diff --git a/app/app.go b/app/app.go
index 7ce5f986b..2dedfdf88 100644
--- a/app/app.go
+++ b/app/app.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http/pprof"
 	"time"
 
+	eth2client "github.com/attestantio/go-eth2-client"
 	eth2v1 "github.com/attestantio/go-eth2-client/api/v1"
 	eth2http "github.com/attestantio/go-eth2-client/http"
 	eth2p0 "github.com/attestantio/go-eth2-client/spec/phase0"
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ValidatorAPIAddr string
 	BeaconNodeAddr   string
 	JaegerAddr       string
+	Simnet           bool
 	SimnetVMock      bool
 
 	TestConfig TestConfig
@@ -84,8 +86,6 @@ type TestConfig struct {
 	ParSigExFunc func() core.ParSigEx
 	// LcastTransportFunc provides an in-memory leader cast transport.
 	LcastTransportFunc func() leadercast.Transport
-	// DisableSimnet disables the simnet.
-	DisableSimnet bool
 	// SimnetKeys provides private key shares for the simnet validatormock signer.
 	SimnetKeys []*bls_sig.SecretKey
 	// SimnetBMockOpts defines additional simnet beacon mock options.
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ func Run(ctx context.Context, conf Config) (err error) {
 
 	wireMonitoringAPI(life, conf.MonitoringAddr, localEnode)
 
-	if err := wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life, conf, manifest, nodeIdx, tcpNode); err != nil {
+	if err := wireCoreWorkflow(ctx, life, conf, manifest, nodeIdx, tcpNode); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -199,13 +199,9 @@ func wireP2P(ctx context.Context, life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest
 	return tcpNode, localEnode, nil
 }
 
-// wireSimNetCoreWorkflow wires a simnet core workflow including a beaconmock and validatormock.
-//nolint:cyclop
-func wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manifest, nodeIdx NodeIdx, tcpNode host.Host) error {
-	if conf.TestConfig.DisableSimnet {
-		return nil
-	}
-
+// wireCoreWorkflow wires the core workflow components.
+//nolint:cyclop,revive
+func wireCoreWorkflow(ctx context.Context, life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manifest, nodeIdx NodeIdx, tcpNode host.Host) error {
 	// Convert and prep public keys and public shares
 	var (
 		corePubkeys    []core.PubKey
@@ -243,25 +239,40 @@ func wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manif
 		pubshares = append(pubshares, eth2Share)
 	}
 
-	// Configure the beacon mock.
-	opts := []beaconmock.Option{
-		beaconmock.WithSlotDuration(time.Second),
-		beaconmock.WithDeterministicDuties(100),
-		beaconmock.WithValidatorSet(createMockValidators(pubkeys)),
-	}
-	opts = append(opts, conf.TestConfig.SimnetBMockOpts...)
-	bmock, err := beaconmock.New(opts...)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	// Configure the beacon node api.
+	var eth2Cl eth2client.Service
+	if conf.Simnet {
+		// Configure the beacon mock.
+		opts := []beaconmock.Option{
+			beaconmock.WithSlotDuration(time.Second),
+			beaconmock.WithDeterministicDuties(100),
+			beaconmock.WithValidatorSet(createMockValidators(pubkeys)),
+		}
+		opts = append(opts, conf.TestConfig.SimnetBMockOpts...)
+		bmock, err := beaconmock.New(opts...)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		conf.BeaconNodeAddr = bmock.HTTPAddr()
+		eth2Cl = bmock
+		life.RegisterStop(lifecycle.StopBeaconMock, lifecycle.HookFuncErr(bmock.Close))
+	} else {
+		var err error
+		eth2Cl, err = eth2http.New(ctx,
+			eth2http.WithLogLevel(1),
+			eth2http.WithAddress(conf.BeaconNodeAddr),
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.Wrap(err, "new eth2 http client")
+		}
 	}
-	conf.BeaconNodeAddr = bmock.HTTPAddr()
 
-	sched, err := scheduler.New(corePubkeys, bmock)
+	sched, err := scheduler.New(corePubkeys, eth2Cl)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	fetch, err := fetcher.New(bmock)
+	fetch, err := fetcher.New(eth2Cl)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -277,7 +288,7 @@ func wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manif
 
 	dutyDB := dutydb.NewMemDB()
 
-	vapi, err := validatorapi.NewComponent(bmock, pubSharesByKey, nodeIdx.ShareIdx)
+	vapi, err := validatorapi.NewComponent(eth2Cl, pubSharesByKey, nodeIdx.ShareIdx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -299,7 +310,7 @@ func wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manif
 
 	aggSigDB := aggsigdb.Stub{}
 
-	broadcaster, err := bcast.New(bmock)
+	broadcaster, err := bcast.New(eth2Cl)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -318,7 +329,6 @@ func wireSimNetCoreWorkflow(life *lifecycle.Manager, conf Config, manifest Manif
 	life.RegisterStart(lifecycle.AsyncAppCtx, lifecycle.StartLeaderCast, lifecycle.HookFunc(consensus.Run))
 	life.RegisterStart(lifecycle.AsyncBackground, lifecycle.StartScheduler, lifecycle.HookFuncErr(sched.Run))
 	life.RegisterStop(lifecycle.StopScheduler, lifecycle.HookFuncMin(sched.Stop))
-	life.RegisterStop(lifecycle.StopBeaconMock, lifecycle.HookFuncErr(bmock.Close))
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -418,7 +428,7 @@ func (h httpServeHook) Call(context.Context) error {
 // wireValidatorMock wires the validator mock if enabled. The validator mock attestions
 // will be triggered by scheduler's DutyAttester. It connects via http validatorapi.Router.
 func wireValidatorMock(conf Config, pubshares []eth2p0.BLSPubKey, sched core.Scheduler) error {
-	if !conf.SimnetVMock {
+	if !conf.Simnet || !conf.SimnetVMock {
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/app/app_test.go b/app/app_test.go
index 3e3985875..f115d8993 100644
--- a/app/app_test.go
+++ b/app/app_test.go
@@ -117,13 +117,13 @@ func pingCluster(t *testing.T, test pingTest) {
 
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
 		conf := app.Config{
+			Simnet:           true,
 			MonitoringAddr:   testutil.AvailableAddr(t).String(), // Random monitoring address
 			ValidatorAPIAddr: testutil.AvailableAddr(t).String(), // Random validatorapi address
 			TestConfig: app.TestConfig{
-				Manifest:      &manifest,
-				P2PKey:        p2pKeys[i],
-				PingCallback:  asserter.Callback(t, i),
-				DisableSimnet: true,
+				Manifest:     &manifest,
+				P2PKey:       p2pKeys[i],
+				PingCallback: asserter.Callback(t, i),
 			},
 			P2P: p2p.Config{
 				UDPBootnodes:    test.Bootnodes,
diff --git a/app/simnet_test.go b/app/simnet_test.go
index 5f489f43c..8ea4ba918 100644
--- a/app/simnet_test.go
+++ b/app/simnet_test.go
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ func testSimnet(t *testing.T, args simnetArgs) {
 	)
 	for i := 0; i < args.N; i++ {
 		conf := app.Config{
+			Simnet:           true,
 			SimnetVMock:      args.VMocks[i],
 			MonitoringAddr:   testutil.AvailableAddr(t).String(), // Random monitoring address
 			ValidatorAPIAddr: args.VAPIAddrs[i],
diff --git a/cmd/run.go b/cmd/run.go
index 20dbd1a1b..e030fd957 100644
--- a/cmd/run.go
+++ b/cmd/run.go
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ func bindRunFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet, config *app.Config) {
 	flags.StringVar(&config.MonitoringAddr, "monitoring-address", "127.0.0.1:8088", "Listening address (ip and port) for the monitoring API (prometheus, pprof)")
 	flags.StringVar(&config.JaegerAddr, "jaeger-address", "", "Listening address for jaeger tracing")
 	flags.BoolVar(&config.SimnetVMock, "simnet-validator-mock", false, "Enables mock validator when running simnet.")
+	flags.BoolVar(&config.Simnet, "simnet", false, "Enables simnet, starts and connect to a mock beacon node.")
 }
 
 func bindGeneralFlags(flags *pflag.FlagSet, dataDir *string) {
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index c8b7c81e1..4c4979c4c 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ Flags:
       --p2p-peerdb string              Path to store a discv5 peer database. Empty default results in in-memory database.
       --p2p-tcp-address strings        Comma-separated list of listening TCP addresses (ip and port) for LibP2P traffic (default [127.0.0.1:13900])
       --p2p-udp-address string         Listening UDP address (ip and port) for Discv5 discovery (default "127.0.0.1:30309")
+      --simnet                         Enables simnet, starts and connect to a mock beacon node.
       --simnet-validator-mock          Enables mock validator when running simnet.
       --validator-api-address string   Listening address (ip and port) for validator-facing traffic proxying the beacon-node API (default "127.0.0.1:3500")