diff --git a/blockservice/blockservice.go b/blockservice/blockservice.go
index 31f4e820ec..ed8e39bf8e 100644
--- a/blockservice/blockservice.go
+++ b/blockservice/blockservice.go
@@ -47,11 +47,8 @@ type BlockService interface {
 	io.Closer
 	BlockGetter
 
-	// Blockstore returns a reference to the underlying blockstore
-	Blockstore() blockstore.Blockstore
-
-	// Exchange returns a reference to the underlying exchange (usually bitswap)
-	Exchange() exchange.Interface
+	// Has indicates if a block is present locally.
+	Has(ctx context.Context, c cid.Cid) (bool, error)
 
 	// AddBlock puts a given block to the underlying datastore
 	AddBlock(ctx context.Context, o blocks.Block) error
@@ -132,21 +129,6 @@ func New(bs blockstore.Blockstore, exchange exchange.Interface, opts ...Option)
 func NewWriteThrough(bs blockstore.Blockstore, exchange exchange.Interface) BlockService {
 	return New(bs, exchange, WriteThrough())
 }
-
-// Blockstore returns the blockstore behind this blockservice.
-func (s *blockService) Blockstore() blockstore.Blockstore {
-	return s.blockstore
-}
-
-// Exchange returns the exchange behind this blockservice.
-func (s *blockService) Exchange() exchange.Interface {
-	return s.exchange
-}
-
-func (s *blockService) Allowlist() verifcid.Allowlist {
-	return s.allowlist
-}
-
 func (s *blockService) NewSession(ctx context.Context) BlockGetter {
 	ses := s.grabSessionFromContext(ctx)
 	if ses != nil {
@@ -447,14 +429,13 @@ func (s *session) grabSession() exchange.Fetcher {
 			s.sesctx = nil // early gc
 		}()
 
-		ex := s.bs.Exchange()
-		if ex == nil {
+		if s.bs.exchange == nil {
 			return
 		}
-		s.ses = ex // always fallback to non session fetches
 
-		sesEx, ok := ex.(exchange.SessionExchange)
+		sesEx, ok := s.bs.exchange.(exchange.SessionExchange)
 		if !ok {
+			s.ses = s.bs.exchange // always fallback to non session fetches
 			return
 		}
 		s.ses = sesEx.NewSession(s.sesctx)
@@ -499,3 +480,11 @@ func (s *blockService) grabSessionFromContext(ctx context.Context) *session {
 
 	return sss
 }
+
+func (s *blockService) Has(ctx context.Context, c cid.Cid) (bool, error) {
+	if err := verifcid.ValidateCid(s.allowlist, c); err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	return s.blockstore.Has(ctx, c)
+}
diff --git a/gateway/blocks_backend.go b/gateway/blocks_backend.go
index 47e2db697a..bfe940cf7d 100644
--- a/gateway/blocks_backend.go
+++ b/gateway/blocks_backend.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockservice"
-	blockstore "github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockstore"
 	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/fetcher"
 	bsfetcher "github.com/ipfs/boxo/fetcher/impl/blockservice"
 	"github.com/ipfs/boxo/files"
@@ -51,7 +50,6 @@ import (
 
 // BlocksBackend is an [IPFSBackend] implementation based on a [blockservice.BlockService].
 type BlocksBackend struct {
-	blockStore   blockstore.Blockstore
 	blockService blockservice.BlockService
 	dagService   format.DAGService
 	resolver     resolver.Resolver
@@ -143,7 +141,6 @@ func NewBlocksBackend(blockService blockservice.BlockService, opts ...BlocksBack
 	}
 
 	return &BlocksBackend{
-		blockStore:   blockService.Blockstore(),
 		blockService: blockService,
 		dagService:   dagService,
 		resolver:     r,
@@ -680,7 +677,7 @@ func (bb *BlocksBackend) IsCached(ctx context.Context, p path.Path) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	has, _ := bb.blockStore.Has(ctx, rp.RootCid())
+	has, _ := bb.blockService.Has(ctx, rp.RootCid())
 	return has
 }
 
diff --git a/ipld/merkledag/merkledag_test.go b/ipld/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
index ffe4946ca2..4dcc0b9c56 100644
--- a/ipld/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
+++ b/ipld/merkledag/merkledag_test.go
@@ -16,9 +16,13 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	testinstance "github.com/ipfs/boxo/bitswap/testinstance"
+	tn "github.com/ipfs/boxo/bitswap/testnet"
 	. "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/merkledag"
 	mdpb "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/merkledag/pb"
 	dstest "github.com/ipfs/boxo/ipld/merkledag/test"
+	mockrouting "github.com/ipfs/boxo/routing/mock"
+	delay "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-delay"
 
 	bserv "github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockservice"
 	bstest "github.com/ipfs/boxo/blockservice/test"
@@ -507,10 +511,12 @@ func TestCantGet(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestFetchGraph(t *testing.T) {
-	var dservs []ipld.DAGService
-	bsis := bstest.Mocks(2)
-	for _, bsi := range bsis {
-		dservs = append(dservs, NewDAGService(bsi))
+	net := tn.VirtualNetwork(mockrouting.NewServer(), delay.Fixed(0))
+	sg := testinstance.NewTestInstanceGenerator(net, nil, nil)
+	instances := sg.Instances(2)
+	dservs := [2]ipld.DAGService{
+		NewDAGService(bserv.New(instances[0].Blockstore(), instances[0].Exchange)),
+		NewDAGService(bserv.New(instances[1].Blockstore(), instances[1].Exchange)),
 	}
 
 	read := io.LimitReader(u.NewTimeSeededRand(), 1024*32)
@@ -522,7 +528,7 @@ func TestFetchGraph(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// create an offline dagstore and ensure all blocks were fetched
-	bs := bserv.New(bsis[1].Blockstore(), offline.Exchange(bsis[1].Blockstore()))
+	bs := bserv.New(instances[1].Blockstore(), nil)
 
 	offlineDS := NewDAGService(bs)
 
@@ -547,10 +553,12 @@ func TestFetchGraphWithDepthLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	testF := func(t *testing.T, tc testcase) {
-		var dservs []ipld.DAGService
-		bsis := bstest.Mocks(2)
-		for _, bsi := range bsis {
-			dservs = append(dservs, NewDAGService(bsi))
+		net := tn.VirtualNetwork(mockrouting.NewServer(), delay.Fixed(0))
+		sg := testinstance.NewTestInstanceGenerator(net, nil, nil)
+		instances := sg.Instances(2)
+		dservs := [2]ipld.DAGService{
+			NewDAGService(bserv.New(instances[0].Blockstore(), instances[0].Exchange)),
+			NewDAGService(bserv.New(instances[1].Blockstore(), instances[1].Exchange)),
 		}
 
 		root := makeDepthTestingGraph(t, dservs[0])
@@ -561,7 +569,7 @@ func TestFetchGraphWithDepthLimit(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		// create an offline dagstore and ensure all blocks were fetched
-		bs := bserv.New(bsis[1].Blockstore(), offline.Exchange(bsis[1].Blockstore()))
+		bs := bserv.New(instances[1].Blockstore(), offline.Exchange(instances[1].Blockstore()))
 
 		offlineDS := NewDAGService(bs)