diff --git a/yarn-project/simulator/src/avm/journal/journal.ts b/yarn-project/simulator/src/avm/journal/journal.ts
index e80f01a53c3..7d27597a30e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/simulator/src/avm/journal/journal.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/simulator/src/avm/journal/journal.ts
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export class AvmPersistableStateManager {
     const leafSlot = computePublicDataTreeLeafSlot(contractAddress, slot);
     if (this.doMerkleOperations) {
       const result = await this.merkleTrees.writePublicStorage(leafSlot, value);
-      assert(result !== undefined, 'Public data tree insertion error. You might want to disable skipMerkleOperations.');
+      assert(result !== undefined, 'Public data tree insertion error. You might want to disable doMerkleOperations.');
       this.log.debug(`Inserted public data tree leaf at leafSlot ${leafSlot}, value: ${value}`);
 
       const lowLeafInfo = result.lowWitness;
@@ -525,15 +525,22 @@ export class AvmPersistableStateManager {
   public async getContractInstance(contractAddress: AztecAddress): Promise<SerializableContractInstance | undefined> {
     this.log.debug(`Getting contract instance for address ${contractAddress}`);
     const instanceWithAddress = await this.worldStateDB.getContractInstance(contractAddress);
-    const contractAddressNullifier = siloNullifier(
-      AztecAddress.fromNumber(DEPLOYER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS),
-      contractAddress.toField(),
-    );
     const exists = instanceWithAddress !== undefined;
-    const [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] =
-      await this.getNullifierMembership(/*siloedNullifier=*/ contractAddressNullifier);
 
+    let [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] = [
+      exists,
+      NullifierLeafPreimage.empty(),
+      Fr.ZERO,
+      new Array<Fr>(),
+    ];
     if (!contractAddressIsCanonical(contractAddress)) {
+      const contractAddressNullifier = siloNullifier(
+        AztecAddress.fromNumber(DEPLOYER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS),
+        contractAddress.toField(),
+      );
+      [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] = await this.getNullifierMembership(
+        /*siloedNullifier=*/ contractAddressNullifier,
+      );
       assert(
         exists == existsInTree,
         'WorldStateDB contains contract instance, but nullifier tree does not contain contract address (or vice versa).... This is a bug!',
@@ -584,14 +591,21 @@ export class AvmPersistableStateManager {
     this.log.debug(`Getting bytecode for contract address ${contractAddress}`);
     const instanceWithAddress = await this.worldStateDB.getContractInstance(contractAddress);
     const exists = instanceWithAddress !== undefined;
-    const contractAddressNullifier = siloNullifier(
-      AztecAddress.fromNumber(DEPLOYER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS),
-      contractAddress.toField(),
-    );
-    const [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] =
-      await this.getNullifierMembership(/*siloedNullifier=*/ contractAddressNullifier);
 
+    let [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] = [
+      exists,
+      NullifierLeafPreimage.empty(),
+      Fr.ZERO,
+      new Array<Fr>(),
+    ];
     if (!contractAddressIsCanonical(contractAddress)) {
+      const contractAddressNullifier = siloNullifier(
+        AztecAddress.fromNumber(DEPLOYER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS),
+        contractAddress.toField(),
+      );
+      [existsInTree, leafOrLowLeafPreimage, leafOrLowLeafIndex, leafOrLowLeafPath] = await this.getNullifierMembership(
+        /*siloedNullifier=*/ contractAddressNullifier,
+      );
       assert(
         exists == existsInTree,
         'WorldStateDB contains contract instance, but nullifier tree does not contain contract address (or vice versa).... This is a bug!',
diff --git a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/fixtures/index.ts b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/fixtures/index.ts
index 2538eda8139..f99e157ee14 100644
--- a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/fixtures/index.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/fixtures/index.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ export async function simulateAvmTestContractGenerateCircuitInputs(
     worldStateDB,
     new NoopTelemetryClient(),
     globalVariables,
-    /*realAvmProving=*/ true,
     /*doMerkleOperations=*/ true,
   );
 
diff --git a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_processor.ts b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_processor.ts
index d11ac645e59..16d0b63ba94 100644
--- a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_processor.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_processor.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,13 @@ export class PublicProcessorFactory {
     const historicalHeader = maybeHistoricalHeader ?? merkleTree.getInitialHeader();
 
     const worldStateDB = new WorldStateDB(merkleTree, this.contractDataSource);
-    const publicTxSimulator = new PublicTxSimulator(merkleTree, worldStateDB, this.telemetryClient, globalVariables);
+    const publicTxSimulator = new PublicTxSimulator(
+      merkleTree,
+      worldStateDB,
+      this.telemetryClient,
+      globalVariables,
+      /*doMerkleOperations=*/ true,
+    );
 
     return new PublicProcessor(
       merkleTree,
diff --git a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.test.ts b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.test.ts
index c17d1d03bf5..0b040f235a3 100644
--- a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.test.ts
@@ -209,7 +209,6 @@ describe('public_tx_simulator', () => {
       worldStateDB,
       new NoopTelemetryClient(),
       GlobalVariables.from({ ...GlobalVariables.empty(), gasFees }),
-      /*realAvmProvingRequest=*/ false,
       /*doMerkleOperations=*/ true,
     );
 
diff --git a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.ts b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.ts
index 7c7546e9b0c..3fd7afd5905 100644
--- a/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/simulator/src/public/public_tx_simulator.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ export class PublicTxSimulator {
     private worldStateDB: WorldStateDB,
     telemetryClient: TelemetryClient,
     private globalVariables: GlobalVariables,
-    private realAvmProvingRequests: boolean = true,
     private doMerkleOperations: boolean = false,
   ) {
     this.log = createDebugLogger(`aztec:public_tx_simulator`);
diff --git a/yarn-project/txe/src/oracle/txe_oracle.ts b/yarn-project/txe/src/oracle/txe_oracle.ts
index 3a2f5daae66..570365499c4 100644
--- a/yarn-project/txe/src/oracle/txe_oracle.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/txe/src/oracle/txe_oracle.ts
@@ -660,7 +660,6 @@ export class TXE implements TypedOracle {
       new TXEWorldStateDB(db, new TXEPublicContractDataSource(this)),
       new NoopTelemetryClient(),
       globalVariables,
-      /*realAvmProvingRequests=*/ false,
     );
 
     // When setting up a teardown call, we tell it that