diff --git a/server/start.go b/server/start.go
index 2a2a1af886e..b8565a87a35 100644
--- a/server/start.go
+++ b/server/start.go
@@ -252,12 +252,20 @@ func startInProcess(ctx *Context, clientCtx client.Context, appCreator types.App
 	}
 	ctx.Logger.Debug("Initialization: tmNode started")
 
-	// Add the tx service to the gRPC router.
-	app.RegisterTxService(clientCtx)
+	config := config.GetConfig(ctx.Viper)
+
+	// Add the tx service to the gRPC router. We only need to register this
+	// service if API or gRPC is enabled, and avoid doing so in the general
+	// case, because it spawns a new local tendermint RPC client.
+	if config.API.Enable || config.GRPC.Enable {
+		clientCtx = clientCtx.
+			WithClient(local.New(tmNode))
+
+		app.RegisterTxService(clientCtx)
+	}
 
 	var apiSrv *api.Server
 
-	config := config.GetConfig(ctx.Viper)
 	if config.API.Enable {
 		genDoc, err := genDocProvider()
 		if err != nil {
@@ -266,8 +274,7 @@ func startInProcess(ctx *Context, clientCtx client.Context, appCreator types.App
 
 		clientCtx := clientCtx.
 			WithHomeDir(home).
-			WithChainID(genDoc.ChainID).
-			WithClient(local.New(tmNode))
+			WithChainID(genDoc.ChainID)
 
 		apiSrv = api.New(clientCtx, ctx.Logger.With("module", "api-server"))
 		app.RegisterAPIRoutes(apiSrv, config.API)