diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/reseed/ReseedChecker.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/reseed/ReseedChecker.java
index d88b6e1db..aadf49c69 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/reseed/ReseedChecker.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/networkdb/reseed/ReseedChecker.java
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ public class ReseedChecker {
                 return false;
         }
 
-        if (_context.getBooleanProperty(Reseeder.PROP_DISABLE)) {
+        if (_context.getBooleanProperty(Reseeder.PROP_DISABLE) ||
+            _context.getBooleanProperty("i2p.vmCommSystem")) {
             int x = count - 1;  // us
             // no ngettext, this is rare
             String s;
diff --git a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/time/RouterTimestamper.java b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/time/RouterTimestamper.java
index f9ee024d4..42c816dc3 100644
--- a/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/time/RouterTimestamper.java
+++ b/router/java/src/net/i2p/router/time/RouterTimestamper.java
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ public class RouterTimestamper extends Timestamper {
         // This means we no longer check every 5 minutes to see if we got enabled,
         // so the property must be set at startup.
         // We still need to be instantiated since the router calls clock().getTimestamper().waitForInitialization()
-        _disabled = ctx.getProperty(PROP_DISABLED, DEFAULT_DISABLED);
+        _disabled = ctx.getProperty(PROP_DISABLED, DEFAULT_DISABLED) ||
+                    ctx.getBooleanProperty("i2p.vmCommSystem");
         if (_disabled) {
             _initialized = true;
             _zones = null;