diff --git a/node/status_node_services.go b/node/status_node_services.go
index 39f171488..3e91b7c33 100644
--- a/node/status_node_services.go
+++ b/node/status_node_services.go
@@ -311,36 +311,36 @@ func (b *StatusNode) wakuService(wakuCfg *params.WakuConfig, clusterCfg *params.
 func (b *StatusNode) wakuV2Service(nodeConfig *params.NodeConfig, telemetryServerURL string) (*wakuv2.Waku, error) {
 	if b.wakuV2Srvc == nil {
 		cfg := &wakuv2.Config{
-			MaxMessageSize:           wakucommon.DefaultMaxMessageSize,
-			Host:                     nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Host,
-			Port:                     nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Port,
-			LightClient:              nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.LightClient,
-			KeepAliveInterval:        nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.KeepAliveInterval,
-			Rendezvous:               nodeConfig.Rendezvous,
-			WakuNodes:                nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.WakuNodes,
-			EnablePeerExchangeServer: nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.PeerExchange,
-			EnableStore:              nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.EnableStore,
-			StoreCapacity:            nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.StoreCapacity,
-			StoreSeconds:             nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.StoreSeconds,
-			DiscoveryLimit:           nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.DiscoveryLimit,
-			DiscV5BootstrapNodes:     nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.DiscV5BootstrapNodes,
-			Nameserver:               nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Nameserver,
-			EnableDiscV5:             nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.EnableDiscV5,
-			UDPPort:                  nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.UDPPort,
-			AutoUpdate:               nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.AutoUpdate,
-			DefaultShardPubsubTopic:  shard.DefaultShardPubsubTopic(),
-			UseShardAsDefaultTopic:   nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.UseShardAsDefaultTopic,
-			TelemetryServerURL:       telemetryServerURL,
-			ClusterID:                nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.ClusterID,
+			MaxMessageSize:          wakucommon.DefaultMaxMessageSize,
+			Host:                    nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Host,
+			Port:                    nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Port,
+			LightClient:             nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.LightClient,
+			KeepAliveInterval:       nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.KeepAliveInterval,
+			Rendezvous:              nodeConfig.Rendezvous,
+			WakuNodes:               nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.WakuNodes,
+			EnableStore:             nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.EnableStore,
+			StoreCapacity:           nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.StoreCapacity,
+			StoreSeconds:            nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.StoreSeconds,
+			DiscoveryLimit:          nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.DiscoveryLimit,
+			DiscV5BootstrapNodes:    nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.DiscV5BootstrapNodes,
+			Nameserver:              nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.Nameserver,
+			UDPPort:                 nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.UDPPort,
+			AutoUpdate:              nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.AutoUpdate,
+			DefaultShardPubsubTopic: shard.DefaultShardPubsubTopic(),
+			UseShardAsDefaultTopic:  nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.UseShardAsDefaultTopic,
+			TelemetryServerURL:      telemetryServerURL,
+			ClusterID:               nodeConfig.ClusterConfig.ClusterID,
 		}
 
-		// apply peer exchange settings
+		// Configure peer exchange and discv5 settings based on node type
 		if cfg.LightClient {
 			cfg.EnablePeerExchangeServer = false
 			cfg.EnablePeerExchangeClient = true
+			cfg.EnableDiscV5 = false
 		} else {
 			cfg.EnablePeerExchangeServer = true
 			cfg.EnablePeerExchangeClient = false
+			cfg.EnableDiscV5 = true
 		}
 
 		if nodeConfig.WakuV2Config.MaxMessageSize > 0 {
diff --git a/params/config.go b/params/config.go
index 8f1a5909e..6e298f438 100644
--- a/params/config.go
+++ b/params/config.go
@@ -196,6 +196,7 @@ type WakuV2Config struct {
 	Nameserver string
 
 	// EnableDiscV5 indicates if DiscoveryV5 is enabled or not
+	// Deprecated: will be calculated based on LightClient
 	EnableDiscV5 bool
 
 	// UDPPort number to start discovery v5
diff --git a/wakuv2/config.go b/wakuv2/config.go
index 966c4c232..dd838bdb9 100644
--- a/wakuv2/config.go
+++ b/wakuv2/config.go
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ package wakuv2
 import (
 	"errors"
 
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
+
 	"github.com/waku-org/go-waku/waku/v2/protocol/relay"
 
 	"github.com/status-im/status-go/protocol/common/shard"
@@ -30,6 +32,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/status-im/status-go/wakuv2/common"
 )
 
+var (
+	ErrBadLightClientConfig = errors.New("either peer exchange server or discv5 must be disabled, and the peer exchange client must be enabled")
+	ErrBadFullNodeConfig    = errors.New("peer exchange server and discv5 must be enabled, and the peer exchange client must be disabled")
+)
+
 // Config represents the configuration state of a waku node.
 type Config struct {
 	MaxMessageSize           uint32           `toml:",omitempty"` // Maximal message length allowed by the waku node
@@ -61,12 +68,14 @@ type Config struct {
 	SkipPublishToTopic       bool             `toml:",omitempty"` // Used in testing
 }
 
-func (c *Config) Validate() error {
+func (c *Config) Validate(logger *zap.Logger) error {
 	if c.LightClient && (c.EnablePeerExchangeServer || c.EnableDiscV5 || !c.EnablePeerExchangeClient) {
-		return errors.New("bad configuration for a light client: either peer exchange server or discv5 must be disabled, and the peer exchange client must be enabled")
+		logger.Warn("bad configuration for a light client", zap.Error(ErrBadLightClientConfig))
+		return nil
 	}
 	if !c.LightClient && (!c.EnablePeerExchangeServer || !c.EnableDiscV5 || c.EnablePeerExchangeClient) {
-		return errors.New("bad configuration for a full node: peer exchange server and discv5 must be enabled, and the peer exchange client must be disabled")
+		logger.Warn("bad configuration for a full node", zap.Error(ErrBadFullNodeConfig))
+		return nil
 	}
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/wakuv2/waku.go b/wakuv2/waku.go
index 77dbad789..776bdd99d 100644
--- a/wakuv2/waku.go
+++ b/wakuv2/waku.go
@@ -170,8 +170,8 @@ func New(nodeKey string, fleet string, cfg *Config, logger *zap.Logger, appDB *s
 	}
 
 	cfg = setDefaults(cfg)
-	if err = cfg.Validate(); err != nil {
-		logger.Warn("bad wakuv2 configuration", zap.Error(err))
+	if err = cfg.Validate(logger); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	logger.Info("starting wakuv2 with config", zap.Any("config", cfg))