diff --git a/stack-orchestrator/compose/docker-compose-fixturenet-eth.yml b/stack-orchestrator/compose/docker-compose-fixturenet-eth.yml
index 40eacbd..38110a7 100644
--- a/stack-orchestrator/compose/docker-compose-fixturenet-eth.yml
+++ b/stack-orchestrator/compose/docker-compose-fixturenet-eth.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ services:
     environment:
       CERC_REMOTE_DEBUG: ${CERC_REMOTE_DEBUG:-true}
       CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG: ${CERC_SCRIPT_DEBUG}
+      CERC_ALLOW_UNPROTECTED_TXS: ${CERC_ALLOW_UNPROTECTED_TXS:-false}
     env_file:
       - ../config/fixturenet-eth/fixturenet-eth.env
     image: cerc/fixturenet-eth-geth:local
diff --git a/stack-orchestrator/container-build/cerc-fixturenet-eth-geth/run-el.sh b/stack-orchestrator/container-build/cerc-fixturenet-eth-geth/run-el.sh
index d45e144..86224b0 100755
--- a/stack-orchestrator/container-build/cerc-fixturenet-eth-geth/run-el.sh
+++ b/stack-orchestrator/container-build/cerc-fixturenet-eth-geth/run-el.sh
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ else
 
     echo -n "$JWT" > /opt/testnet/build/el/jwtsecret
 
+    OTHER_OPTS=""
+    if [ "$CERC_ALLOW_UNPROTECTED_TXS" == "true" ]; then
+      # Allow for unprotected (non EIP155) txs to be submitted via RPC
+      OTHER_OPTS+=" --rpc.allow-unprotected-txs"
+    fi
+
     $START_CMD \
       --datadir="${CERC_ETH_DATADIR}" \
       --bootnodes="${ENODE}" \