diff --git a/core/coreapi/unixfs.go b/core/coreapi/unixfs.go
index 452e6017bc1..860574945d7 100644
--- a/core/coreapi/unixfs.go
+++ b/core/coreapi/unixfs.go
@@ -3,14 +3,6 @@ package coreapi
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"sync"
-
-	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/core"
-	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/tracing"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
-
-	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/coreunix"
 
 	blockservice "github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockservice"
 	bstore "github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockstore"
@@ -21,41 +13,23 @@ import (
 	ft "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/unixfs"
 	unixfile "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/unixfs/file"
 	uio "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/unixfs/io"
-	mfs "github.com/ipfs/boxo/mfs"
+	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/mfs"
 	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/path"
 	cid "github.com/ipfs/go-cid"
 	cidutil "github.com/ipfs/go-cidutil"
+	ds "github.com/ipfs/go-datastore"
+	dssync "github.com/ipfs/go-datastore/sync"
 	ipld "github.com/ipfs/go-ipld-format"
 	coreiface "github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/coreiface"
 	options "github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/coreiface/options"
+	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/core/coreunix"
+	"github.com/ipfs/kubo/tracing"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 )
 
 type UnixfsAPI CoreAPI
 
-var (
-	nilNode *core.IpfsNode
-	once    sync.Once
-)
-
-func getOrCreateNilNode() (*core.IpfsNode, error) {
-	once.Do(func() {
-		if nilNode != nil {
-			return
-		}
-		node, err := core.NewNode(context.Background(), &core.BuildCfg{
-			// TODO: need this to be true or all files
-			// hashed will be stored in memory!
-			NilRepo: true,
-		})
-		if err != nil {
-			panic(err)
-		}
-		nilNode = node
-	})
-
-	return nilNode, nil
-}
-
 // Add builds a merkledag node from a reader, adds it to the blockstore,
 // and returns the key representing that node.
 func (api *UnixfsAPI) Add(ctx context.Context, files files.Node, opts ...options.UnixfsAddOption) (path.ImmutablePath, error) {
@@ -108,13 +82,12 @@ func (api *UnixfsAPI) Add(ctx context.Context, files files.Node, opts ...options
 	pinning := api.pinning
 
 	if settings.OnlyHash {
-		node, err := getOrCreateNilNode()
-		if err != nil {
-			return path.ImmutablePath{}, err
-		}
-		addblockstore = node.Blockstore
-		exch = node.Exchange
-		pinning = node.Pinning
+		// setup a /dev/null pipeline to simulate adding the data
+		dstore := dssync.MutexWrap(ds.NewNullDatastore())
+		bs := bstore.NewBlockstore(dstore, bstore.WriteThrough())
+		addblockstore = bstore.NewGCBlockstore(bs, nil) // gclocker will never be used
+		exch = nil                                      // exchange will never be used
+		pinning = nil                                   // pinner will never be used
 	}
 
 	bserv := blockservice.New(addblockstore, exch) // hash security 001
@@ -133,11 +106,11 @@ func (api *UnixfsAPI) Add(ctx context.Context, files files.Node, opts ...options
 		syncDserv = &syncDagService{
 			DAGService: dserv,
 			syncFn: func() error {
-				ds := api.repo.Datastore()
-				if err := ds.Sync(ctx, bstore.BlockPrefix); err != nil {
+				rds := api.repo.Datastore()
+				if err := rds.Sync(ctx, bstore.BlockPrefix); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
-				return ds.Sync(ctx, filestore.FilestorePrefix)
+				return rds.Sync(ctx, filestore.FilestorePrefix)
 			},
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/core/node/builder.go b/core/node/builder.go
index 57fa209457a..411e3228c78 100644
--- a/core/node/builder.go
+++ b/core/node/builder.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"encoding/base64"
-	"errors"
 
 	"go.uber.org/fx"
 
@@ -34,9 +33,6 @@ type BuildCfg struct {
 	// DO NOT SET THIS UNLESS YOU'RE TESTING.
 	DisableEncryptedConnections bool
 
-	// If NilRepo is set, a Repo backed by a nil datastore will be constructed
-	NilRepo bool
-
 	Routing libp2p.RoutingOption
 	Host    libp2p.HostOption
 	Repo    repo.Repo
@@ -51,18 +47,8 @@ func (cfg *BuildCfg) getOpt(key string) bool {
 }
 
 func (cfg *BuildCfg) fillDefaults() error {
-	if cfg.Repo != nil && cfg.NilRepo {
-		return errors.New("cannot set a Repo and specify nilrepo at the same time")
-	}
-
 	if cfg.Repo == nil {
-		var d ds.Datastore
-		if cfg.NilRepo {
-			d = ds.NewNullDatastore()
-		} else {
-			d = ds.NewMapDatastore()
-		}
-		r, err := defaultRepo(dsync.MutexWrap(d))
+		r, err := defaultRepo(dsync.MutexWrap(ds.NewMapDatastore()))
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/core/node/groups.go b/core/node/groups.go
index 061087c276b..c0270bbe15f 100644
--- a/core/node/groups.go
+++ b/core/node/groups.go
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func Storage(bcfg *BuildCfg, cfg *config.Config) fx.Option {
 	return fx.Options(
 		fx.Provide(RepoConfig),
 		fx.Provide(Datastore),
-		fx.Provide(BaseBlockstoreCtor(cacheOpts, bcfg.NilRepo, cfg.Datastore.HashOnRead)),
+		fx.Provide(BaseBlockstoreCtor(cacheOpts, cfg.Datastore.HashOnRead)),
 		finalBstore,
 	)
 }
diff --git a/core/node/storage.go b/core/node/storage.go
index 782ff58f043..a303ddc23a3 100644
--- a/core/node/storage.go
+++ b/core/node/storage.go
@@ -27,17 +27,14 @@ func Datastore(repo repo.Repo) datastore.Datastore {
 type BaseBlocks blockstore.Blockstore
 
 // BaseBlockstoreCtor creates cached blockstore backed by the provided datastore
-func BaseBlockstoreCtor(cacheOpts blockstore.CacheOpts, nilRepo bool, hashOnRead bool) func(mctx helpers.MetricsCtx, repo repo.Repo, lc fx.Lifecycle) (bs BaseBlocks, err error) {
+func BaseBlockstoreCtor(cacheOpts blockstore.CacheOpts, hashOnRead bool) func(mctx helpers.MetricsCtx, repo repo.Repo, lc fx.Lifecycle) (bs BaseBlocks, err error) {
 	return func(mctx helpers.MetricsCtx, repo repo.Repo, lc fx.Lifecycle) (bs BaseBlocks, err error) {
 		// hash security
 		bs = blockstore.NewBlockstore(repo.Datastore())
 		bs = &verifbs.VerifBS{Blockstore: bs}
-
-		if !nilRepo {
-			bs, err = blockstore.CachedBlockstore(helpers.LifecycleCtx(mctx, lc), bs, cacheOpts)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
+		bs, err = blockstore.CachedBlockstore(helpers.LifecycleCtx(mctx, lc), bs, cacheOpts)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
 		}
 
 		bs = blockstore.NewIdStore(bs)