diff --git a/baseapp/helpers.go b/baseapp/helpers.go
index e2007a1f51..7a7884677e 100644
--- a/baseapp/helpers.go
+++ b/baseapp/helpers.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package baseapp
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/wire"
@@ -49,14 +50,14 @@ func GenerateFn(appFn func(log.Logger, dbm.DB) abci.Application, name string) Ap
 }
 
 // ExportFn returns an application export function
-func ExportFn(appFn func(log.Logger, dbm.DB) (interface{}, *wire.Codec), name string) AppExporter {
-	return func(rootDir string, logger log.Logger) (interface{}, *wire.Codec, error) {
+func ExportFn(appFn func(log.Logger, dbm.DB) json.RawMessage, name string) AppExporter {
+	return func(rootDir string, logger log.Logger) (interface{}, error) {
 		dataDir := filepath.Join(rootDir, "data")
 		db, err := dbm.NewGoLevelDB(name, dataDir)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, nil, err
 		}
-		genesis, codec := appFn(logger, db)
+		genesis := appFn(logger, db)
 		return genesis, codec, nil
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/app/app.go b/cmd/gaia/app/app.go
index b9a77cfc58..66f16e7ad9 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/app/app.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/app/app.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"os"
 
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/abci/types"
@@ -124,19 +125,22 @@ func (app *GaiaApp) initChainer(ctx sdk.Context, req abci.RequestInitChain) abci
 	return abci.ResponseInitChain{}
 }
 
-// custom logic for export
-func (app *GaiaApp) ExportGenesis() interface{} {
+// export the state of gaia for a genesis f
+func (app *GaiaApp) ExportAppStateJSON() (appState json.RawGenesis, err error) {
 	ctx := app.NewContext(true, abci.Header{})
+
+	// iterate to get the accounts
 	accounts := []GenesisAccount{}
-	app.accountMapper.IterateAccounts(ctx, func(a sdk.Account) bool {
-		accounts = append(accounts, GenesisAccount{
-			Address: a.GetAddress(),
-			Coins:   a.GetCoins(),
-		})
+	appendAccount := func(acc sdk.Account) (stop bool) {
+		account := NewGenesisAccountI(acc)
+		accounts = append(accounts, account)
 		return false
-	})
-	return GenesisState{
+	}
+	app.accountMapper.IterateAccounts(ctx, appendAccount)
+
+	genState := GenesisState{
 		Accounts:  accounts,
 		StakeData: stake.WriteGenesis(ctx, app.stakeKeeper),
 	}
+	return wire.MarshalJSONIndent(cdc, genState)
 }
diff --git a/cmd/gaia/app/genesis.go b/cmd/gaia/app/genesis.go
index 513430ec9a..7d0fb01d0c 100644
--- a/cmd/gaia/app/genesis.go
+++ b/cmd/gaia/app/genesis.go
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@ func NewGenesisAccount(acc *auth.BaseAccount) GenesisAccount {
 	}
 }
 
+func NewGenesisAccountI(acc sdk.Account) GenesisAccount {
+	return GenesisAccount{
+		Address: acc.GetAddress(),
+		Coins:   acc.GetCoins(),
+	}
+}
+
 // convert GenesisAccount to auth.BaseAccount
 func (ga *GenesisAccount) ToAccount() (acc *auth.BaseAccount) {
 	return &auth.BaseAccount{
diff --git a/server/export.go b/server/export.go
index 3ca71217ba..8d464b3b1b 100644
--- a/server/export.go
+++ b/server/export.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package server
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
@@ -11,34 +12,18 @@ import (
 )
 
 // ExportCmd dumps app state to JSON
-func ExportCmd(app baseapp.AppExporter, ctx *Context) *cobra.Command {
-	export := exportCmd{
-		appExporter: app,
-		context:     ctx,
-	}
-	cmd := &cobra.Command{
+func ExportCmd(ctx *Context, cdc *wire.Codec, appExporter baseapp.AppExporter) *cobra.Command {
+	return &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "export",
 		Short: "Export state to JSON",
-		RunE:  export.run,
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			home := viper.GetString("home")
+			appState, err := appExporter(home, ctx.Logger)
+			if err != nil {
+				return errors.Errorf("Error exporting state: %v\n", err)
+			}
+			fmt.Println(string(output))
+			return nil
+		},
 	}
-	return cmd
-}
-
-type exportCmd struct {
-	appExporter baseapp.AppExporter
-	context     *Context
-}
-
-func (e exportCmd) run(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-	home := viper.GetString("home")
-	genesis, cdc, err := e.appExporter(home, e.context.Logger)
-	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Errorf("Error exporting state: %v\n", err)
-	}
-	output, err := wire.MarshalJSONIndent(cdc, genesis)
-	if err != nil {
-		return errors.Errorf("Error marshalling state: %v\n", err)
-	}
-	fmt.Println(string(output))
-	return nil
 }
diff --git a/server/util.go b/server/util.go
index 31e472839b..54377547d5 100644
--- a/server/util.go
+++ b/server/util.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
 
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/baseapp"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/version"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/wire"
 	tcmd "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/cmd/tendermint/commands"
@@ -69,7 +68,7 @@ func PersistentPreRunEFn(context *Context) func(*cobra.Command, []string) error
 func AddCommands(
 	ctx *Context, cdc *wire.Codec,
 	rootCmd *cobra.Command, appInit AppInit,
-	appCreator baseapp.AppCreator, appExporter baseapp.AppExporter) {
+	appCreator AppCreator) {
 
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().String("log_level", ctx.Config.LogLevel, "Log level")
 
@@ -79,7 +78,7 @@ func AddCommands(
 		UnsafeResetAllCmd(ctx),
 		ShowNodeIDCmd(ctx),
 		ShowValidatorCmd(ctx),
-		ExportCmd(appExporter, ctx),
+		ExportCmd(cts, cdc, appCreator),
 		UnsafeResetAllCmd(ctx),
 		version.VersionCmd,
 	)
diff --git a/types/account.go b/types/account.go
index 33332867c6..b47aea28af 100644
--- a/types/account.go
+++ b/types/account.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ type AccountMapper interface {
 	NewAccountWithAddress(ctx Context, addr Address) Account
 	GetAccount(ctx Context, addr Address) Account
 	SetAccount(ctx Context, acc Account)
-	IterateAccounts(ctx Context, cont func(Account) bool)
+	IterateAccounts(ctx Context, process func(sdk.Account) (stop bool))
 }
 
 // AccountDecoder unmarshals account bytes
diff --git a/x/auth/mapper.go b/x/auth/mapper.go
index fea98876d1..f9e202c8a2 100644
--- a/x/auth/mapper.go
+++ b/x/auth/mapper.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func (am accountMapper) SetAccount(ctx sdk.Context, acc sdk.Account) {
 }
 
 // Implements sdk.AccountMapper.
-func (am accountMapper) IterateAccounts(ctx sdk.Context, cont func(sdk.Account) bool) {
+func (am accountMapper) IterateAccounts(ctx sdk.Context, process func(sdk.Account) (stop bool)) {
 	store := ctx.KVStore(am.key)
 	iter := store.Iterator(nil, nil)
 	for {
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func (am accountMapper) IterateAccounts(ctx sdk.Context, cont func(sdk.Account)
 		}
 		val := iter.Value()
 		acc := am.decodeAccount(val)
-		if cont(acc) {
+		if process(acc) {
 			return
 		}
 		iter.Next()