diff --git a/fluffy/tests/test_state_network.nim b/fluffy/tests/test_state_network.nim
index 52b85bf52..fea6f60ed 100644
--- a/fluffy/tests/test_state_network.nim
+++ b/fluffy/tests/test_state_network.nim
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import
   testutils/unittests, chronos,
   eth/[keys, trie/db, trie/hexary],
   eth/p2p/discoveryv5/protocol as discv5_protocol, eth/p2p/discoveryv5/routing_table,
-  ../../nimbus/[genesis, chain_config, config, db/db_chain],
+  ../../nimbus/[genesis, chain_config, config, db/db_chain, db/state_db],
   ../network/wire/portal_protocol,
   ../network/state/[state_content, state_network],
   ../content_db,
@@ -28,12 +28,11 @@ proc genesisToTrie(filePath: string): HexaryTrie =
     CustomNet,
     cn
   )
-  # TODO: this actually also creates a HexaryTrie and AccountStateDB, which we
-  # could skip
-  let header = toGenesisHeader(chainDB)
 
-  # Trie exists already in flat db, but need to provide the root
-  initHexaryTrie(chainDB.db, header.stateRoot, chainDB.pruneTrie)
+  let sdb = newStateDB(chainDB.db, chainDB.pruneTrie)
+  let header = toGenesisHeader(chainDB, sdb)
+
+  sdb.getTrie
 
 procSuite "State Content Network":
   let rng = newRng()
diff --git a/nimbus/db/state_db.nim b/nimbus/db/state_db.nim
index 58580bea7..3563411b3 100644
--- a/nimbus/db/state_db.nim
+++ b/nimbus/db/state_db.nim
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ proc newAccountStateDB*(backingStore: TrieDatabaseRef,
   when aleth_compat:
     result.cleared = initHashSet[EthAddress]()
 
+proc getTrie*(db: AccountStateDB): HexaryTrie =
+  HexaryTrie db.trie
+
+proc getSecureTrie*(db: AccountStateDB): SecureHexaryTrie =
+  db.trie
+
 proc getAccount*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress): Account =
   let recordFound = db.trie.get(address)
   if recordFound.len > 0:
@@ -93,15 +99,15 @@ proc getBalance*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress): UInt256 =
   let account = db.getAccount(address)
   account.balance
 
-proc setBalance*(db: var AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, balance: UInt256) =
+proc setBalance*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, balance: UInt256) =
   var account = db.getAccount(address)
   account.balance = balance
   db.setAccount(address, account)
 
-proc addBalance*(db: var AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, delta: UInt256) =
+proc addBalance*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, delta: UInt256) =
   db.setBalance(address, db.getBalance(address) + delta)
 
-proc subBalance*(db: var AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, delta: UInt256) =
+proc subBalance*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress, delta: UInt256) =
   db.setBalance(address, db.getBalance(address) - delta)
 
 template createTrieKeyFromSlot(slot: UInt256): auto =
@@ -120,7 +126,7 @@ template getAccountTrie(db: AccountStateDB, account: Account): auto =
   # see nim-eth#9
   initSecureHexaryTrie(trieDB(db), account.storageRoot, false)
 
-proc clearStorage*(db: var AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress) =
+proc clearStorage*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress) =
   var account = db.getAccount(address)
   account.storageRoot = emptyRlpHash
   db.setAccount(address, account)
@@ -131,7 +137,7 @@ proc getStorageRoot*(db: AccountStateDB, address: EthAddress): Hash256 =
   var account = db.getAccount(address)
   account.storageRoot
 
-proc setStorage*(db: var AccountStateDB,
+proc setStorage*(db: AccountStateDB,
                  address: EthAddress,
                  slot: UInt256, value: UInt256) =
   var account = db.getAccount(address)
diff --git a/nimbus/genesis.nim b/nimbus/genesis.nim
index a399e9220..6742cc033 100644
--- a/nimbus/genesis.nim
+++ b/nimbus/genesis.nim
@@ -8,10 +8,12 @@ import
 {.push raises: [Defect].}
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Private functions
+# Public functions
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+proc newStateDB*(db: TrieDatabaseRef, pruneTrie: bool): AccountStateDB =
+  newAccountStateDB(db, emptyRlpHash, pruneTrie)
 
-proc initDbAccounts(db: BaseChainDB): BlockHeader
+proc toGenesisHeader*(db: BaseChainDB, sdb: AccountStateDB): BlockHeader
     {.raises: [Defect, RlpError].} =
   ## Initialise block chain DB accounts derived from the `genesis.alloc` table
   ## of the `db` descriptor argument.
@@ -24,7 +26,6 @@ proc initDbAccounts(db: BaseChainDB): BlockHeader
   # function `eth/trie/db.trieDB()`.
   db.db.put(emptyRlpHash.data, emptyRlp)
 
-  var sdb = newAccountStateDB(db.db, emptyRlpHash, db.pruneTrie)
   let g = db.genesis
 
   for address, account in g.alloc:
@@ -86,18 +87,16 @@ proc initDbAccounts(db: BaseChainDB): BlockHeader
   if g.difficulty.isZero:
     result.difficulty = GENESIS_DIFFICULTY
 
-# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Public functions
-# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-proc toGenesisHeader*(params: NetworkParams, db = newMemoryDb()): BlockHeader
+proc toGenesisHeader*(params: NetworkParams): BlockHeader
     {.raises: [Defect, RlpError].} =
   ## Generate the genesis block header from the `params` argument value.
-  newBaseChainDB(
-    db        = db,
+  let cdb = newBaseChainDB(
+    db        = newMemoryDb(),
     id        = params.config.chainID.NetworkId,
     params    = params,
-    pruneTrie = true).initDbAccounts
+    pruneTrie = true)
+  let sdb = newStateDB(cdb.db, cdb.pruneTrie)
+  cdb.toGenesisHeader(sdb)
 
 proc toGenesisHeader*(db: BaseChainDB): BlockHeader
     {.raises: [Defect, RlpError].} =
@@ -105,14 +104,17 @@ proc toGenesisHeader*(db: BaseChainDB): BlockHeader
   ## fields of the argument `db` descriptor.
   NetworkParams(
     config:  db.config,
-    genesis: db.genesis).toGenesisHeader(db.db)
+    genesis: db.genesis).toGenesisHeader()
 
-proc initializeEmptyDb*(db: BaseChainDB)
+proc initializeEmptyDb*(cdb: BaseChainDB)
     {.raises: [Defect, CatchableError].} =
   trace "Writing genesis to DB"
-  let b = db.initDbAccounts
-  doAssert(b.blockNumber.isZero, "can't commit genesis block with number > 0")
-  discard db.persistHeaderToDb(b)
+  let sdb = newStateDB(cdb.db, cdb.pruneTrie)
+  let header = cdb.toGenesisHeader(sdb)
+  doAssert(header.blockNumber.isZero, "can't commit genesis block with number > 0")
+  # faster lookup of curent total difficulty
+  cdb.totalDifficulty = header.difficulty
+  discard cdb.persistHeaderToDb(header)
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # End