diff --git a/lib/bcoin/chain.js b/lib/bcoin/chain.js
index 43e92db0..7b24049e 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/chain.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/chain.js
@@ -640,7 +640,7 @@ Chain.prototype.getDeployments = function getDeployments(block, prev, ancestors,
 
   // Only allow version 5 blocks (bip141 - segnet3)
   // once the majority of blocks are using it.
-  if (this.network.oldWitness) {
+  if (this.options.witness && this.network.oldWitness) {
     if (block.version < 5 && prev.isOutdated(5, ancestors))
       return callback(new VerifyError(block, 'obsolete', 'bad-version', 0));
   }
diff --git a/lib/bcoin/peer.js b/lib/bcoin/peer.js
index a2e36b05..7cc4d4b4 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/peer.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/peer.js
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ Peer.prototype._onAck = function _onAck(err) {
   // Let them know we support segwit (old
   // segwit3 nodes require this instead
   // of service bits).
-  if (this.network.oldWitness) {
+  if (this.pool.options.witness && this.network.oldWitness) {
     if (this.version.version >= 70012)
       this.write(this.framer.haveWitness());
   }