diff --git a/jsonrpc/eth_endpoint.go b/jsonrpc/eth_endpoint.go
index dc7e36e30e..5c922a17d8 100644
--- a/jsonrpc/eth_endpoint.go
+++ b/jsonrpc/eth_endpoint.go
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func NewEth(
 		err      error
 	)
 
-	if secretsManager != nil {
+	if secretsManager != nil && secretsManager.HasSecret(secrets.ValidatorKey) {
 		ecdsaKey, err = polyWallet.GetEcdsaFromSecret(secretsManager)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read account ECDSA key: %w", err)