diff --git a/httpserver/command_line.cpp b/httpserver/command_line.cpp
index 63866dd..529c638 100644
--- a/httpserver/command_line.cpp
+++ b/httpserver/command_line.cpp
@@ -33,20 +33,24 @@ void command_line_parser::parse_args(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         ("bind-ip", po::value(&options_.ip)->default_value("0.0.0.0"), "IP to which to bind the server")
         ("version,v", po::bool_switch(&options_.print_version), "Print the version of this binary")
         ("help", po::bool_switch(&options_.print_help),"Shows this help message")
-        ("stats-access-key", po::value(&options_.stats_access_keys)->multitoken(), "A public key (x25519) that will be given access to the `get_stats` lmq endpoint");
+        ("stats-access-key", po::value(&options_.stats_access_keys)->multitoken(), "A public key (x25519) that will be given access to the `get_stats` lmq endpoint")
+#ifdef INTEGRATION_TEST
+        ("oxend-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_key), "Legacy secret key (integration testing only)")
+        ("oxend-x25519-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_x25519_key), "x25519 secret key (integration testing only)")
+        ("oxend-ed25519-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_ed25519_key), "ed25519 public key (integration testing only)");
+#endif
+        ;
         // Add hidden ip and port options.  You technically can use the `--ip=` and `--port=` with
         // these here, but they are meant to be positional.  More usefully, you can specify `ip=`
         // and `port=` in the config file to specify them.
     hidden.add_options()
         ("ip", po::value<std::string>(), "(unused)")
         ("port", po::value(&options_.port), "Port to listen on")
-        ("oxend-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_key), "Legacy secret key (test only)")
         ("oxend-rpc-ip", po::value(&old_rpc_ip), "Obsolete: oxend HTTP RPC IP; use --oxend-rpc with the zmq address instead")
         ("oxend-rpc-port", po::value(&old_rpc_port), "Obsolete: oxend HTTP RPC port; use --oxend-rpc with the zmq address instead")
         ("lokid-rpc-ip", po::value(&old_rpc_ip), "Backwards compatible option for oxend RPC IP")
         ("lokid-rpc-port", po::value(&old_rpc_port), "Backwards compatible option for oxend RPC port")
-        ("oxend-x25519-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_x25519_key), "x25519 secret key (test only)")
-        ("oxend-ed25519-key", po::value(&options_.oxend_ed25519_key), "ed25519 public key (test only)");
+        ;
     // clang-format on
 
     all.add(desc_).add(hidden);
diff --git a/httpserver/main.cpp b/httpserver/main.cpp
index cb55937..0db6c69 100644
--- a/httpserver/main.cpp
+++ b/httpserver/main.cpp
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
     // Always print version for the logs
     OXEN_LOG(info, "{}", oxen::STORAGE_SERVER_VERSION_INFO);
 
+#ifdef INTEGRATION_TEST
+    OXEN_LOG(warn, "Compiled for integration tests; this binary will not function as a regular storage server!");
+#endif
+
     if (options.ip == "127.0.0.1") {
         OXEN_LOG(critical,
                  "Tried to bind oxen-storage to localhost, please bind "
@@ -145,9 +149,18 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         // Normally we request the key from daemon, but in integrations/swarm
         // testing we are not able to do that, so we extract the key as a
         // command line option:
-        const auto private_key = legacy_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_key);
-        const auto private_key_ed25519 = ed25519_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_ed25519_key);
-        const auto private_key_x25519 = x25519_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_x25519_key);
+        legacy_seckey private_key{};
+        ed25519_seckey private_key_ed25519{};
+        x25519_seckey private_key_x25519{};
+        try {
+            private_key = legacy_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_key);
+            private_key_ed25519 = ed25519_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_ed25519_key);
+            private_key_x25519 = x25519_seckey::from_hex(options.oxend_x25519_key);
+        } catch (...) {
+            OXEN_LOG(critical, "This storage server binary is compiled in integration test mode: "
+                "--oxend-key, --oxend-x25519-key, and --oxend-ed25519-key are required");
+            throw;
+        }
 #endif
 
         sn_record_t me{"0.0.0.0", options.port, options.lmq_port,