diff --git a/src/startup.ts b/src/startup.ts
index 21df4d50..f3282d73 100644
--- a/src/startup.ts
+++ b/src/startup.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // Starts up applications required to run before the HTTP server is on.
 
 import { Conf } from '@/config.ts';
-import { seedZapSplits } from '@/utils/zap-split.ts';
 import { cron } from '@/cron.ts';
 import { startFirehose } from '@/firehose.ts';
 
@@ -12,5 +11,3 @@ if (Conf.firehoseEnabled) {
 if (Conf.cronEnabled) {
   cron();
 }
-
-await seedZapSplits();
diff --git a/src/storages.ts b/src/storages.ts
index 303a6eb7..c8229880 100644
--- a/src/storages.ts
+++ b/src/storages.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { SearchStore } from '@/storages/search-store.ts';
 import { InternalRelay } from '@/storages/InternalRelay.ts';
 import { NPool, NRelay1 } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
 import { getRelays } from '@/utils/outbox.ts';
+import { seedZapSplits } from '@/utils/zap-split.ts';
 
 export class Storages {
   private static _db: Promise<EventsDB> | undefined;
@@ -20,7 +21,9 @@ export class Storages {
     if (!this._db) {
       this._db = (async () => {
         const kysely = await DittoDB.getInstance();
-        return new EventsDB(kysely);
+        const store = new EventsDB(kysely);
+        await seedZapSplits(store);
+        return store;
       })();
     }
     return this._db;
diff --git a/src/utils/zap-split.ts b/src/utils/zap-split.ts
index 553d9c8c..80d6cb2e 100644
--- a/src/utils/zap-split.ts
+++ b/src/utils/zap-split.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 import { AdminSigner } from '@/signers/AdminSigner.ts';
 import { Conf } from '@/config.ts';
-import { handleEvent } from '@/pipeline.ts';
 import { NSchema as n, NStore } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
 import { nostrNow } from '@/utils.ts';
 import { percentageSchema } from '@/schema.ts';
-import { Storages } from '@/storages.ts';
 
 type Pubkey = string;
 type ExtraMessage = string;
@@ -39,11 +37,10 @@ export async function getZapSplits(store: NStore, pubkey: string): Promise<Ditto
   return zapSplits;
 }
 
-export async function seedZapSplits() {
-  const store = await Storages.admin();
+export async function seedZapSplits(store: NStore) {
+  const zapSplit: DittoZapSplits | undefined = await getZapSplits(store, Conf.pubkey);
 
-  const zap_split: DittoZapSplits | undefined = await getZapSplits(store, Conf.pubkey);
-  if (!zap_split) {
+  if (!zapSplit) {
     const dittoPubkey = '781a1527055f74c1f70230f10384609b34548f8ab6a0a6caa74025827f9fdae5';
     const dittoMsg = 'Official Ditto Account';
 
@@ -57,6 +54,7 @@ export async function seedZapSplits() {
         ['p', dittoPubkey, '5', dittoMsg],
       ],
     });
-    await handleEvent(event, AbortSignal.timeout(5000));
+
+    await store.event(event);
   }
 }