diff --git a/node/node.go b/node/node.go
index 516772a6d..12f683153 100644
--- a/node/node.go
+++ b/node/node.go
@@ -322,6 +322,10 @@ func (n *Node) startRPC() ([]net.Listener, error) {
 	n.ConfigureRPC()
 	listenAddrs := strings.Split(n.config.RPC.ListenAddress, ",")
 
+	if n.config.RPC.Unsafe {
+		rpccore.AddUnsafeRoutes()
+	}
+
 	// we may expose the rpc over both a unix and tcp socket
 	listeners := make([]net.Listener, len(listenAddrs))
 	for i, listenAddr := range listenAddrs {
diff --git a/test/p2p/data/core/init.sh b/test/p2p/data/core/init.sh
index 4a1575aab..12a42ed40 100755
--- a/test/p2p/data/core/init.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/data/core/init.sh
@@ -17,4 +17,4 @@ git fetch origin $BRANCH
 git checkout $BRANCH
 make install
 
-tendermint node --p2p.seeds="$TMSEEDS" --moniker="$TMNAME" --proxy_app="$PROXYAPP"
+tendermint node --p2p.seeds="$TMSEEDS" --moniker="$TMNAME" --proxy_app="$PROXYAPP" --rpc.unsafe
diff --git a/test/p2p/fast_sync/test_peer.sh b/test/p2p/fast_sync/test_peer.sh
index 8cfab1c13..8174be0e7 100644
--- a/test/p2p/fast_sync/test_peer.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/fast_sync/test_peer.sh
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ SEEDS="$(test/p2p/ip.sh 1):46656"
 for j in `seq 2 $N`; do
 	SEEDS="$SEEDS,$(test/p2p/ip.sh $j):46656"
 done
-bash test/p2p/peer.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $ID $PROXY_APP "--p2p.seeds $SEEDS --p2p.pex"
+bash test/p2p/peer.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME $ID $PROXY_APP "--p2p.seeds $SEEDS --p2p.pex --rpc.unsafe"
 
 # wait for peer to sync and check the app hash
 bash test/p2p/client.sh $DOCKER_IMAGE $NETWORK_NAME fs_$ID "test/p2p/fast_sync/check_peer.sh $ID"
diff --git a/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh b/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
index 301098fc2..f70bdf04c 100644
--- a/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/local_testnet_start.sh
@@ -20,5 +20,5 @@ cd "$GOPATH/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint"
 docker network create --driver bridge --subnet 172.57.0.0/16 "$NETWORK_NAME"
 
 for i in $(seq 1 "$N"); do
-	bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$i" "$APP_PROXY" "$SEEDS --p2p.pex"
+	bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$i" "$APP_PROXY" "$SEEDS --p2p.pex --rpc.unsafe"
 done
diff --git a/test/p2p/pex/test_addrbook.sh b/test/p2p/pex/test_addrbook.sh
index f724d3dd4..35dcb89d3 100644
--- a/test/p2p/pex/test_addrbook.sh
+++ b/test/p2p/pex/test_addrbook.sh
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ docker rm -vf "local_testnet_$ID"
 set -e
 
 # NOTE that we do not provide seeds
-bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$ID" "$PROXY_APP" "--p2p.pex"
+bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$ID" "$PROXY_APP" "--p2p.pex --rpc.unsafe"
 docker cp "/tmp/addrbook.json" "local_testnet_$ID:/go/src/github.com/tendermint/tendermint/test/p2p/data/mach1/core/addrbook.json"
 echo "with the following addrbook:"
 cat /tmp/addrbook.json
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ docker rm -vf "local_testnet_$ID"
 set -e 
 
 # NOTE that we do not provide seeds
-bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$ID" "$PROXY_APP" "--p2p.pex"
+bash test/p2p/peer.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$ID" "$PROXY_APP" "--p2p.pex --rpc.unsafe"
 
 # if the client runs forever, it means other peers have removed us from their books (which should not happen)
 bash test/p2p/client.sh "$DOCKER_IMAGE" "$NETWORK_NAME" "$CLIENT_NAME" "test/p2p/pex/check_peer.sh $ID $N"