diff --git a/crates/storage/storage-api/Cargo.toml b/crates/storage/storage-api/Cargo.toml
index 0786e55aa4..70723cda28 100644
--- a/crates/storage/storage-api/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/storage/storage-api/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ workspace = true
 
 [dependencies]
 # reth
-reth-chain.workspace = true
+reth-chain = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 reth-db-models.workspace = true
 reth-chainspec.workspace = true
 reth-db-api = { workspace = true, optional = true }
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ serde_json = { workspace = true, optional = true }
 [features]
 default = ["std"]
 std = [
+    "dep:reth-chain",
     "reth-chainspec/std",
     "alloy-consensus/std",
     "alloy-eips/std",
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ db-api = [
 ]
 
 serde = [
-    "reth-chain/serde",
+    "reth-chain?/serde",
     "reth-ethereum-primitives/serde",
     "reth-db-models/serde",
     "reth-execution-types/serde",
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ serde-bincode-compat = [
     "reth-execution-types/serde-bincode-compat",
     "reth-primitives-traits/serde-bincode-compat",
     "reth-trie-common/serde-bincode-compat",
-    "reth-chain/serde-bincode-compat",
+    "reth-chain?/serde-bincode-compat",
     "reth-ethereum-primitives/serde-bincode-compat",
     "alloy-eips/serde-bincode-compat",
     "alloy-consensus/serde-bincode-compat",
diff --git a/crates/storage/storage-api/src/lib.rs b/crates/storage/storage-api/src/lib.rs
index 0daf280519..8c69e2090f 100644
--- a/crates/storage/storage-api/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/storage/storage-api/src/lib.rs
@@ -85,7 +85,9 @@ pub use primitives::*;
 mod block_indices;
 pub use block_indices::*;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "std")]
 mod block_writer;
+#[cfg(feature = "std")]
 pub use block_writer::*;
 
 mod state_writer;