diff --git a/api/api_full.go b/api/api_full.go
index 2f146267b..ffceaccb6 100644
--- a/api/api_full.go
+++ b/api/api_full.go
@@ -109,7 +109,10 @@ type FullNode interface {
 	ChainGetPath(ctx context.Context, from types.TipSetKey, to types.TipSetKey) ([]*HeadChange, error)
 
 	// ChainExport returns a stream of bytes with CAR dump of chain data.
-	ChainExport(context.Context, types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error)
+	// The exported chain data includes the header chain from the given tipset
+	// back to genesis, the entire genesis state, and the most recent 'nroots'
+	// state trees.
+	ChainExport(ctx context.Context, nroots abi.ChainEpoch, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error)
 
 	// MethodGroup: Beacon
 	// The Beacon method group contains methods for interacting with the random beacon (DRAND)
diff --git a/api/apistruct/struct.go b/api/apistruct/struct.go
index 33b02933f..ad8c5d40f 100644
--- a/api/apistruct/struct.go
+++ b/api/apistruct/struct.go
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ type FullNodeStruct struct {
 		ChainGetNode                  func(ctx context.Context, p string) (*api.IpldObject, error)                                                       `perm:"read"`
 		ChainGetMessage               func(context.Context, cid.Cid) (*types.Message, error)                                                             `perm:"read"`
 		ChainGetPath                  func(context.Context, types.TipSetKey, types.TipSetKey) ([]*api.HeadChange, error)                                 `perm:"read"`
-		ChainExport                   func(context.Context, types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error)                                                      `perm:"read"`
+		ChainExport                   func(context.Context, abi.ChainEpoch, types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error)                                      `perm:"read"`
 
 		BeaconGetEntry func(ctx context.Context, epoch abi.ChainEpoch) (*types.BeaconEntry, error) `perm:"read"`
 
@@ -654,8 +654,8 @@ func (c *FullNodeStruct) ChainGetPath(ctx context.Context, from types.TipSetKey,
 	return c.Internal.ChainGetPath(ctx, from, to)
 }
 
-func (c *FullNodeStruct) ChainExport(ctx context.Context, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error) {
-	return c.Internal.ChainExport(ctx, tsk)
+func (c *FullNodeStruct) ChainExport(ctx context.Context, nroots abi.ChainEpoch, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error) {
+	return c.Internal.ChainExport(ctx, nroots, tsk)
 }
 
 func (c *FullNodeStruct) BeaconGetEntry(ctx context.Context, epoch abi.ChainEpoch) (*types.BeaconEntry, error) {
diff --git a/chain/store/store.go b/chain/store/store.go
index 01e8b6a71..ac99b98c3 100644
--- a/chain/store/store.go
+++ b/chain/store/store.go
@@ -1114,7 +1114,7 @@ func (cs *ChainStore) GetTipsetByHeight(ctx context.Context, h abi.ChainEpoch, t
 	return cs.LoadTipSet(lbts.Parents())
 }
 
-func recurseLinks(bs bstore.Blockstore, root cid.Cid, in []cid.Cid) ([]cid.Cid, error) {
+func recurseLinks(bs bstore.Blockstore, seen *cid.Set, root cid.Cid, in []cid.Cid) ([]cid.Cid, error) {
 	if root.Prefix().Codec != cid.DagCBOR {
 		return in, nil
 	}
@@ -1131,9 +1131,14 @@ func recurseLinks(bs bstore.Blockstore, root cid.Cid, in []cid.Cid) ([]cid.Cid,
 			return
 		}
 
+		// traversed this already...
+		if !seen.Visit(c) {
+			return
+		}
+
 		in = append(in, c)
 		var err error
-		in, err = recurseLinks(bs, c, in)
+		in, err = recurseLinks(bs, seen, c, in)
 		if err != nil {
 			rerr = err
 		}
@@ -1145,7 +1150,7 @@ func recurseLinks(bs bstore.Blockstore, root cid.Cid, in []cid.Cid) ([]cid.Cid,
 	return in, rerr
 }
 
-func (cs *ChainStore) Export(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, w io.Writer) error {
+func (cs *ChainStore) Export(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, inclRecentRoots abi.ChainEpoch, w io.Writer) error {
 	if ts == nil {
 		ts = cs.GetHeaviestTipSet()
 	}
@@ -1182,7 +1187,7 @@ func (cs *ChainStore) Export(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, w io.Writer)
 			return xerrors.Errorf("unmarshaling block header (cid=%s): %w", blk, err)
 		}
 
-		cids, err := recurseLinks(cs.bs, b.Messages, []cid.Cid{b.Messages})
+		cids, err := recurseLinks(cs.bs, seen, b.Messages, []cid.Cid{b.Messages})
 		if err != nil {
 			return xerrors.Errorf("recursing messages failed: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -1198,8 +1203,8 @@ func (cs *ChainStore) Export(ctx context.Context, ts *types.TipSet, w io.Writer)
 
 		out := cids
 
-		if b.Height == 0 {
-			cids, err := recurseLinks(cs.bs, b.ParentStateRoot, []cid.Cid{b.ParentStateRoot})
+		if b.Height == 0 || b.Height > ts.Height()-inclRecentRoots {
+			cids, err := recurseLinks(cs.bs, seen, b.ParentStateRoot, []cid.Cid{b.ParentStateRoot})
 			if err != nil {
 				return xerrors.Errorf("recursing genesis state failed: %w", err)
 			}
diff --git a/chain/store/store_test.go b/chain/store/store_test.go
index ec47245d6..42de4c19d 100644
--- a/chain/store/store_test.go
+++ b/chain/store/store_test.go
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func TestChainExportImport(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	if err := cg.ChainStore().Export(context.TODO(), last, buf); err != nil {
+	if err := cg.ChainStore().Export(context.TODO(), last, 0, buf); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/cli/chain.go b/cli/chain.go
index 1f8339e93..ea4153733 100644
--- a/cli/chain.go
+++ b/cli/chain.go
@@ -859,6 +859,10 @@ var chainExportCmd = &cli.Command{
 		&cli.StringFlag{
 			Name: "tipset",
 		},
+		&cli.Int64Flag{
+			Name:  "recent-stateroots",
+			Usage: "specify the number of recent state roots to include in the export",
+		},
 	},
 	Action: func(cctx *cli.Context) error {
 		api, closer, err := GetFullNodeAPI(cctx)
@@ -872,6 +876,8 @@ var chainExportCmd = &cli.Command{
 			return fmt.Errorf("must specify filename to export chain to")
 		}
 
+		rsrs := cctx.Int64("recent-stateroots")
+
 		fi, err := os.Create(cctx.Args().First())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -888,7 +894,7 @@ var chainExportCmd = &cli.Command{
 			return err
 		}
 
-		stream, err := api.ChainExport(ctx, ts.Key())
+		stream, err := api.ChainExport(ctx, abi.ChainEpoch(rsrs), ts.Key())
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/node/impl/full/chain.go b/node/impl/full/chain.go
index 7c254393e..61eb4d3f5 100644
--- a/node/impl/full/chain.go
+++ b/node/impl/full/chain.go
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ func (a *ChainAPI) ChainGetMessage(ctx context.Context, mc cid.Cid) (*types.Mess
 	return cm.VMMessage(), nil
 }
 
-func (a *ChainAPI) ChainExport(ctx context.Context, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error) {
+func (a *ChainAPI) ChainExport(ctx context.Context, nroots abi.ChainEpoch, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan []byte, error) {
 	ts, err := a.Chain.GetTipSetFromKey(tsk)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, xerrors.Errorf("loading tipset %s: %w", tsk, err)
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ func (a *ChainAPI) ChainExport(ctx context.Context, tsk types.TipSetKey) (<-chan
 	out := make(chan []byte)
 	go func() {
 		defer w.Close() //nolint:errcheck // it is a pipe
-		if err := a.Chain.Export(ctx, ts, w); err != nil {
+		if err := a.Chain.Export(ctx, ts, nroots, w); err != nil {
 			log.Errorf("chain export call failed: %s", err)
 			return
 		}