diff --git a/DOCKER/chain_api.sh b/DOCKER/chain_api.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 8fecb978619334a8394d279d28d00e45e2ff48d1..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/DOCKER/chain_api.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#! /bin/bash
-
-echo "Running chain $CHAIN_ID (via ErisDB API)"
-erisdb $TMROOT
diff --git a/DOCKER/chain_new.sh b/DOCKER/chain_new.sh
index 6adc42f5e4e2c5fdf105fb06968896ebdb6a9e55..e696429a2c8310e68d793245d3de2108cf3b725f 100755
--- a/DOCKER/chain_new.sh
+++ b/DOCKER/chain_new.sh
@@ -26,11 +26,12 @@ else
 	cat $CHAIN_DIR/config.toml
 fi
 
-if [ "$RUN" = "true" ]; then
-	tendermint node
-	ifExit "Error starting tendermint"
+if [ $ERISDB_API ]; then
+	echo "Running chain $CHAIN_ID (via ErisDB API)"
+	erisdb $TMROOT
+	ifExit "Error starting erisdb"
 else
-	# this will just run for a second and quit
-	tendermint node & last_pid=$! && sleep 1 && kill -KILL $last_pid
+	echo Running chain $CHAIN_ID
+	tendermint node
 	ifExit "Error starting tendermint"
 fi
diff --git a/DOCKER/chain_run.sh b/DOCKER/chain_run.sh
index 7734f65e6478117aa72d9bc91137a90fff9be196..6728d41c74ca619f410c1407ea7762018637cb67 100755
--- a/DOCKER/chain_run.sh
+++ b/DOCKER/chain_run.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
 #! /bin/bash
 
-echo Running chain $CHAIN_ID
-tendermint node
+if [ $ERISDB_API ]; then
+	echo "Running chain $CHAIN_ID (via ErisDB API)"
+	erisdb $TMROOT
+	ifExit "Error starting erisdb"
+else
+	echo Running chain $CHAIN_ID
+	tendermint node
+	ifExit "Error starting tendermint"
+fi
diff --git a/DOCKER/start.sh b/DOCKER/start.sh
index b688812756fa147e87455b069400120f03736002..565163493b4f35f92d947d19c07d8ded828f3a91 100755
--- a/DOCKER/start.sh
+++ b/DOCKER/start.sh
@@ -108,8 +108,6 @@ case $CMD in
 	;;
 "run" ) $ECM_PATH/chain_run.sh
 	;;
-"api" ) $ECM_PATH/chain_api.sh
-  ;;
 *)	echo "Enter a command for starting the chain (install, new, run, api)"
 	;;
 esac