diff --git a/internal/consensus/common_test.go b/internal/consensus/common_test.go
index b0f22e54f..18a6310c3 100644
--- a/internal/consensus/common_test.go
+++ b/internal/consensus/common_test.go
@@ -885,8 +885,11 @@ func randConsensusNetWithPeers(
 
 		app := appFunc(logger, filepath.Join(cfg.DBDir(), fmt.Sprintf("%s_%d", testName, i)))
 		vals := types.TM2PB.ValidatorUpdates(state.Validators)
-		if _, ok := app.(*kvstore.PersistentKVStoreApplication); ok {
-			// simulate handshake, receive app version. If don't do this, replay test will fail
+		switch app.(type) {
+		// simulate handshake, receive app version. If don't do this, replay test will fail
+		case *kvstore.PersistentKVStoreApplication:
+			state.Version.Consensus.App = kvstore.ProtocolVersion
+		case *kvstore.Application:
 			state.Version.Consensus.App = kvstore.ProtocolVersion
 		}
 		app.InitChain(abci.RequestInitChain{Validators: vals})
@@ -973,10 +976,6 @@ func newEpehemeralKVStore(_ log.Logger, _ string) abci.Application {
 	return kvstore.NewApplication()
 }
 
-func newPersistentKVStore(logger log.Logger, dbDir string) abci.Application {
-	return kvstore.NewPersistentKVStoreApplication(logger, dbDir)
-}
-
 func signDataIsEqual(v1 *types.Vote, v2 *tmproto.Vote) bool {
 	if v1 == nil || v2 == nil {
 		return false
diff --git a/internal/consensus/replay_test.go b/internal/consensus/replay_test.go
index c735e9977..66e890b83 100644
--- a/internal/consensus/replay_test.go
+++ b/internal/consensus/replay_test.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"math/rand"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -338,13 +337,13 @@ func setupSimulator(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T) *simulatorTestSuite {
 		nPeers,
 		"replay_test",
 		newMockTickerFunc(true),
-		newPersistentKVStore)
+		newEpehemeralKVStore)
 	sim.Config = cfg
+	defer func() { t.Cleanup(cleanup) }()
 
 	var err error
 	sim.GenesisState, err = sm.MakeGenesisState(genDoc)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	sim.CleanupFunc = cleanup
 
 	partSize := types.BlockPartSizeBytes
 
@@ -584,9 +583,6 @@ func setupSimulator(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T) *simulatorTestSuite {
 		sim.Chain = append(sim.Chain, css[0].blockStore.LoadBlock(int64(i)))
 		sim.Commits = append(sim.Commits, css[0].blockStore.LoadBlockCommit(int64(i)))
 	}
-	if sim.CleanupFunc != nil {
-		t.Cleanup(sim.CleanupFunc)
-	}
 
 	return sim
 }
@@ -743,19 +739,14 @@ func testHandshakeReplay(
 	)
 	latestAppHash := state.AppHash
 
-	// make a new client creator
-	kvstoreApp := kvstore.NewPersistentKVStoreApplication(logger,
-		filepath.Join(cfg.DBDir(), fmt.Sprintf("replay_test_%d_%d_a_r%d", nBlocks, mode, rand.Int())))
-	t.Cleanup(func() { require.NoError(t, kvstoreApp.Close()) })
-
 	eventBus := eventbus.NewDefault(logger)
 	require.NoError(t, eventBus.Start(ctx))
 
-	clientCreator2 := abciclient.NewLocalClient(logger, kvstoreApp)
+	client := abciclient.NewLocalClient(logger, kvstore.NewApplication())
 	if nBlocks > 0 {
 		// run nBlocks against a new client to build up the app state.
 		// use a throwaway tendermint state
-		proxyApp := proxy.New(clientCreator2, logger, proxy.NopMetrics())
+		proxyApp := proxy.New(client, logger, proxy.NopMetrics())
 		stateDB1 := dbm.NewMemDB()
 		stateStore := sm.NewStore(stateDB1)
 		err := stateStore.Save(genesisState)
@@ -776,7 +767,7 @@ func testHandshakeReplay(
 	genDoc, err := sm.MakeGenesisDocFromFile(cfg.GenesisFile())
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	handshaker := NewHandshaker(logger, stateStore, state, store, eventBus, genDoc)
-	proxyApp := proxy.New(clientCreator2, logger, proxy.NopMetrics())
+	proxyApp := proxy.New(client, logger, proxy.NopMetrics())
 	require.NoError(t, proxyApp.Start(ctx), "Error starting proxy app connections")
 	require.True(t, proxyApp.IsRunning())
 	require.NotNil(t, proxyApp)
@@ -905,10 +896,7 @@ func buildTMStateFromChain(
 	t.Helper()
 
 	// run the whole chain against this client to build up the tendermint state
-	kvstoreApp := kvstore.NewPersistentKVStoreApplication(logger,
-		filepath.Join(cfg.DBDir(), fmt.Sprintf("replay_test_%d_%d_t", nBlocks, mode)))
-	defer kvstoreApp.Close()
-	client := abciclient.NewLocalClient(logger, kvstoreApp)
+	client := abciclient.NewLocalClient(logger, kvstore.NewApplication())
 
 	proxyApp := proxy.New(client, logger, proxy.NopMetrics())
 	require.NoError(t, proxyApp.Start(ctx))
diff --git a/internal/consensus/wal_generator.go b/internal/consensus/wal_generator.go
index e99c054c0..b2e2e7131 100644
--- a/internal/consensus/wal_generator.go
+++ b/internal/consensus/wal_generator.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	mrand "math/rand"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -26,18 +25,17 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 )
 
-// WALGenerateNBlocks generates a consensus WAL. It does this by spinning up a
-// stripped down version of node (proxy app, event bus, consensus state) with a
-// persistent kvstore application and special consensus wal instance
-// (byteBufferWAL) and waits until numBlocks are created.
+// WALGenerateNBlocks generates a consensus WAL. It does this by
+// spinning up a stripped down version of node (proxy app, event bus,
+// consensus state) with a kvstore application and special consensus
+// wal instance (byteBufferWAL) and waits until numBlocks are created.
 // If the node fails to produce given numBlocks, it fails the test.
 func WALGenerateNBlocks(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, logger log.Logger, wr io.Writer, numBlocks int) {
 	t.Helper()
 
 	cfg := getConfig(t)
 
-	app := kvstore.NewPersistentKVStoreApplication(logger, filepath.Join(cfg.DBDir(), "wal_generator"))
-	t.Cleanup(func() { require.NoError(t, app.Close()) })
+	app := kvstore.NewApplication()
 
 	logger.Info("generating WAL (last height msg excluded)", "numBlocks", numBlocks)