diff --git a/chain/consensus/compute_state.go b/chain/consensus/compute_state.go
index cfb2cdf31c..4d586b254b 100644
--- a/chain/consensus/compute_state.go
+++ b/chain/consensus/compute_state.go
@@ -79,8 +79,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 	bms []FilecoinBlockMessages,
 	epoch abi.ChainEpoch,
 	r vm.Rand,
-	em stmgr.ExecMonitor,
-	vmTracing bool,
+	opts *stmgr.ExecutorOpts,
 	baseFee abi.TokenAmount,
 	ts *types.TipSet) (cid.Cid, cid.Cid, error) {
 	done := metrics.Timer(ctx, metrics.VMApplyBlocksTotal)
@@ -91,6 +90,11 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 		partDone()
 	}()
 
+	bs := sm.ChainStore().StateBlockstore()
+	if opts.DiscardState {
+		bs = blockstore.NewBuffered(bs)
+	}
+
 	ctx = blockstore.WithHotView(ctx)
 	makeVm := func(base cid.Cid, e abi.ChainEpoch, timestamp uint64) (vm.Interface, error) {
 		vmopt := &vm.VMOpts{
@@ -98,7 +102,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 			Epoch:          e,
 			Timestamp:      timestamp,
 			Rand:           r,
-			Bstore:         sm.ChainStore().StateBlockstore(),
+			Bstore:         bs,
 			Actors:         NewActorRegistry(),
 			Syscalls:       sm.Syscalls,
 			CircSupplyCalc: sm.GetVMCirculatingSupply,
@@ -106,7 +110,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 			BaseFee:        baseFee,
 			LookbackState:  stmgr.LookbackStateGetterForTipset(sm, ts),
 			TipSetGetter:   stmgr.TipSetGetterForTipset(sm.ChainStore(), ts),
-			Tracing:        vmTracing,
+			Tracing:        opts.VmTracing,
 			ReturnEvents:   sm.ChainStore().IsStoringEvents(),
 		}
 
@@ -130,7 +134,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 			return xerrors.Errorf("running cron: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		if em != nil {
+		if em := opts.ExecMonitor; em != nil {
 			if err := em.MessageApplied(ctx, ts, cronMsg.Cid(), cronMsg, ret, true); err != nil {
 				return xerrors.Errorf("callback failed on cron message: %w", err)
 			}
@@ -175,7 +179,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 
 		// handle state forks
 		// XXX: The state tree
-		pstate, err = sm.HandleStateForks(ctx, pstate, i, em, ts)
+		pstate, err = sm.HandleStateForks(ctx, pstate, i, opts.ExecMonitor, ts)
 		if err != nil {
 			return cid.Undef, cid.Undef, xerrors.Errorf("error handling state forks: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -219,7 +223,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 				events = append(events, r.Events)
 			}
 
-			if em != nil {
+			if em := opts.ExecMonitor; em != nil {
 				if err := em.MessageApplied(ctx, ts, cm.Cid(), m, r, false); err != nil {
 					return cid.Undef, cid.Undef, err
 				}
@@ -233,7 +237,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 			GasReward: gasReward,
 			WinCount:  b.WinCount,
 		}
-		rErr := t.reward(ctx, vmi, em, epoch, ts, params)
+		rErr := t.reward(ctx, vmi, opts.ExecMonitor, epoch, ts, params)
 		if rErr != nil {
 			return cid.Undef, cid.Undef, xerrors.Errorf("error applying reward: %w", rErr)
 		}
@@ -291,8 +295,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ApplyBlocks(ctx context.Context,
 func (t *TipSetExecutor) ExecuteTipSet(ctx context.Context,
 	sm *stmgr.StateManager,
 	ts *types.TipSet,
-	em stmgr.ExecMonitor,
-	vmTracing bool) (stateroot cid.Cid, rectsroot cid.Cid, err error) {
+	opts *stmgr.ExecutorOpts) (stateroot cid.Cid, rectsroot cid.Cid, err error) {
 	ctx, span := trace.StartSpan(ctx, "computeTipSetState")
 	defer span.End()
 
@@ -340,7 +343,7 @@ func (t *TipSetExecutor) ExecuteTipSet(ctx context.Context,
 	}
 	baseFee := blks[0].ParentBaseFee
 
-	return t.ApplyBlocks(ctx, sm, parentEpoch, pstate, fbmsgs, blks[0].Height, r, em, vmTracing, baseFee, ts)
+	return t.ApplyBlocks(ctx, sm, parentEpoch, pstate, fbmsgs, blks[0].Height, r, opts, baseFee, ts)
 }
 
 func (t *TipSetExecutor) StoreEventsAMT(ctx context.Context, cs *store.ChainStore, events []types.Event) (cid.Cid, error) {
diff --git a/chain/stmgr/call.go b/chain/stmgr/call.go
index 901fc2d125..86c6a21dd3 100644
--- a/chain/stmgr/call.go
+++ b/chain/stmgr/call.go
@@ -263,7 +263,11 @@ func (sm *StateManager) Replay(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, mcid cid.C
 	// message to find
 	finder.mcid = mcid
 
-	_, _, err := sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, &finder, true)
+	_, _, err := sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, &ExecutorOpts{
+		ExecMonitor:  &finder,
+		VmTracing:    true,
+		DiscardState: true, // safe to skip the write since this is throwaway state.
+	})
 	if err != nil && !xerrors.Is(err, errHaltExecution) {
 		return nil, nil, xerrors.Errorf("unexpected error during execution: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/chain/stmgr/execute.go b/chain/stmgr/execute.go
index 57ff205b91..35b8fe4a50 100644
--- a/chain/stmgr/execute.go
+++ b/chain/stmgr/execute.go
@@ -13,6 +13,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 func (sm *StateManager) TipSetState(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet) (st cid.Cid, rec cid.Cid, err error) {
+	return sm.TipSetStateWithOpts(ctx, ts, &TipSetStateOpts{})
+}
+
+type TipSetStateOpts struct {
+	// DiscardState: see ExecutorOpts.DiscardState.
+	DiscardState bool
+}
+
+func (sm *StateManager) TipSetStateWithOpts(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, opts *TipSetStateOpts) (st cid.Cid, rec cid.Cid, err error) {
 	ctx, span := trace.StartSpan(ctx, "tipSetState")
 	defer span.End()
 	if span.IsRecordingEvents() {
@@ -59,7 +68,10 @@ func (sm *StateManager) TipSetState(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet) (st c
 		return st, rec, nil
 	}
 
-	st, rec, err = sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, sm.tsExecMonitor, false)
+	st, rec, err = sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, &ExecutorOpts{
+		ExecMonitor:  sm.tsExecMonitor,
+		DiscardState: opts.DiscardState,
+	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return cid.Undef, cid.Undef, err
 	}
@@ -113,7 +125,11 @@ func tryLookupTipsetState(ctx context.Context, cs *store.ChainStore, ts *types.T
 }
 
 func (sm *StateManager) ExecutionTraceWithMonitor(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, em ExecMonitor) (cid.Cid, error) {
-	st, _, err := sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, em, true)
+	st, _, err := sm.tsExec.ExecuteTipSet(ctx, sm, ts, &ExecutorOpts{
+		ExecMonitor:  em,
+		VmTracing:    true,
+		DiscardState: true, // safe to discard the output state since we're creating no new state anyway.
+	})
 	return st, err
 }
 
diff --git a/chain/stmgr/stmgr.go b/chain/stmgr/stmgr.go
index b9f8d81bf2..c2b5bfa5ce 100644
--- a/chain/stmgr/stmgr.go
+++ b/chain/stmgr/stmgr.go
@@ -97,9 +97,19 @@ func (m *migrationResultCache) Store(ctx context.Context, root cid.Cid, resultCi
 	return nil
 }
 
+// ExecutorOpts defines options for the execution.
+type ExecutorOpts struct {
+	ExecMonitor ExecMonitor
+	VmTracing   bool
+	// DiscardState, when enabled, skips writing the output state tree into the
+	// blockstore. This is useful when requesting execution traces for tipsets
+	// already in the chain, or for speculative executions.
+	DiscardState bool
+}
+
 type Executor interface {
 	NewActorRegistry() *vm.ActorRegistry
-	ExecuteTipSet(ctx context.Context, sm *StateManager, ts *types.TipSet, em ExecMonitor, vmTracing bool) (stateroot cid.Cid, rectsroot cid.Cid, err error)
+	ExecuteTipSet(ctx context.Context, sm *StateManager, ts *types.TipSet, opts *ExecutorOpts) (stateroot cid.Cid, rectsroot cid.Cid, err error)
 }
 
 type StateManager struct {
diff --git a/chain/stmgr/utils.go b/chain/stmgr/utils.go
index c93267d50f..d8a50f1d42 100644
--- a/chain/stmgr/utils.go
+++ b/chain/stmgr/utils.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 
+	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/blockstore"
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-cid"
 	cbg "github.com/whyrusleeping/cbor-gen"
 	"golang.org/x/xerrors"
@@ -86,13 +87,14 @@ func ComputeState(ctx context.Context, sm *StateManager, height abi.ChainEpoch,
 		// future. It's not guaranteed to be accurate... but that's fine.
 	}
 
+	bs := blockstore.NewBuffered(sm.cs.StateBlockstore())
 	r := rand.NewStateRand(sm.cs, ts.Cids(), sm.beacon, sm.GetNetworkVersion)
 	vmopt := &vm.VMOpts{
 		StateBase:      base,
 		Epoch:          height,
 		Timestamp:      ts.MinTimestamp(),
 		Rand:           r,
-		Bstore:         sm.cs.StateBlockstore(),
+		Bstore:         bs,
 		Actors:         sm.tsExec.NewActorRegistry(),
 		Syscalls:       sm.Syscalls,
 		CircSupplyCalc: sm.GetVMCirculatingSupply,
diff --git a/node/impl/full/eth.go b/node/impl/full/eth.go
index 0528c21766..e4afdc681b 100644
--- a/node/impl/full/eth.go
+++ b/node/impl/full/eth.go
@@ -1843,7 +1843,7 @@ func messagesAndReceipts(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, cs *store.ChainS
 		return nil, nil, xerrors.Errorf("error loading messages for tipset: %v: %w", ts, err)
 	}
 
-	_, rcptRoot, err := sa.StateManager.TipSetState(ctx, ts)
+	_, rcptRoot, err := sa.StateManager.TipSetStateWithOpts(ctx, ts, &stmgr.TipSetStateOpts{DiscardState: true})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, xerrors.Errorf("failed to compute state: %w", err)
 	}