: BaseChainDB, header: BlockHeader,
       n[k.prefixHex] = %v.prefixHex
     result["state"] = n
 
-proc dumpBlockState*(header: BlockHeader): JsonNode =
+proc dumpBlockState*(header: BlockHeader, body: BlockBody): JsonNode =
   discard
\ No newline at end of file