diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/config.ts b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/config.ts
index 4b644ca3b78..d4c71c30421 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/config.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/config.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { type ArchiverConfig, getConfigEnvVars as getArchiverVars } from '@aztec/archiver';
 import { type P2PConfig, getP2PConfigEnvVars } from '@aztec/p2p';
+import { type ProverConfig, getProverEnvVars } from '@aztec/prover-client';
 import { type SequencerClientConfig, getConfigEnvVars as getSequencerVars } from '@aztec/sequencer-client';
 import { getConfigEnvVars as getWorldStateVars } from '@aztec/world-state';
 
@@ -8,6 +9,7 @@ import { getConfigEnvVars as getWorldStateVars } from '@aztec/world-state';
  */
 export type AztecNodeConfig = ArchiverConfig &
   SequencerClientConfig &
+  ProverConfig &
   P2PConfig & {
     /** Whether the sequencer is disabled for this node. */
     disableSequencer: boolean;
@@ -17,8 +19,6 @@ export type AztecNodeConfig = ArchiverConfig &
 
     /** A URL for an archiver service that the node will use. */
     archiverUrl?: string;
-
-    proverAgents: number;
   };
 
 /**
@@ -26,21 +26,17 @@ export type AztecNodeConfig = ArchiverConfig &
  * @returns A valid aztec node config.
  */
 export function getConfigEnvVars(): AztecNodeConfig {
-  const { SEQ_DISABLED, PROVER_DISABLED, ARCHIVER_URL, PROVER_AGENTS = '1' } = process.env;
-  let proverAgents = parseInt(PROVER_AGENTS, 10);
-  if (Number.isNaN(proverAgents)) {
-    proverAgents = 1;
-  }
+  const { SEQ_DISABLED, PROVER_DISABLED, ARCHIVER_URL } = process.env;
 
   const allEnvVars: AztecNodeConfig = {
     ...getSequencerVars(),
     ...getArchiverVars(),
     ...getP2PConfigEnvVars(),
     ...getWorldStateVars(),
+    ...getProverEnvVars(),
     disableSequencer: !!SEQ_DISABLED,
     archiverUrl: ARCHIVER_URL,
     disableProver: PROVER_DISABLED === '1',
-    proverAgents,
   };
 
   return allEnvVars;
diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
index 7ec441d29a4..3bf5b97ab46 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ import { initStoreForRollup, openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { SHA256Trunc, StandardTree } from '@aztec/merkle-tree';
 import { AztecKVTxPool, type P2P, createP2PClient } from '@aztec/p2p';
 import { DummyProver, TxProver } from '@aztec/prover-client';
-import { ProverPool } from '@aztec/prover-client/prover-pool';
 import { type GlobalVariableBuilder, SequencerClient, getGlobalVariableBuilder } from '@aztec/sequencer-client';
 import { PublicProcessorFactory, WASMSimulator } from '@aztec/simulator';
 import {
@@ -152,7 +151,7 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode {
     const simulationProvider = await getSimulationProvider(config, log);
     const prover = config.disableProver
       ? await DummyProver.new()
-      : await TxProver.new(worldStateSynchronizer, ProverPool.testPool(simulationProvider, config.proverAgents));
+      : await TxProver.new(config, simulationProvider, worldStateSynchronizer);
 
     // now create the sequencer
     const sequencer = config.disableSequencer
diff --git a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/composed/integration_l1_publisher.test.ts b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/composed/integration_l1_publisher.test.ts
index 8e66f351f66..29432464114 100644
--- a/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/composed/integration_l1_publisher.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/end-to-end/src/composed/integration_l1_publisher.test.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ import { openTmpStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/utils';
 import { AvailabilityOracleAbi, InboxAbi, OutboxAbi, RollupAbi } from '@aztec/l1-artifacts';
 import { SHA256Trunc, StandardTree } from '@aztec/merkle-tree';
 import { TxProver } from '@aztec/prover-client';
-import { ProverPool } from '@aztec/prover-client/prover-pool';
 import { type L1Publisher, getL1Publisher } from '@aztec/sequencer-client';
 import { WASMSimulator } from '@aztec/simulator';
 import { MerkleTrees, ServerWorldStateSynchronizer, type WorldStateConfig } from '@aztec/world-state';
@@ -144,7 +143,7 @@ describe('L1Publisher integration', () => {
     };
     const worldStateSynchronizer = new ServerWorldStateSynchronizer(tmpStore, builderDb, blockSource, worldStateConfig);
     await worldStateSynchronizer.start();
-    builder = await TxProver.new(worldStateSynchronizer, ProverPool.testPool(new WASMSimulator(), 4));
+    builder = await TxProver.new(config, new WASMSimulator(), worldStateSynchronizer);
     l2Proof = Buffer.alloc(0);
 
     publisher = getL1Publisher({
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/config.ts b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/config.ts
index a6d2cefb83c..6d840cac681 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/config.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/config.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,21 @@
+import { tmpdir } from 'os';
+
 /**
  * The prover configuration.
  */
 export interface ProverConfig {
   /** The working directory to use for simulation/proving */
-  acvmWorkingDirectory?: string;
+  acvmWorkingDirectory: string;
   /** The path to the ACVM binary */
-  acvmBinaryPath?: string;
+  acvmBinaryPath: string;
+  /** The working directory to for proving */
+  bbWorkingDirectory: string;
+  /** The path to the bb binary */
+  bbBinaryPath: string;
+  /** How many agents to start */
+  proverAgents: number;
+  /** Enable proving. If true, must set bb env vars */
+  realProofs: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -13,10 +23,25 @@ export interface ProverConfig {
  * Note: If an environment variable is not set, the default value is used.
  * @returns The prover configuration.
  */
-export function getConfigEnvVars(): ProverConfig {
-  const { ACVM_WORKING_DIRECTORY, ACVM_BINARY_PATH } = process.env;
+export function getProverEnvVars(): ProverConfig {
+  const {
+    ACVM_WORKING_DIRECTORY = tmpdir(),
+    ACVM_BINARY_PATH = '',
+    BB_WORKING_DIRECTORY = tmpdir(),
+    BB_BINARY_PATH = '',
+    PROVER_AGENTS = '1',
+    PROVER_REAL_PROOFS = '',
+  } = process.env;
+
+  const parsedProverAgents = parseInt(PROVER_AGENTS, 10);
+  const proverAgents = Number.isSafeInteger(parsedProverAgents) ? parsedProverAgents : 0;
+
   return {
-    acvmWorkingDirectory: ACVM_WORKING_DIRECTORY ? ACVM_WORKING_DIRECTORY : undefined,
-    acvmBinaryPath: ACVM_BINARY_PATH ? ACVM_BINARY_PATH : undefined,
+    acvmWorkingDirectory: ACVM_WORKING_DIRECTORY,
+    acvmBinaryPath: ACVM_BINARY_PATH,
+    bbBinaryPath: BB_BINARY_PATH,
+    bbWorkingDirectory: BB_WORKING_DIRECTORY,
+    proverAgents,
+    realProofs: PROVER_REAL_PROOFS === '1',
   };
 }
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/prover-pool/prover-agent.ts b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/prover-pool/prover-agent.ts
index 098359b49f0..e5ae9f156f9 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/prover-pool/prover-agent.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/prover-pool/prover-agent.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export class ProverAgent {
         this.log.error(
           `Error processing proving job id=${job.id} type=${ProvingRequestType[job.request.type]}: ${err}`,
         );
-        await queue.rejectProvingJob(job.id, new ProvingError(String(err)));
+        await queue.rejectProvingJob(job.id, new ProvingError((err as any)?.message ?? String(err)));
       }
     }, this.intervalMs);
 
diff --git a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/tx-prover/tx-prover.ts b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/tx-prover/tx-prover.ts
index bc45cc582bf..e5b08a74560 100644
--- a/yarn-project/prover-client/src/tx-prover/tx-prover.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/prover-client/src/tx-prover/tx-prover.ts
@@ -6,12 +6,14 @@ import {
   type ProvingTicket,
 } from '@aztec/circuit-types/interfaces';
 import { type Fr, type GlobalVariables } from '@aztec/circuits.js';
+import { type SimulationProvider } from '@aztec/simulator';
 import { type WorldStateSynchronizer } from '@aztec/world-state';
 
+import { type ProverConfig } from '../config.js';
 import { type VerificationKeys, getVerificationKeys } from '../mocks/verification_keys.js';
 import { ProvingOrchestrator } from '../orchestrator/orchestrator.js';
 import { MemoryProvingQueue } from '../prover-pool/memory-proving-queue.js';
-import { type ProverPool } from '../prover-pool/prover-pool.js';
+import { ProverPool } from '../prover-pool/prover-pool.js';
 
 /**
  * A prover accepting individual transaction requests
@@ -48,8 +50,30 @@ export class TxProver implements ProverClient {
    * @param worldStateSynchronizer - An instance of the world state
    * @returns An instance of the prover, constructed and started.
    */
-  public static async new(worldStateSynchronizer: WorldStateSynchronizer, proverPool?: ProverPool) {
-    const prover = new TxProver(worldStateSynchronizer, getVerificationKeys(), proverPool);
+  public static async new(
+    config: ProverConfig,
+    simulationProvider: SimulationProvider,
+    worldStateSynchronizer: WorldStateSynchronizer,
+  ) {
+    let pool: ProverPool | undefined;
+    if (config.proverAgents === 0) {
+      pool = undefined;
+    } else if (config.realProofs) {
+      if (
+        !config.acvmBinaryPath ||
+        !config.acvmWorkingDirectory ||
+        !config.bbBinaryPath ||
+        !config.bbWorkingDirectory
+      ) {
+        throw new Error();
+      }
+
+      pool = ProverPool.nativePool(config, config.proverAgents, 10);
+    } else {
+      pool = ProverPool.testPool(simulationProvider, config.proverAgents, 10);
+    }
+
+    const prover = new TxProver(worldStateSynchronizer, getVerificationKeys(), pool);
     await prover.start();
     return prover;
   }