diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/factory.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/factory.ts
index ad7d6cfcdb22..302af46afb11 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/factory.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/factory.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-import { type AztecKVStore } from '@aztec/kv-store';
+import { createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
+import { createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { type TelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client';
 import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
 
@@ -7,14 +8,13 @@ import { type ArchiverConfig } from './archiver/config.js';
 import { KVArchiverDataStore } from './archiver/index.js';
 import { createArchiverClient } from './rpc/archiver_client.js';
 
-export function createArchiver(
+export async function createArchiver(
   config: ArchiverConfig,
-  store: AztecKVStore,
   telemetry: TelemetryClient = new NoopTelemetryClient(),
   opts: { blockUntilSync: boolean } = { blockUntilSync: true },
 ) {
   if (!config.archiverUrl) {
-    // first create and sync the archiver
+    const store = await createStore('archiver', config, createDebugLogger('aztec:archiver:lmdb'));
     const archiverStore = new KVArchiverDataStore(store, config.maxLogs);
     return Archiver.createAndSync(config, archiverStore, telemetry, opts.blockUntilSync);
   } else {
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.test.ts b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.test.ts
index 4a62d116f51f..f753431b918c 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.test.ts
@@ -4,12 +4,11 @@ import {
   type L1ToL2MessageSource,
   type L2BlockSource,
   type L2LogsSource,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   MerkleTreeId,
-  type MerkleTreeOperations,
   mockTxForRollup,
 } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
 import { AztecAddress, EthAddress, Fr, GasFees, GlobalVariables, MaxBlockNumber } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
-import { type AztecLmdbStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/lmdb';
 import { type P2P } from '@aztec/p2p';
 import { type GlobalVariableBuilder } from '@aztec/sequencer-client';
 import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ import { AztecNodeService } from './server.js';
 describe('aztec node', () => {
   let p2p: MockProxy<P2P>;
   let globalVariablesBuilder: MockProxy<GlobalVariableBuilder>;
-  let merkleTreeOps: MockProxy<MerkleTreeOperations>;
+  let merkleTreeOps: MockProxy<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>;
 
   let lastBlockNumber: number;
 
@@ -42,7 +41,7 @@ describe('aztec node', () => {
     p2p = mock<P2P>();
 
     globalVariablesBuilder = mock<GlobalVariableBuilder>();
-    merkleTreeOps = mock<MerkleTreeOperations>();
+    merkleTreeOps = mock<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>();
 
     const worldState = mock<WorldStateSynchronizer>({
       getLatest: () => merkleTreeOps,
@@ -59,8 +58,6 @@ describe('aztec node', () => {
     // all txs use the same allowed FPC class
     const contractSource = mock<ContractDataSource>();
 
-    const store = mock<AztecLmdbStore>();
-
     const aztecNodeConfig: AztecNodeConfig = getConfigEnvVars();
 
     node = new AztecNodeService(
@@ -86,7 +83,6 @@ describe('aztec node', () => {
       31337,
       1,
       globalVariablesBuilder,
-      store,
       new TestCircuitVerifier(),
       new NoopTelemetryClient(),
     );
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
index da98547c0bf4..ed4388821426 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
@@ -50,10 +50,9 @@ import { AztecAddress } from '@aztec/foundation/aztec-address';
 import { padArrayEnd } from '@aztec/foundation/collection';
 import { createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
 import { Timer } from '@aztec/foundation/timer';
-import { type AztecKVStore } from '@aztec/kv-store';
-import { createStore, openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
+import { openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { SHA256Trunc, StandardTree, UnbalancedTree } from '@aztec/merkle-tree';
-import { AztecKVTxPool, InMemoryAttestationPool, type P2P, createP2PClient } from '@aztec/p2p';
+import { InMemoryAttestationPool, type P2P, createP2PClient } from '@aztec/p2p';
 import { getCanonicalClassRegisterer } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/class-registerer';
 import { getCanonicalFeeJuice } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/fee-juice';
 import { getCanonicalInstanceDeployer } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/instance-deployer';
@@ -77,7 +76,7 @@ import {
   type ProtocolContractAddresses,
 } from '@aztec/types/contracts';
 import { createValidatorClient } from '@aztec/validator-client';
-import { MerkleTrees, type WorldStateSynchronizer, createWorldStateSynchronizer } from '@aztec/world-state';
+import { type WorldStateSynchronizer, createWorldStateSynchronizer } from '@aztec/world-state';
 
 import { type AztecNodeConfig, getPackageInfo } from './config.js';
 import { NodeMetrics } from './node_metrics.js';
@@ -104,7 +103,6 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
     protected readonly l1ChainId: number,
     protected readonly version: number,
     protected readonly globalVariableBuilder: GlobalVariableBuilder,
-    protected readonly merkleTreesDb: AztecKVStore,
     private proofVerifier: ClientProtocolCircuitVerifier,
     private telemetry: TelemetryClient,
     private log = createDebugLogger('aztec:node'),
@@ -131,7 +129,6 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
     config: AztecNodeConfig,
     telemetry?: TelemetryClient,
     log = createDebugLogger('aztec:node'),
-    storeLog = createDebugLogger('aztec:node:lmdb'),
   ): Promise<AztecNodeService> {
     telemetry ??= new NoopTelemetryClient();
     const ethereumChain = createEthereumChain(config.l1RpcUrl, config.l1ChainId);
@@ -142,25 +139,17 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
       );
     }
 
-    const store = await createStore(config, config.l1Contracts.rollupAddress, storeLog);
-
-    const archiver = await createArchiver(config, store, telemetry, { blockUntilSync: true });
+    const archiver = await createArchiver(config, telemetry, { blockUntilSync: true });
 
     // we identify the P2P transaction protocol by using the rollup contract address.
     // this may well change in future
     config.transactionProtocol = `/aztec/tx/${config.l1Contracts.rollupAddress.toString()}`;
 
     // create the tx pool and the p2p client, which will need the l2 block source
-    const p2pClient = await createP2PClient(
-      config,
-      store,
-      new AztecKVTxPool(store, telemetry),
-      new InMemoryAttestationPool(),
-      archiver,
-    );
+    const p2pClient = await createP2PClient(config, new InMemoryAttestationPool(), archiver, telemetry);
 
     // now create the merkle trees and the world state synchronizer
-    const worldStateSynchronizer = await createWorldStateSynchronizer(config, store, archiver, telemetry);
+    const worldStateSynchronizer = await createWorldStateSynchronizer(config, archiver, telemetry);
 
     // start both and wait for them to sync from the block source
     await Promise.all([p2pClient.start(), worldStateSynchronizer.start()]);
@@ -199,7 +188,6 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
       ethereumChain.chainInfo.id,
       config.version,
       new GlobalVariableBuilder(config),
-      store,
       proofVerifier,
       telemetry,
       log,
@@ -726,13 +714,8 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
     );
     const prevHeader = (await this.blockSource.getBlock(-1))?.header;
 
-    // Instantiate merkle trees so uncommitted updates by this simulation are local to it.
-    // TODO we should be able to remove this after https://github.com/AztecProtocol/aztec-packages/issues/1869
-    // So simulation of public functions doesn't affect the merkle trees.
-    const merkleTrees = await MerkleTrees.new(this.merkleTreesDb, new NoopTelemetryClient(), this.log);
-
     const publicProcessorFactory = new PublicProcessorFactory(
-      merkleTrees.asLatest(),
+      await this.worldStateSynchronizer.ephemeralFork(),
       this.contractDataSource,
       new WASMSimulator(),
       this.telemetry,
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec/src/cli/cmds/start_archiver.ts b/yarn-project/aztec/src/cli/cmds/start_archiver.ts
index a8675164ae1c..d9e0c092aa7f 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec/src/cli/cmds/start_archiver.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec/src/cli/cmds/start_archiver.ts
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ export const startArchiver = async (options: any, signalHandlers: (() => Promise
   const archiverConfig = extractRelevantOptions<ArchiverConfig>(options, archiverConfigMappings, 'archiver');
 
   const storeLog = createDebugLogger('aztec:archiver:lmdb');
-  const rollupAddress = archiverConfig.l1Contracts.rollupAddress;
-  const store = await createStore(archiverConfig, rollupAddress, storeLog);
+  const store = await createStore('archiver', archiverConfig, storeLog);
   const archiverStore = new KVArchiverDataStore(store, archiverConfig.maxLogs);
 
   const telemetry = await createAndStartTelemetryClient(getTelemetryClientConfig());
diff --git a/yarn-project/circuit-types/src/interfaces/merkle_tree_operations.ts b/yarn-project/circuit-types/src/interfaces/merkle_tree_operations.ts
index 2738dbc99e0f..af16730d969b 100644
--- a/yarn-project/circuit-types/src/interfaces/merkle_tree_operations.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/circuit-types/src/interfaces/merkle_tree_operations.ts
@@ -84,9 +84,7 @@ type LeafTypes = {
 
 export type MerkleTreeLeafType<ID extends MerkleTreeId> = LeafTypes[ID];
 
-/**
- * Defines the interface for operations on a set of Merkle Trees.
- */
+/** Defines the interface for operations on a set of Merkle Trees. */
 export interface MerkleTreeOperations {
   /**
    * Appends leaves to a given tree.
@@ -203,7 +201,10 @@ export interface MerkleTreeOperations {
     leaves: Buffer[],
     subtreeHeight: number,
   ): Promise<BatchInsertionResult<TreeHeight, SubtreeSiblingPathHeight>>;
+}
 
+/** Operations on merkle trees world state that can modify the underlying store. */
+export interface MerkleTreeAdminOperations extends MerkleTreeOperations {
   /**
    * Handles a single L2 block (i.e. Inserts the new note hashes into the merkle tree).
    * @param block - The L2 block to handle.
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_block_building.test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_block_building.test.ts
index 92f830001adf..cb4655f55619 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_block_building.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_block_building.test.ts
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ describe('e2e_block_building', () => {
     });
 
     // Regression for https://github.com/AztecProtocol/aztec-packages/issues/8306
-    it.skip('can simulate public txs while building a block', async () => {
+    it('can simulate public txs while building a block', async () => {
       ({
         teardown,
         pxe,
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ describe('e2e_block_building', () => {
       }
 
       logger.info('Waiting for txs to be mined');
-      await Promise.all(txs.map(tx => tx.wait()));
+      await Promise.all(txs.map(tx => tx.wait({ proven: false, timeout: 600 })));
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_prover/e2e_prover_test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_prover/e2e_prover_test.ts
index b75763aa6dcf..e53fb312ec58 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_prover/e2e_prover_test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/e2e_prover/e2e_prover_test.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import {
   deployL1Contract,
 } from '@aztec/aztec.js';
 import { BBCircuitVerifier } from '@aztec/bb-prover';
-import { createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { RollupAbi } from '@aztec/l1-artifacts';
 import { TokenContract } from '@aztec/noir-contracts.js';
 import { type ProverNode, type ProverNodeConfig, createProverNode } from '@aztec/prover-node';
@@ -225,11 +224,8 @@ export class FullProverTest {
     // Creating temp store and archiver for fully proven prover node
 
     this.logger.verbose('Starting archiver for new prover node');
-    const store = await createStore({ dataDirectory: undefined }, this.l1Contracts.l1ContractAddresses.rollupAddress);
-
     const archiver = await createArchiver(
       { ...this.context.aztecNodeConfig, dataDirectory: undefined },
-      store,
       new NoopTelemetryClient(),
       { blockUntilSync: true },
     );
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/fixtures/snapshot_manager.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/fixtures/snapshot_manager.ts
index 6b821026179f..dac9a054a04d 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/fixtures/snapshot_manager.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/fixtures/snapshot_manager.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import {
   type CompleteAddress,
   type DebugLogger,
   type DeployL1Contracts,
-  type EthAddress,
   EthCheatCodes,
   Fr,
   GrumpkinScalar,
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ import { asyncMap } from '@aztec/foundation/async-map';
 import { type Logger, createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
 import { makeBackoff, retry } from '@aztec/foundation/retry';
 import { resolver, reviver } from '@aztec/foundation/serialize';
-import { createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { type ProverNode, type ProverNodeConfig, createProverNode } from '@aztec/prover-node';
 import { type PXEService, createPXEService, getPXEServiceConfig } from '@aztec/pxe';
 import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
@@ -235,21 +233,13 @@ async function teardown(context: SubsystemsContext | undefined) {
 }
 
 export async function createAndSyncProverNode(
-  rollupAddress: EthAddress,
   proverNodePrivateKey: `0x${string}`,
   aztecNodeConfig: AztecNodeConfig,
   aztecNode: AztecNode,
 ) {
   // Creating temp store and archiver for simulated prover node
-
-  const store = await createStore({ dataDirectory: undefined }, rollupAddress);
-
-  const archiver = await createArchiver(
-    { ...aztecNodeConfig, dataDirectory: undefined },
-    store,
-    new NoopTelemetryClient(),
-    { blockUntilSync: true },
-  );
+  const archiverConfig = { ...aztecNodeConfig, dataDirectory: undefined };
+  const archiver = await createArchiver(archiverConfig, new NoopTelemetryClient(), { blockUntilSync: true });
 
   // Prover node config is for simulated proofs
   const proverConfig: ProverNodeConfig = {
@@ -335,7 +325,6 @@ async function setupFromFresh(
 
   logger.verbose('Creating and syncing a simulated prover node...');
   const proverNode = await createAndSyncProverNode(
-    deployL1ContractsValues.l1ContractAddresses.rollupAddress,
     `0x${proverNodePrivateKey!.toString('hex')}`,
     aztecNodeConfig,
     aztecNode,
@@ -433,12 +422,7 @@ async function setupFromState(statePath: string, logger: Logger): Promise<Subsys
   const proverNodePrivateKey = getPrivateKeyFromIndex(2);
 
   logger.verbose('Creating and syncing a simulated prover node...');
-  const proverNode = await createAndSyncProverNode(
-    aztecNodeConfig.l1Contracts.rollupAddress,
-    `0x${proverNodePrivateKey!}`,
-    aztecNodeConfig,
-    aztecNode,
-  );
+  const proverNode = await createAndSyncProverNode(`0x${proverNodePrivateKey!}`, aztecNodeConfig, aztecNode);
 
   logger.verbose('Creating pxe...');
   const pxeConfig = getPXEServiceConfig();
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/public-testnet/e2e_public_testnet_transfer.test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/public-testnet/e2e_public_testnet_transfer.test.ts
index fb9affae54dc..d45a29e75a45 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/public-testnet/e2e_public_testnet_transfer.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/public-testnet/e2e_public_testnet_transfer.test.ts
@@ -45,12 +45,7 @@ describe(`deploys and transfers a private only token`, () => {
         ? `0x${proverNodePrivateKey?.toString('hex')}`
         : proverConfig.publisherPrivateKey;
 
-    proverNode = await createAndSyncProverNode(
-      config.l1Contracts.rollupAddress,
-      proverConfig.publisherPrivateKey,
-      config,
-      aztecNode,
-    );
+    proverNode = await createAndSyncProverNode(proverConfig.publisherPrivateKey, config, aztecNode);
   }, 600_000);
 
   afterEach(async () => {
diff --git a/yarn-project/kv-store/src/utils.ts b/yarn-project/kv-store/src/utils.ts
index 3c33d571e775..640f50932c3e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/kv-store/src/utils.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/kv-store/src/utils.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,25 @@
 import { type EthAddress } from '@aztec/foundation/eth-address';
 import { type Logger, createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
 
+import { join } from 'path';
+
 import { type AztecKVStore } from './interfaces/store.js';
 import { AztecLmdbStore } from './lmdb/store.js';
 
-export function createStore(
-  config: { dataDirectory: string | undefined } | (string | undefined),
-  rollupAddress: EthAddress,
-  log: Logger = createDebugLogger('aztec:kv-store'),
-) {
-  const dataDirectory = typeof config === 'string' ? config : config?.dataDirectory;
-  log.info(dataDirectory ? `Creating data store at directory ${dataDirectory}` : 'Creating ephemeral data store');
-  return initStoreForRollup(AztecLmdbStore.open(dataDirectory, false), rollupAddress, log);
+export type DataStoreConfig = { dataDirectory: string | undefined; l1Contracts: { rollupAddress: EthAddress } };
+
+export function createStore(name: string, config: DataStoreConfig, log: Logger = createDebugLogger('aztec:kv-store')) {
+  let { dataDirectory } = config;
+  if (typeof dataDirectory !== 'undefined') {
+    dataDirectory = join(dataDirectory, name);
+  }
+
+  log.info(
+    dataDirectory
+      ? `Creating ${name} data store at directory ${dataDirectory}`
+      : `Creating ${name} ephemeral data store`,
+  );
+  return initStoreForRollup(AztecLmdbStore.open(dataDirectory, false), config.l1Contracts.rollupAddress, log);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -21,7 +29,7 @@ export function createStore(
  * @param rollupAddress - The ETH address of the rollup contract
  * @returns A promise that resolves when the store is cleared, or rejects if the rollup address does not match
  */
-export async function initStoreForRollup<T extends AztecKVStore>(
+async function initStoreForRollup<T extends AztecKVStore>(
   store: T,
   rollupAddress: EthAddress,
   log?: Logger,
diff --git a/yarn-project/p2p/src/client/index.ts b/yarn-project/p2p/src/client/index.ts
index d2316c4db767..518387edfa90 100644
--- a/yarn-project/p2p/src/client/index.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/p2p/src/client/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 import { type L2BlockSource } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
+import { createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
 import { type AztecKVStore } from '@aztec/kv-store';
+import { type DataStoreConfig, createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
+import { type TelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client';
+import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
 
 import { type AttestationPool } from '../attestation_pool/attestation_pool.js';
 import { P2PClient } from '../client/p2p_client.js';
@@ -7,18 +11,21 @@ import { type P2PConfig } from '../config.js';
 import { DiscV5Service } from '../service/discV5_service.js';
 import { DummyP2PService } from '../service/dummy_service.js';
 import { LibP2PService, createLibP2PPeerId } from '../service/index.js';
-import { type TxPool } from '../tx_pool/index.js';
+import { AztecKVTxPool, type TxPool } from '../tx_pool/index.js';
 import { getPublicIp, resolveAddressIfNecessary, splitAddressPort } from '../util.js';
 
 export * from './p2p_client.js';
 
 export const createP2PClient = async (
-  config: P2PConfig,
-  store: AztecKVStore,
-  txPool: TxPool,
+  config: P2PConfig & DataStoreConfig,
   attestationsPool: AttestationPool,
   l2BlockSource: L2BlockSource,
+  telemetry: TelemetryClient = new NoopTelemetryClient(),
+  deps: { txPool?: TxPool; store?: AztecKVStore } = {},
 ) => {
+  const store = deps.store ?? (await createStore('p2p', config, createDebugLogger('aztec:p2p:lmdb')));
+  const txPool = deps.txPool ?? new AztecKVTxPool(store, telemetry);
+
   let p2pService;
 
   if (config.p2pEnabled) {
diff --git a/yarn-project/p2p/src/service/reqresp/p2p_client.integration.test.ts b/yarn-project/p2p/src/service/reqresp/p2p_client.integration.test.ts
index 307324f783ff..8ec358ee2f43 100644
--- a/yarn-project/p2p/src/service/reqresp/p2p_client.integration.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/p2p/src/service/reqresp/p2p_client.integration.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 // An integration test for the p2p client to test req resp protocols
 import { mockTx } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
+import { EthAddress } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
 import { createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
 import { sleep } from '@aztec/foundation/sleep';
 import { type AztecKVStore } from '@aztec/kv-store';
-import { openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
+import { type DataStoreConfig, openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 
 import { describe, expect, it, jest } from '@jest/globals';
 import { generatePrivateKey } from 'viem/accounts';
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ describe('Req Resp p2p client integration', () => {
       // Note these bindings are important
       const addr = `127.0.0.1:${i + 1 + BOOT_NODE_UDP_PORT}`;
       const listenAddr = `0.0.0.0:${i + 1 + BOOT_NODE_UDP_PORT}`;
-      const config: P2PConfig = {
+      const config: P2PConfig & DataStoreConfig = {
         p2pEnabled: true,
         peerIdPrivateKey: peerIdPrivateKeys[i],
         tcpListenAddress: listenAddr, // run on port 0
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ describe('Req Resp p2p client integration', () => {
         maxPeerCount: 10,
         keepProvenTxsInPoolFor: 0,
         queryForIp: false,
+        dataDirectory: undefined,
+        l1Contracts: { rollupAddress: EthAddress.ZERO },
       };
 
       txPool = {
@@ -112,12 +115,16 @@ describe('Req Resp p2p client integration', () => {
 
       blockSource = new MockBlockSource();
       kvStore = openTmpStore();
+      const deps = {
+        txPool: txPool as unknown as TxPool,
+        store: kvStore,
+      };
       const client = await createP2PClient(
         config,
-        kvStore,
-        txPool as unknown as TxPool,
         attestationPool as unknown as AttestationPool,
         blockSource,
+        undefined,
+        deps,
       );
 
       await client.start();
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/mocks/test_context.ts b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/mocks/test_context.ts
index 46b4f30a68a6..16e19745b0a1 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/mocks/test_context.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/mocks/test_context.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { type BBProverConfig } from '@aztec/bb-prover';
 import {
   type BlockProver,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   type ProcessedTx,
   type PublicExecutionRequest,
   type ServerCircuitProver,
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   type WorldStatePublicDB,
 } from '@aztec/simulator';
 import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
-import { type MerkleTreeOperations, MerkleTrees } from '@aztec/world-state';
+import { MerkleTrees } from '@aztec/world-state';
 
 import * as fs from 'fs/promises';
 import { type MockProxy, mock } from 'jest-mock-extended';
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export class TestContext {
     public publicProcessor: PublicProcessor,
     public simulationProvider: SimulationProvider,
     public globalVariables: GlobalVariables,
-    public actualDb: MerkleTreeOperations,
+    public actualDb: MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
     public prover: ServerCircuitProver,
     public proverAgent: ProverAgent,
     public orchestrator: ProvingOrchestrator,
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-node/src/factory.ts b/yarn-project/prover-node/src/factory.ts
index 48045ef33dae..7e9c31e8cbfd 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-node/src/factory.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-node/src/factory.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { type Archiver, createArchiver } from '@aztec/archiver';
 import { type AztecNode } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
 import { type DebugLogger, createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
-import { createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { createProverClient } from '@aztec/prover-client';
 import { L1Publisher } from '@aztec/sequencer-client';
 import { createSimulationProvider } from '@aztec/simulator';
@@ -20,22 +19,17 @@ export async function createProverNode(
   deps: {
     telemetry?: TelemetryClient;
     log?: DebugLogger;
-    storeLog?: DebugLogger;
     aztecNodeTxProvider?: AztecNode;
     archiver?: Archiver;
   } = {},
 ) {
   const telemetry = deps.telemetry ?? new NoopTelemetryClient();
   const log = deps.log ?? createDebugLogger('aztec:prover');
-  const storeLog = deps.storeLog ?? createDebugLogger('aztec:prover:lmdb');
-
-  const store = await createStore(config, config.l1Contracts.rollupAddress, storeLog);
-
-  const archiver = deps.archiver ?? (await createArchiver(config, store, telemetry, { blockUntilSync: true }));
+  const archiver = deps.archiver ?? (await createArchiver(config, telemetry, { blockUntilSync: true }));
   log.verbose(`Created archiver and synced to block ${await archiver.getBlockNumber()}`);
 
   const worldStateConfig = { ...config, worldStateProvenBlocksOnly: true };
-  const worldStateSynchronizer = await createWorldStateSynchronizer(worldStateConfig, store, archiver, telemetry);
+  const worldStateSynchronizer = await createWorldStateSynchronizer(worldStateConfig, archiver, telemetry);
   await worldStateSynchronizer.start();
 
   const simulationProvider = await createSimulationProvider(config, log);
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-node/src/prover-node.test.ts b/yarn-project/prover-node/src/prover-node.test.ts
index 97fdda86c1ba..b8330eff75c2 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-node/src/prover-node.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-node/src/prover-node.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import {
   type L1ToL2MessageSource,
   type L2BlockSource,
-  type MerkleTreeOperations,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   type ProverClient,
   type TxProvider,
 } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('prover-node', () => {
   let jobs: {
     job: MockProxy<BlockProvingJob>;
     cleanUp: (job: BlockProvingJob) => Promise<void>;
-    db: MerkleTreeOperations;
+    db: MerkleTreeAdminOperations;
   }[];
 
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ describe('prover-node', () => {
     const telemetryClient = new NoopTelemetryClient();
 
     // World state returns a new mock db every time it is asked to fork
-    worldState.syncImmediateAndFork.mockImplementation(() => Promise.resolve(mock<MerkleTreeOperations>()));
+    worldState.syncImmediateAndFork.mockImplementation(() => Promise.resolve(mock<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>()));
 
     jobs = [];
     proverNode = new TestProverNode(
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ describe('prover-node', () => {
 
   class TestProverNode extends ProverNode {
     protected override doCreateBlockProvingJob(
-      db: MerkleTreeOperations,
+      db: MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
       _publicProcessorFactory: PublicProcessorFactory,
       cleanUp: (job: BlockProvingJob) => Promise<void>,
     ): BlockProvingJob {
diff --git a/yarn-project/pxe/src/pxe_service/create_pxe_service.ts b/yarn-project/pxe/src/pxe_service/create_pxe_service.ts
index 30d96288cca5..e50e14f53396 100644
--- a/yarn-project/pxe/src/pxe_service/create_pxe_service.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/pxe/src/pxe_service/create_pxe_service.ts
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ import { getCanonicalInstanceDeployer } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/instance
 import { getCanonicalKeyRegistry } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/key-registry';
 import { getCanonicalMultiCallEntrypointContract } from '@aztec/protocol-contracts/multi-call-entrypoint';
 
-import { join } from 'path';
-
 import { type PXEServiceConfig } from '../config/index.js';
 import { KVPxeDatabase } from '../database/kv_pxe_database.js';
 import { TestPrivateKernelProver } from '../kernel_prover/test/test_circuit_prover.js';
@@ -38,12 +36,12 @@ export async function createPXEService(
   const logSuffix =
     typeof useLogSuffix === 'boolean' ? (useLogSuffix ? randomBytes(3).toString('hex') : undefined) : useLogSuffix;
 
-  const pxeDbPath = config.dataDirectory ? join(config.dataDirectory, 'pxe_data') : undefined;
-  const keyStorePath = config.dataDirectory ? join(config.dataDirectory, 'pxe_key_store') : undefined;
   const l1Contracts = await aztecNode.getL1ContractAddresses();
-
-  const keyStore = new KeyStore(await createStore(keyStorePath, l1Contracts.rollupAddress));
-  const db = new KVPxeDatabase(await createStore(pxeDbPath, l1Contracts.rollupAddress));
+  const storeConfig = { dataDirectory: config.dataDirectory, l1Contracts };
+  const keyStore = new KeyStore(
+    await createStore('pxe_key_store', storeConfig, createDebugLogger('aztec:pxe:keystore:lmdb')),
+  );
+  const db = new KVPxeDatabase(await createStore('pxe_data', storeConfig, createDebugLogger('aztec:pxe:data:lmdb')));
 
   const prover = proofCreator ?? (await createProver(config, logSuffix));
   const server = new PXEService(keyStore, aztecNode, db, prover, config, logSuffix);
diff --git a/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/sequencer/sequencer.test.ts b/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/sequencer/sequencer.test.ts
index 24a526333264..36eced355f19 100644
--- a/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/sequencer/sequencer.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/sequencer-client/src/sequencer/sequencer.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   type L1ToL2MessageSource,
   L2Block,
   type L2BlockSource,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   MerkleTreeId,
   PROVING_STATUS,
   type ProvingSuccess,
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ import { type PublicProcessor, type PublicProcessorFactory } from '@aztec/simula
 import { NoopTelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client/noop';
 import { type ContractDataSource } from '@aztec/types/contracts';
 import { type ValidatorClient } from '@aztec/validator-client';
-import { type MerkleTreeOperations, WorldStateRunningState, type WorldStateSynchronizer } from '@aztec/world-state';
+import { WorldStateRunningState, type WorldStateSynchronizer } from '@aztec/world-state';
 
 import { type MockProxy, mock, mockFn } from 'jest-mock-extended';
 
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ describe('sequencer', () => {
   let p2p: MockProxy<P2P>;
   let worldState: MockProxy<WorldStateSynchronizer>;
   let blockSimulator: MockProxy<BlockSimulator>;
-  let merkleTreeOps: MockProxy<MerkleTreeOperations>;
+  let merkleTreeOps: MockProxy<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>;
   let publicProcessor: MockProxy<PublicProcessor>;
   let l2BlockSource: MockProxy<L2BlockSource>;
   let l1ToL2MessageSource: MockProxy<L1ToL2MessageSource>;
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ describe('sequencer', () => {
     publisher.validateBlockForSubmission.mockResolvedValue(true);
 
     globalVariableBuilder = mock<GlobalVariableBuilder>();
-    merkleTreeOps = mock<MerkleTreeOperations>();
+    merkleTreeOps = mock<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>();
     blockSimulator = mock<BlockSimulator>();
 
     p2p = mock<P2P>({
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/factory.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/factory.ts
index e2d37d4a542b..323fe6382c26 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/factory.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/factory.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { type L1ToL2MessageSource, type L2BlockSource } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
-import { type AztecKVStore } from '@aztec/kv-store';
+import { createDebugLogger } from '@aztec/foundation/log';
+import { type DataStoreConfig, createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { type TelemetryClient } from '@aztec/telemetry-client';
 
 import { MerkleTrees } from '../world-state-db/merkle_trees.js';
@@ -7,11 +8,11 @@ import { type WorldStateConfig } from './config.js';
 import { ServerWorldStateSynchronizer } from './server_world_state_synchronizer.js';
 
 export async function createWorldStateSynchronizer(
-  config: WorldStateConfig,
-  store: AztecKVStore,
+  config: WorldStateConfig & DataStoreConfig,
   l2BlockSource: L2BlockSource & L1ToL2MessageSource,
   client: TelemetryClient,
 ) {
+  const store = await createStore('world-state', config, createDebugLogger('aztec:world-state:lmdb'));
   const merkleTrees = await MerkleTrees.new(store, client);
   return new ServerWorldStateSynchronizer(store, merkleTrees, l2BlockSource, config);
 }
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.test.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.test.ts
index 7e585c12ae70..f46aa23879d3 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.test.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { INITIAL_LEAF, Pedersen, SHA256Trunc, StandardTree } from '@aztec/merkle
 import { jest } from '@jest/globals';
 import { mock } from 'jest-mock-extended';
 
-import { type MerkleTreeDb, type MerkleTrees, type WorldStateConfig } from '../index.js';
+import { type MerkleTreeAdminDb, type MerkleTrees, type WorldStateConfig } from '../index.js';
 import { ServerWorldStateSynchronizer } from './server_world_state_synchronizer.js';
 import { WorldStateRunningState } from './world_state_synchronizer.js';
 
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ describe('server_world_state_synchronizer', () => {
     getL1ToL2Messages: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve(l1ToL2Messages)),
   });
 
-  const merkleTreeDb = mock<MerkleTreeDb>({
+  const merkleTreeDb = mock<MerkleTreeAdminDb>({
     getTreeInfo: jest.fn(() =>
       Promise.resolve({ depth: 8, treeId: MerkleTreeId.NOTE_HASH_TREE, root: Buffer.alloc(32, 0), size: 0n }),
     ),
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.ts
index a4512b410480..ce188d1eaa1e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/server_world_state_synchronizer.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
   type L2Block,
   L2BlockDownloader,
   type L2BlockSource,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
 } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
 import { type L2BlockHandledStats } from '@aztec/circuit-types/stats';
 import { L1_TO_L2_MSG_SUBTREE_HEIGHT } from '@aztec/circuits.js/constants';
@@ -16,8 +17,11 @@ import { type AztecKVStore, type AztecSingleton } from '@aztec/kv-store';
 import { openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { SHA256Trunc, StandardTree } from '@aztec/merkle-tree';
 
-import { type MerkleTreeOperations, type MerkleTrees } from '../world-state-db/index.js';
-import { MerkleTreeOperationsFacade } from '../world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.js';
+import { type MerkleTrees } from '../world-state-db/index.js';
+import {
+  MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade,
+  MerkleTreeOperationsFacade,
+} from '../world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.js';
 import { MerkleTreeSnapshotOperationsFacade } from '../world-state-db/merkle_tree_snapshot_operations_facade.js';
 import { type WorldStateConfig } from './config.js';
 import {
@@ -62,21 +66,25 @@ export class ServerWorldStateSynchronizer implements WorldStateSynchronizer {
     });
   }
 
-  public getLatest(): MerkleTreeOperations {
-    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(this.merkleTreeDb, true);
+  public getLatest(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
+    return new MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade(this.merkleTreeDb, true);
   }
 
-  public getCommitted(): MerkleTreeOperations {
-    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(this.merkleTreeDb, false);
+  public getCommitted(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
+    return new MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade(this.merkleTreeDb, false);
   }
 
-  public getSnapshot(blockNumber: number): MerkleTreeOperations {
+  public getSnapshot(blockNumber: number): MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
     return new MerkleTreeSnapshotOperationsFacade(this.merkleTreeDb, blockNumber);
   }
 
-  private async getFork(includeUncommitted: boolean): Promise<MerkleTreeOperationsFacade> {
+  public async ephemeralFork(): Promise<MerkleTreeOperationsFacade> {
+    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(await this.merkleTreeDb.ephemeralFork(), true);
+  }
+
+  private async getFork(includeUncommitted: boolean): Promise<MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade> {
     this.log.verbose(`Forking world state at ${this.blockNumber.get()}`);
-    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(await this.merkleTreeDb.fork(), includeUncommitted);
+    return new MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade(await this.merkleTreeDb.fork(), includeUncommitted);
   }
 
   public async start() {
@@ -212,7 +220,7 @@ export class ServerWorldStateSynchronizer implements WorldStateSynchronizer {
   public async syncImmediateAndFork(
     targetBlockNumber: number,
     forkIncludeUncommitted: boolean,
-  ): Promise<MerkleTreeOperationsFacade> {
+  ): Promise<MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade> {
     try {
       await this.pause();
       await this.syncImmediate(targetBlockNumber);
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/world_state_synchronizer.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/world_state_synchronizer.ts
index 0411827e10d8..0fb17dbe5084 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/world_state_synchronizer.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/synchronizer/world_state_synchronizer.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { type MerkleTreeOperations } from '../world-state-db/index.js';
+import { type MerkleTreeAdminOperations, type MerkleTreeOperations } from '../world-state-db/index.js';
 
 /**
  * Defines the possible states of the world state synchronizer.
@@ -58,24 +58,26 @@ export interface WorldStateSynchronizer {
    * @param forkIncludeUncommitted - Whether to include uncommitted data in the fork.
    * @returns The db forked at the requested target block number.
    */
-  syncImmediateAndFork(targetBlockNumber: number, forkIncludeUncommitted: boolean): Promise<MerkleTreeOperations>;
+  syncImmediateAndFork(targetBlockNumber: number, forkIncludeUncommitted: boolean): Promise<MerkleTreeAdminOperations>;
 
   /**
-   * Returns an instance of MerkleTreeOperations that will include uncommitted data.
-   * @returns An instance of MerkleTreeOperations that will include uncommitted data.
+   * Forks the current in-memory state based off the current committed state, and returns an instance that cannot modify the underlying data store.
    */
-  getLatest(): MerkleTreeOperations;
+  ephemeralFork(): Promise<MerkleTreeOperations>;
 
   /**
-   * Returns an instance of MerkleTreeOperations that will not include uncommitted data.
-   * @returns An instance of MerkleTreeOperations that will not include uncommitted data.
+   * Returns an instance of MerkleTreeAdminOperations that will include uncommitted data.
    */
-  getCommitted(): MerkleTreeOperations;
+  getLatest(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations;
 
   /**
-   * Returns a readonly instance of MerkleTreeOperations where the state is as it was at the given block number
+   * Returns an instance of MerkleTreeAdminOperations that will not include uncommitted data.
+   */
+  getCommitted(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations;
+
+  /**
+   * Returns a readonly instance of MerkleTreeAdminOperations where the state is as it was at the given block number
    * @param block - The block number to look at
-   * @returns An instance of MerkleTreeOperations
    */
   getSnapshot(block: number): MerkleTreeOperations;
 }
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/index.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/index.ts
index 63ec2e7ba658..44e005499650 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/index.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/index.ts
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ export * from './merkle_tree_db.js';
 export * from './merkle_tree_operations_facade.js';
 export * from './merkle_tree_snapshot_operations_facade.js';
 
-export { MerkleTreeOperations } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
+export { MerkleTreeOperations, MerkleTreeAdminOperations } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_db.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_db.ts
index 6471a3e6e036..bf4d97e39242 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_db.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_db.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { type MerkleTreeId } from '@aztec/circuit-types';
-import { type MerkleTreeOperations } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
+import { type MerkleTreeAdminOperations, type MerkleTreeOperations } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
 import { type Fr, MAX_NULLIFIERS_PER_TX, MAX_TOTAL_PUBLIC_DATA_UPDATE_REQUESTS_PER_TX } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
 import { type IndexedTreeSnapshot, type TreeSnapshot } from '@aztec/merkle-tree';
 
@@ -32,13 +32,9 @@ type WithIncludeUncommitted<F> = F extends (...args: [...infer Rest]) => infer R
 /**
  * Defines the names of the setters on Merkle Trees.
  */
-type MerkleTreeSetters =
-  | 'appendLeaves'
-  | 'updateLeaf'
-  | 'commit'
-  | 'rollback'
-  | 'handleL2BlockAndMessages'
-  | 'batchInsert';
+type MerkleTreeSetters = 'appendLeaves' | 'updateLeaf' | 'batchInsert';
+
+type MerkleTreeAdmin = 'commit' | 'rollback' | 'handleL2BlockAndMessages';
 
 export type TreeSnapshots = {
   [MerkleTreeId.NULLIFIER_TREE]: IndexedTreeSnapshot;
@@ -48,9 +44,7 @@ export type TreeSnapshots = {
   [MerkleTreeId.ARCHIVE]: TreeSnapshot<Fr>;
 };
 
-/**
- * Defines the interface for operations on a set of Merkle Trees configuring whether to return committed or uncommitted data.
- */
+/** Defines the interface for operations on a set of Merkle Trees configuring whether to return committed or uncommitted data. */
 export type MerkleTreeDb = {
   [Property in keyof MerkleTreeOperations as Exclude<Property, MerkleTreeSetters>]: WithIncludeUncommitted<
     MerkleTreeOperations[Property]
@@ -61,6 +55,20 @@ export type MerkleTreeDb = {
      * @param block - The block number to take the snapshot at.
      */
     getSnapshot(block: number): Promise<TreeSnapshots>;
+  };
+
+/** Extends operations on MerkleTreeDb to include modifying the underlying store */
+export type MerkleTreeAdminDb = {
+  [Property in keyof MerkleTreeAdminOperations as Exclude<
+    Property,
+    MerkleTreeSetters | MerkleTreeAdmin
+  >]: WithIncludeUncommitted<MerkleTreeAdminOperations[Property]>;
+} & Pick<MerkleTreeAdminOperations, MerkleTreeSetters | MerkleTreeAdmin> & {
+    /**
+     * Returns a snapshot of the current state of the trees.
+     * @param block - The block number to take the snapshot at.
+     */
+    getSnapshot(block: number): Promise<TreeSnapshots>;
 
     /**
      * Forks the database at its current state.
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.ts
index b96fc4411787..39975c305513 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_tree_operations_facade.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { type BatchInsertionResult, type L2Block, type MerkleTreeId, type Siblin
 import {
   type HandleL2BlockAndMessagesResult,
   type IndexedTreeId,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   type MerkleTreeLeafType,
   type MerkleTreeOperations,
   type TreeInfo,
@@ -9,13 +10,13 @@ import {
 import { type Fr, type Header, type NullifierLeafPreimage, type StateReference } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
 import { type IndexedTreeLeafPreimage } from '@aztec/foundation/trees';
 
-import { type MerkleTreeDb } from './merkle_tree_db.js';
+import { type MerkleTreeAdminDb, type MerkleTreeDb } from './merkle_tree_db.js';
 
 /**
  * Wraps a MerkleTreeDbOperations to call all functions with a preset includeUncommitted flag.
  */
 export class MerkleTreeOperationsFacade implements MerkleTreeOperations {
-  constructor(private trees: MerkleTreeDb, private includeUncommitted: boolean) {}
+  constructor(protected trees: MerkleTreeDb, protected includeUncommitted: boolean) {}
 
   /**
    * Returns the tree info for the specified tree id.
@@ -164,6 +165,27 @@ export class MerkleTreeOperationsFacade implements MerkleTreeOperations {
     return this.trees.updateArchive(header, this.includeUncommitted);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Batch insert multiple leaves into the tree.
+   * @param treeId - The ID of the tree.
+   * @param leaves - Leaves to insert into the tree.
+   * @param subtreeHeight - Height of the subtree.
+   * @returns The data for the leaves to be updated when inserting the new ones.
+   */
+  public batchInsert<TreeHeight extends number, SubtreeSiblingPathHeight extends number>(
+    treeId: IndexedTreeId,
+    leaves: Buffer[],
+    subtreeHeight: number,
+  ): Promise<BatchInsertionResult<TreeHeight, SubtreeSiblingPathHeight>> {
+    return this.trees.batchInsert(treeId, leaves, subtreeHeight);
+  }
+}
+
+export class MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade extends MerkleTreeOperationsFacade implements MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
+  constructor(protected override trees: MerkleTreeAdminDb, includeUncommitted: boolean) {
+    super(trees, includeUncommitted);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Handles a single L2 block (i.e. Inserts the new note hashes into the merkle tree).
    * @param block - The L2 block to handle.
@@ -190,21 +212,6 @@ export class MerkleTreeOperationsFacade implements MerkleTreeOperations {
     return await this.trees.rollback();
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Batch insert multiple leaves into the tree.
-   * @param treeId - The ID of the tree.
-   * @param leaves - Leaves to insert into the tree.
-   * @param subtreeHeight - Height of the subtree.
-   * @returns The data for the leaves to be updated when inserting the new ones.
-   */
-  public batchInsert<TreeHeight extends number, SubtreeSiblingPathHeight extends number>(
-    treeId: IndexedTreeId,
-    leaves: Buffer[],
-    subtreeHeight: number,
-  ): Promise<BatchInsertionResult<TreeHeight, SubtreeSiblingPathHeight>> {
-    return this.trees.batchInsert(treeId, leaves, subtreeHeight);
-  }
-
   public delete(): Promise<void> {
     return this.trees.delete();
   }
diff --git a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_trees.ts b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_trees.ts
index 1c9bd5b68772..f94cbec7dde4 100644
--- a/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_trees.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/world-state/src/world-state-db/merkle_trees.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import {
   type BatchInsertionResult,
   type HandleL2BlockAndMessagesResult,
   type IndexedTreeId,
+  type MerkleTreeAdminOperations,
   type MerkleTreeLeafType,
-  type MerkleTreeOperations,
   type TreeInfo,
 } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
 import {
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ import {
   type TreeSnapshots,
 } from './merkle_tree_db.js';
 import { type MerkleTreeMap } from './merkle_tree_map.js';
-import { MerkleTreeOperationsFacade } from './merkle_tree_operations_facade.js';
+import { MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade } from './merkle_tree_operations_facade.js';
 import { WorldStateMetrics } from './metrics.js';
 
 /**
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ export class MerkleTrees implements MerkleTreeDb {
   /**
    * Initializes the collection of Merkle Trees.
    */
-  async #init() {
-    const fromDb = this.#isDbPopulated();
+  async #init(loadFromDb?: boolean) {
+    const fromDb = loadFromDb === undefined ? this.#isDbPopulated() : loadFromDb;
     const initializeTree = fromDb ? loadTree : newTree;
 
     const hasher = new Poseidon();
@@ -180,17 +180,14 @@ export class MerkleTrees implements MerkleTreeDb {
       const initialState = await this.getStateReference(true);
       await this.#saveInitialStateReference(initialState);
       await this.#updateArchive(this.getInitialHeader(), true);
-    }
 
-    await this.#commit();
+      // And commit anything we did to initialize this set of trees
+      await this.#commit();
+    }
   }
 
   public async fork(): Promise<MerkleTrees> {
     const [ms, db] = await elapsed(async () => {
-      // TODO(palla/prover-node): If the underlying store is being shared with other components, we're unnecessarily
-      // copying a lot of data unrelated to merkle trees. This may be fine for now, and we may be able to ditch backup-based
-      // forking in favor of a more elegant proposal. But if we see this operation starts taking a lot of time, we may want
-      // to open separate stores for merkle trees and other components.
       const forked = await this.store.fork();
       return MerkleTrees.new(forked, this.telemetryClient, this.log);
     });
@@ -199,6 +196,20 @@ export class MerkleTrees implements MerkleTreeDb {
     return db;
   }
 
+  // REFACTOR: We're hiding the `commit` operations in the tree behind a type check only, but
+  // we should make sure it's not accidentally called elsewhere by splitting this class into one
+  // that can work on a read-only store and one that actually writes to the store. This implies
+  // having read-only versions of the kv-stores, all kv-containers, and all trees.
+  public async ephemeralFork(): Promise<MerkleTreeDb> {
+    const forked = new MerkleTrees(
+      this.store,
+      this.telemetryClient,
+      createDebugLogger('aztec:merkle_trees:ephemeral_fork'),
+    );
+    await forked.#init(true);
+    return forked;
+  }
+
   public async delete() {
     await this.store.delete();
   }
@@ -218,16 +229,16 @@ export class MerkleTrees implements MerkleTreeDb {
    * Gets a view of this db that returns uncommitted data.
    * @returns - A facade for this instance.
    */
-  public asLatest(): MerkleTreeOperations {
-    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(this, true);
+  public asLatest(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
+    return new MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade(this, true);
   }
 
   /**
    * Gets a view of this db that returns committed data only.
    * @returns - A facade for this instance.
    */
-  public asCommitted(): MerkleTreeOperations {
-    return new MerkleTreeOperationsFacade(this, false);
+  public asCommitted(): MerkleTreeAdminOperations {
+    return new MerkleTreeAdminOperationsFacade(this, false);
   }
 
   /**