diff --git a/cmd/nitro/init.go b/cmd/nitro/init.go
index 0d10cb3294..426abd4c13 100644
--- a/cmd/nitro/init.go
+++ b/cmd/nitro/init.go
@@ -303,20 +303,6 @@ func databaseEmpty(path string) bool {
 }
 
 func openInitializeChainDb(ctx context.Context, stack *node.Node, config *NodeConfig, chainId *big.Int, cacheConfig *core.CacheConfig, persistentConfig *conf.PersistentConfig, l1Client arbutil.L1Interface, rollupAddrs chaininfo.RollupAddresses) (ethdb.Database, *core.BlockChain, error) {
-	if !dirExists(path.Join(stack.InstanceDir(), "l2chaindata")) {
-		const errorFmt = "database was not found in %s, but it was found in %s (have you placed the database in the wrong directory?)"
-		parentDir := filepath.Dir(stack.InstanceDir())
-		if dirExists(path.Join(parentDir, "l2chaindata")) {
-			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf(errorFmt, stack.InstanceDir(), parentDir)
-		}
-		grandParentDir := filepath.Dir(parentDir)
-		if dirExists(path.Join(grandParentDir, "l2chaindata")) {
-			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf(errorFmt, stack.InstanceDir(), grandParentDir)
-		}
-		if !databaseEmpty(stack.InstanceDir()) {
-			return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("found unexpected files in database directory '%s' (have you set --persistent.chain and --persistent.global-config correctly? If so, delete the database directory and try again)", stack.InstanceDir())
-		}
-	}
 	if !config.Init.Force {
 		if readOnlyDb, err := stack.OpenDatabaseWithFreezerWithExtraOptions("l2chaindata", 0, 0, "", "l2chaindata/", true, persistentConfig.Pebble.ExtraOptions("l2chaindata")); err == nil {
 			if chainConfig := gethexec.TryReadStoredChainConfig(readOnlyDb); chainConfig != nil {
@@ -356,10 +342,21 @@ func openInitializeChainDb(ctx context.Context, stack *node.Node, config *NodeCo
 			}
 			readOnlyDb.Close()
 		}
+	} else if !databaseEmpty(stack.InstanceDir()) {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("trying to overwrite old database directory '%s' (delete the database directory and try again)", stack.InstanceDir())
 	}
 
+	const errorFmt = "database was not found in %s, but it was found in %s (have you placed the database in the wrong directory?)"
+	parentDir := filepath.Dir(stack.InstanceDir())
+	if dirExists(path.Join(parentDir, "l2chaindata")) {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf(errorFmt, stack.InstanceDir(), parentDir)
+	}
+	grandParentDir := filepath.Dir(parentDir)
+	if dirExists(path.Join(grandParentDir, "l2chaindata")) {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf(errorFmt, stack.InstanceDir(), grandParentDir)
+	}
 	if !databaseEmpty(stack.InstanceDir()) {
-		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("trying to overwrite old database directory '%s' (delete the database directory and try again)", stack.InstanceDir())
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("found unexpected files in database directory '%s' (have you set --persistent.chain and --persistent.global-config correctly? If so, delete the database directory and try again)", stack.InstanceDir())
 	}
 
 	initFile, err := downloadInit(ctx, &config.Init)