diff --git a/binaries/cuprated/Cargo.toml b/binaries/cuprated/Cargo.toml
index c01e2cca..a04c0be2 100644
--- a/binaries/cuprated/Cargo.toml
+++ b/binaries/cuprated/Cargo.toml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ tracing-subscriber = { workspace = true, features = ["default"] }
 #workspace = true
 
 [profile.dev]
-panic = 'abort'
+panic = "abort"
 
 [profile.release]
-panic = 'abort'
+panic = "abort"
diff --git a/binaries/cuprated/src/blockchain.rs b/binaries/cuprated/src/blockchain.rs
index c0b7e6ce..366f9620 100644
--- a/binaries/cuprated/src/blockchain.rs
+++ b/binaries/cuprated/src/blockchain.rs
@@ -2,28 +2,29 @@
 //!
 //! Will contain the chain manager and syncer.
 
-use crate::blockchain::manager::BlockchainManager;
-use crate::blockchain::types::{
-    ChainService, ConcreteBlockVerifierService, ConcreteTxVerifierService,
-    ConsensusBlockchainReadHandle,
-};
+use tokio::sync::mpsc;
+use tower::{Service, ServiceExt};
+
 use cuprate_blockchain::service::{BlockchainReadHandle, BlockchainWriteHandle};
 use cuprate_consensus::{generate_genesis_block, BlockChainContextService, ContextConfig};
 use cuprate_cryptonight::cryptonight_hash_v0;
-use cuprate_p2p::block_downloader::BlockDownloaderConfig;
-use cuprate_p2p::NetworkInterface;
+use cuprate_p2p::{block_downloader::BlockDownloaderConfig, NetworkInterface};
 use cuprate_p2p_core::{ClearNet, Network};
-use cuprate_types::blockchain::{
-    BlockchainReadRequest, BlockchainResponse, BlockchainWriteRequest,
+use cuprate_types::{
+    blockchain::{BlockchainReadRequest, BlockchainWriteRequest},
+    VerifiedBlockInformation,
 };
-use cuprate_types::VerifiedBlockInformation;
-use tokio::sync::mpsc;
-use tower::{Service, ServiceExt};
 
 mod manager;
 mod syncer;
 mod types;
 
+use manager::BlockchainManager;
+use types::{
+    ChainService, ConcreteBlockVerifierService, ConcreteTxVerifierService,
+    ConsensusBlockchainReadHandle,
+};
+
 pub async fn check_add_genesis(
     blockchain_read_handle: &mut BlockchainReadHandle,
     blockchain_write_handle: &mut BlockchainWriteHandle,
diff --git a/binaries/cuprated/src/config.rs b/binaries/cuprated/src/config.rs
index d613c1fc..1fd02f74 100644
--- a/binaries/cuprated/src/config.rs
+++ b/binaries/cuprated/src/config.rs
@@ -1 +1,21 @@
 //! cuprated config
+
+use cuprate_blockchain::config::{
+    Config as BlockchainConfig, ConfigBuilder as BlockchainConfigBuilder,
+};
+
+pub fn config() -> CupratedConfig {
+    // TODO: read config options from the conf files & cli args.
+
+    CupratedConfig {}
+}
+
+pub struct CupratedConfig {
+    // TODO: expose config options we want to allow changing.
+}
+
+impl CupratedConfig {
+    pub fn blockchain_config(&self) -> BlockchainConfig {
+        BlockchainConfigBuilder::new().fast().build()
+    }
+}
diff --git a/binaries/cuprated/src/main.rs b/binaries/cuprated/src/main.rs
index 5ccb8382..023c3a81 100644
--- a/binaries/cuprated/src/main.rs
+++ b/binaries/cuprated/src/main.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 use crate::blockchain::check_add_genesis;
+use crate::config::CupratedConfig;
 use clap::Parser;
 use cuprate_p2p::block_downloader::BlockDownloaderConfig;
 use cuprate_p2p::P2PConfig;
 use cuprate_p2p_core::Network;
 use std::time::Duration;
+use tokio::runtime::Runtime;
 use tracing::Level;
 
 mod blockchain;
@@ -12,22 +14,15 @@ mod p2p;
 mod rpc;
 mod txpool;
 
-#[derive(Parser)]
-struct Args {}
 fn main() {
-    let _args = Args::parse();
+    let config = config::config();
 
-    tracing_subscriber::fmt()
-        .with_max_level(Level::DEBUG)
-        .init();
+    init_log(&config);
 
     let (mut bc_read_handle, mut bc_write_handle, _) =
-        cuprate_blockchain::service::init(cuprate_blockchain::config::Config::default()).unwrap();
+        cuprate_blockchain::service::init(config.blockchain_config()).unwrap();
 
-    let async_rt = tokio::runtime::Builder::new_multi_thread()
-        .enable_all()
-        .build()
-        .unwrap();
+    let async_rt = init_tokio_rt(&config);
 
     async_rt.block_on(async move {
         check_add_genesis(&mut bc_read_handle, &mut bc_write_handle, &Network::Mainnet).await;
@@ -62,6 +57,21 @@ fn main() {
             block_verifier,
         );
 
-        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::MAX).await;
+        futures::future::pending::<()>().await;
     });
+
+    // TODO: add command handling.
+}
+
+fn init_log(_config: &CupratedConfig) {
+    tracing_subscriber::fmt()
+        .with_max_level(Level::DEBUG)
+        .init();
+}
+
+fn init_tokio_rt(_config: &CupratedConfig) -> Runtime {
+    tokio::runtime::Builder::new_multi_thread()
+        .enable_all()
+        .build()
+        .unwrap()
 }
diff --git a/consensus/src/transactions.rs b/consensus/src/transactions.rs
index 82d3100e..23f7a4d1 100644
--- a/consensus/src/transactions.rs
+++ b/consensus/src/transactions.rs
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ async fn verify_transactions_decoy_info<D>(
 where
     D: Database + Clone + Sync + Send + 'static,
 {
-    if hf == HardFork::V1 {
+    if hf == HardFork::V1 || txs.is_empty() {
         return Ok(());
     }