diff --git a/db/collection.go b/db/collection.go
index d394d91979..65b0fbaa22 100644
--- a/db/collection.go
+++ b/db/collection.go
@@ -1222,7 +1222,6 @@ func (c *collection) saveFieldToMerkleCRDT(
 
 		return merkleCRDT.Set(ctx, bytes)
 	default:
-		return nil, 0, client.ErrUnknownCRDT
 		return nil, 0, client.NewErrUnknownCRDT(val.Type())
 	}
 }
diff --git a/merkle/crdt/composite.go b/merkle/crdt/composite.go
index ae7558a961..f837ac3ef7 100644
--- a/merkle/crdt/composite.go
+++ b/merkle/crdt/composite.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/client"
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/core"
 	corecrdt "github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/core/crdt"
-	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/datastore"
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/merkle/clock"
 )
 
@@ -32,19 +31,19 @@ type MerkleCompositeDAG struct {
 // NewMerkleCompositeDAG creates a new instance (or loaded from DB) of a MerkleCRDT
 // backed by a CompositeDAG CRDT.
 func NewMerkleCompositeDAG(
-	txn datastore.Txn,
+	store Stores,
 	schemaVersionKey core.CollectionSchemaVersionKey,
 	key core.DataStoreKey,
 	fieldName string,
 ) *MerkleCompositeDAG {
 	compositeDag := corecrdt.NewCompositeDAG(
-		txn.Datastore(),
+		store.Datastore(),
 		schemaVersionKey,
 		key,
 		fieldName,
 	)
 
-	clock := clock.NewMerkleClock(txn.Headstore(), txn.DAGstore(), key.ToHeadStoreKey(), compositeDag)
+	clock := clock.NewMerkleClock(store.Headstore(), store.DAGstore(), key.ToHeadStoreKey(), compositeDag)
 	base := &baseMerkleCRDT{clock: clock, crdt: compositeDag}
 
 	return &MerkleCompositeDAG{
diff --git a/merkle/crdt/lwwreg.go b/merkle/crdt/lwwreg.go
index 0577ec76ff..8b47492b26 100644
--- a/merkle/crdt/lwwreg.go
+++ b/merkle/crdt/lwwreg.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/core"
 	corecrdt "github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/core/crdt"
-	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/datastore"
 	"github.com/sourcenetwork/defradb/merkle/clock"
 )
 
@@ -31,13 +30,13 @@ type MerkleLWWRegister struct {
 // NewMerkleLWWRegister creates a new instance (or loaded from DB) of a MerkleCRDT
 // backed by a LWWRegister CRDT.
 func NewMerkleLWWRegister(
-	txn datastore.Txn,
+	store Stores,
 	schemaVersionKey core.CollectionSchemaVersionKey,
 	key core.DataStoreKey,
 	fieldName string,
 ) *MerkleLWWRegister {
-	register := corecrdt.NewLWWRegister(txn.Datastore(), schemaVersionKey, key, fieldName)
-	clk := clock.NewMerkleClock(txn.Headstore(), txn.DAGstore(), key.ToHeadStoreKey(), register)
+	register := corecrdt.NewLWWRegister(store.Datastore(), schemaVersionKey, key, fieldName)
+	clk := clock.NewMerkleClock(store.Headstore(), store.DAGstore(), key.ToHeadStoreKey(), register)
 	base := &baseMerkleCRDT{clock: clk, crdt: register}
 	return &MerkleLWWRegister{
 		baseMerkleCRDT: base,
diff --git a/merkle/crdt/merklecrdt.go b/merkle/crdt/merklecrdt.go
index ce176b87b6..07fb83e436 100644
--- a/merkle/crdt/merklecrdt.go
+++ b/merkle/crdt/merklecrdt.go
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ var (
 	log = logging.MustNewLogger("merklecrdt")
 )
 
+type Stores interface {
+	Datastore() datastore.DSReaderWriter
+	DAGstore() datastore.DAGStore
+	Headstore() datastore.DSReaderWriter
+}
+
 // MerkleCRDT is the implementation of a Merkle Clock along with a
 // CRDT payload. It implements the ReplicatedData interface
 // so it can be merged with any given semantics.
@@ -62,7 +68,7 @@ func (base *baseMerkleCRDT) Value(ctx context.Context) ([]byte, error) {
 }
 
 func InstanceWithStore(
-	txn datastore.Txn,
+	store Stores,
 	schemaVersionKey core.CollectionSchemaVersionKey,
 	ctype client.CType,
 	key core.DataStoreKey,
@@ -71,18 +77,18 @@ func InstanceWithStore(
 	switch ctype {
 	case client.LWW_REGISTER:
 		return NewMerkleLWWRegister(
-			txn,
+			store,
 			schemaVersionKey,
 			key,
 			fieldName,
 		), nil
 	case client.COMPOSITE:
 		return NewMerkleCompositeDAG(
-			txn,
+			store,
 			schemaVersionKey,
 			key,
 			fieldName,
 		), nil
 	}
-	return nil, client.ErrUnknownCRDT
+	return nil, client.NewErrUnknownCRDT(ctype)
 }