diff --git a/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx.go b/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx.go
index 200d038f62..42d957346f 100644
--- a/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx.go
+++ b/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx.go
@@ -135,6 +135,19 @@ $ %s gentx my-key-name 1000000stake --home=/path/to/home/dir --keyring-backend=o
 
 			clientCtx = clientCtx.WithInput(inBuf).WithFromAddress(key.GetAddress())
 
+			// The following line comes from a discrepancy between the `gentx`
+			// and `create-validator` commands:
+			// - `gentx` expects amount as an arg,
+			// - `create-validator` expects amount as a required flag.
+			// ref: https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/8251
+			// Since gentx doesn't set the amount flag (which `create-validator`
+			// reads from), we copy the amount arg into the valCfg directly.
+			//
+			// Ideally, the `create-validator` command should take a validator
+			// config file instead of so many flags.
+			// ref: https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/8177
+			createValCfg.Amount = amount
+
 			// create a 'create-validator' message
 			txBldr, msg, err := cli.BuildCreateValidatorMsg(clientCtx, createValCfg, txFactory, true)
 			if err != nil {
diff --git a/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx_test.go b/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx_test.go
index bbea1818dd..d15ee88962 100644
--- a/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx_test.go
+++ b/x/genutil/client/cli/gentx_test.go
@@ -60,12 +60,13 @@ func (s *IntegrationTestSuite) TestGenTxCmd() {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, client.ClientContextKey, &clientCtx)
 
+	amount := sdk.NewCoin(s.cfg.BondDenom, sdk.NewInt(12))
 	genTxFile := filepath.Join(dir, "myTx")
 	cmd.SetArgs([]string{
 		fmt.Sprintf("--%s=%s", flags.FlagChainID, s.network.Config.ChainID),
 		fmt.Sprintf("--%s=%s", flags.FlagOutputDocument, genTxFile),
 		val.Moniker,
-		sdk.NewCoin(s.cfg.BondDenom, sdk.NewInt(10)).String(),
+		amount.String(),
 	})
 
 	err := cmd.ExecuteContext(ctx)
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ func (s *IntegrationTestSuite) TestGenTxCmd() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(types.TypeMsgCreateValidator, msgs[0].Type())
 	s.Require().Equal([]sdk.AccAddress{val.Address}, msgs[0].GetSigners())
+	s.Require().Equal(amount, msgs[0].(*types.MsgCreateValidator).Value)
 	err = tx.ValidateBasic()
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 }