diff --git a/packages/common/src/interfaces.ts b/packages/common/src/interfaces.ts
index f8c224e38f..c14abc2a49 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/interfaces.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/interfaces.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * External Interfaces for other EthereumJS libraries
  */
 
-import type { Account, Address, PrefixedHexString } from '@ethereumjs/util'
+import type { Account, Address, PrefixedHexString, VerkleExecutionWitness } from '@ethereumjs/util'
 
 export interface StorageDump {
   [key: string]: string
@@ -161,6 +161,14 @@ export interface StateManagerInterface {
   }
   generateCanonicalGenesis?(initState: any): Promise<void> // TODO make input more typesafe
   // only Verkle/EIP-6800 (experimental)
+  accessWitness?: AccessWitnessInterface
+  initVerkleExecutionWitness?(
+    blockNum: bigint,
+    executionWitness?: VerkleExecutionWitness | null,
+    accessWitness?: AccessWitnessInterface,
+  ): void
+  verifyVerkleProof?(stateRoot: Uint8Array): boolean
+  verifyPostState?(): boolean
   checkChunkWitnessPresent?(contract: Address, programCounter: number): Promise<boolean>
   getAppliedKey?(address: Uint8Array): Uint8Array // only for preimages
 
diff --git a/packages/statemanager/src/statelessVerkleStateManager.ts b/packages/statemanager/src/statelessVerkleStateManager.ts
index d63733f996..392bc9a2ef 100644
--- a/packages/statemanager/src/statelessVerkleStateManager.ts
+++ b/packages/statemanager/src/statelessVerkleStateManager.ts
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ export class StatelessVerkleStateManager implements StateManagerInterface {
    * @param {Uint8Array} stateRoot - The stateRoot to verify the executionWitness against
    * @returns {boolean} - Returns true if the executionWitness matches the provided stateRoot, otherwise false
    */
-  verifyProof(stateRoot: Uint8Array): boolean {
+  verifyVerkleProof(stateRoot: Uint8Array): boolean {
     if (this._executionWitness === undefined) {
       debug('Missing executionWitness')
       return false
diff --git a/packages/vm/examples/test.ts b/packages/vm/examples/test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21677ff3c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/vm/examples/test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { StatelessVerkleStateManager } from '@ethereumjs/statemanager'
+import { loadVerkleCrypto } from 'verkle-cryptography-wasm'
+
+const verkleCrypto = await loadVerkleCrypto()
+const sm = new StatelessVerkleStateManager({ verkleCrypto })
+console.log(sm)
diff --git a/packages/vm/src/runBlock.ts b/packages/vm/src/runBlock.ts
index 3c637932a6..2be9373887 100644
--- a/packages/vm/src/runBlock.ts
+++ b/packages/vm/src/runBlock.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { createBlock, genRequestsTrieRoot } from '@ethereumjs/block'
 import { ConsensusType, Hardfork } from '@ethereumjs/common'
 import { RLP } from '@ethereumjs/rlp'
-import { StatelessVerkleStateManager } from '@ethereumjs/statemanager'
 import { Trie } from '@ethereumjs/trie'
 import { TransactionType } from '@ethereumjs/tx'
 import {
@@ -134,7 +133,7 @@ export async function runBlock(vm: VM, opts: RunBlockOpts): Promise<RunBlockResu
   }
 
   if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
-    if (!(stateManager instanceof StatelessVerkleStateManager)) {
+    if (typeof stateManager.initVerkleExecutionWitness !== 'function') {
       throw Error(`StatelessVerkleStateManager needed for execution of verkle blocks`)
     }
 
@@ -153,9 +152,9 @@ export async function runBlock(vm: VM, opts: RunBlockOpts): Promise<RunBlockResu
     await stateManager.setStateRoot(block.header.stateRoot)
 
     // Populate the execution witness
-    stateManager.initVerkleExecutionWitness(block.header.number, block.executionWitness)
+    stateManager.initVerkleExecutionWitness!(block.header.number, block.executionWitness)
 
-    if (stateManager.verifyProof(opts.parentStateRoot) === false) {
+    if (stateManager.verifyVerkleProof!(opts.parentStateRoot) === false) {
       throw Error(`Verkle proof verification failed`)
     }
 
@@ -163,7 +162,7 @@ export async function runBlock(vm: VM, opts: RunBlockOpts): Promise<RunBlockResu
       debug(`Verkle proof verification succeeded`)
     }
   } else {
-    if (stateManager instanceof StatelessVerkleStateManager) {
+    if (typeof stateManager.initVerkleExecutionWitness === 'function') {
       throw Error(`StatelessVerkleStateManager can't execute merkle blocks`)
     }
   }
@@ -315,7 +314,7 @@ export async function runBlock(vm: VM, opts: RunBlockOpts): Promise<RunBlockResu
       }
     } else if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
       // If verkle is activated, only validate the post-state
-      if ((vm['_opts'].stateManager as StatelessVerkleStateManager).verifyPostState() === false) {
+      if (vm['_opts'].stateManager!.verifyPostState!() === false) {
         throw new Error(`Verkle post state verification failed on block ${block.header.number}`)
       }
       debug(`Verkle post state verification succeeded`)
@@ -517,9 +516,11 @@ export async function accumulateParentBlockHash(
     if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
       const { treeIndex, subIndex } = getVerkleTreeIndexesForStorageSlot(ringKey)
       // just create access witnesses without charging for the gas
-      ;(
-        vm.stateManager as StatelessVerkleStateManager
-      ).accessWitness!.touchAddressOnWriteAndComputeGas(historyAddress, treeIndex, subIndex)
+      vm.stateManager.accessWitness!.touchAddressOnWriteAndComputeGas(
+        historyAddress,
+        treeIndex,
+        subIndex,
+      )
     }
     const key = setLengthLeft(bigIntToBytes(ringKey), 32)
     await vm.stateManager.putStorage(historyAddress, key, hash)
@@ -734,9 +735,7 @@ export async function rewardAccount(
   let account = await evm.stateManager.getAccount(address)
   if (account === undefined) {
     if (common?.isActivatedEIP(6800) === true) {
-      ;(
-        evm.stateManager as StatelessVerkleStateManager
-      ).accessWitness!.touchAndChargeProofOfAbsence(address)
+      evm.stateManager.accessWitness!.touchAndChargeProofOfAbsence(address)
     }
     account = new Account()
   }
@@ -745,10 +744,7 @@ export async function rewardAccount(
 
   if (common?.isActivatedEIP(6800) === true) {
     // use vm utility to build access but the computed gas is not charged and hence free
-    ;(evm.stateManager as StatelessVerkleStateManager).accessWitness!.touchTxTargetAndComputeGas(
-      address,
-      { sendsValue: true },
-    )
+    evm.stateManager.accessWitness!.touchTxTargetAndComputeGas(address, { sendsValue: true })
   }
   return account
 }
diff --git a/packages/vm/src/runTx.ts b/packages/vm/src/runTx.ts
index 6e057b3388..79ca9b31ae 100644
--- a/packages/vm/src/runTx.ts
+++ b/packages/vm/src/runTx.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { cliqueSigner, createBlock } from '@ethereumjs/block'
 import { ConsensusType, Hardfork } from '@ethereumjs/common'
 import { RLP } from '@ethereumjs/rlp'
-import { StatelessVerkleStateManager } from '@ethereumjs/statemanager'
 import { Blob4844Tx, Capability, isBlob4844Tx } from '@ethereumjs/tx'
 import {
   Account,
@@ -190,10 +189,10 @@ async function _runTx(vm: VM, opts: RunTxOpts): Promise<RunTxResult> {
 
   let stateAccesses
   if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
-    if (!(vm.stateManager instanceof StatelessVerkleStateManager)) {
+    if (typeof vm.stateManager.initVerkleExecutionWitness !== 'function') {
       throw Error(`StatelessVerkleStateManager needed for execution of verkle blocks`)
     }
-    stateAccesses = (vm.stateManager as StatelessVerkleStateManager).accessWitness
+    stateAccesses = vm.stateManager.accessWitness!
   }
   const txAccesses = stateAccesses?.shallowCopy()
 
@@ -597,7 +596,7 @@ async function _runTx(vm: VM, opts: RunTxOpts): Promise<RunTxResult> {
   let minerAccount = await state.getAccount(miner)
   if (minerAccount === undefined) {
     if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
-      ;(state as StatelessVerkleStateManager).accessWitness!.touchAndChargeProofOfAbsence(miner)
+      state.accessWitness!.touchAndChargeProofOfAbsence(miner)
     }
     minerAccount = new Account()
   }
@@ -609,7 +608,7 @@ async function _runTx(vm: VM, opts: RunTxOpts): Promise<RunTxResult> {
 
   if (vm.common.isActivatedEIP(6800)) {
     // use vm utility to build access but the computed gas is not charged and hence free
-    ;(state as StatelessVerkleStateManager).accessWitness!.touchTxTargetAndComputeGas(miner, {
+    state.accessWitness!.touchTxTargetAndComputeGas(miner, {
       sendsValue: true,
     })
   }