diff --git a/client/cmd/genesis.go b/client/cmd/genesis.go
index d0aa5e265e5076f072b634e1f460674aefc0e79a..fcb4e8d95686041b09144d930be2f5f136db472d 100644
--- a/client/cmd/genesis.go
+++ b/client/cmd/genesis.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package commands
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/eris-ltd/eris-db/genesis"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -25,8 +27,11 @@ var GenesisGenCmd = &cobra.Command{
 
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 
-		genesis.GenerateKnown(args[0], AccountsPathFlag, ValidatorsPathFlag)
-
+		genesisFile, err := genesis.GenerateKnown(args[0], AccountsPathFlag, ValidatorsPathFlag)
+		if err != nil {
+			panic(err)
+		}
+		fmt.Println(genesisFile) // may want to save somewhere instead
 	},
 }
 
diff --git a/genesis/make_genesis_file.go b/genesis/make_genesis_file.go
index 10de053047a01505dd118a388c8e3cf94c2d366f..79454fe948de2d3240d190ec5d3f97646fa463fb 100644
--- a/genesis/make_genesis_file.go
+++ b/genesis/make_genesis_file.go
@@ -20,23 +20,23 @@ import (
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // core functions
 
-func GenerateKnown(chainID, accountsPathCSV, validatorsPathCSV string) error {
+func GenerateKnown(chainID, accountsPathCSV, validatorsPathCSV string) (string, error) {
 	var genDoc *stypes.GenesisDoc
 
 	// TODO [eb] eliminate reading priv_val ... [zr] where?
 	if accountsPathCSV == "" || validatorsPathCSV == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("both accounts.csv and validators.csv is required")
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("both accounts.csv and validators.csv is required")
 
 	}
 
 	pubkeys, amts, names, perms, setbits, err := parseCsv(validatorsPathCSV)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	pubkeysA, amtsA, namesA, permsA, setbitsA, err := parseCsv(accountsPathCSV)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return "", err
 	}
 
 	genDoc = newGenDoc(chainID, len(pubkeys), len(pubkeysA))
@@ -50,15 +50,13 @@ func GenerateKnown(chainID, accountsPathCSV, validatorsPathCSV string) error {
 	buf, buf2, n := new(bytes.Buffer), new(bytes.Buffer), new(int)
 	wire.WriteJSON(genDoc, buf, n, &err)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return "", err
 	}
 	if err := json.Indent(buf2, buf.Bytes(), "", "\t"); err != nil {
-		return err
+		return "", err
 	}
-	genesisString := buf2.String()
-	fmt.Println(genesisString)
 
-	return nil
+	return buf2.String(), nil
 }
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------