diff --git a/src/main/java/org/qortal/block/BlockChain.java b/src/main/java/org/qortal/block/BlockChain.java
index 886c9dd9..33899011 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/qortal/block/BlockChain.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/qortal/block/BlockChain.java
@@ -609,10 +609,8 @@ public class BlockChain {
 		boolean shouldBootstrap = Settings.getInstance().getBootstrap();
 		if (shouldBootstrap) {
 			// Settings indicate that we should apply a bootstrap rather than rebuilding and syncing from genesis
-			try (final Repository repository = RepositoryManager.getRepository()) {
-				Bootstrap bootstrap = new Bootstrap(repository);
-				bootstrap.startImport();
-			}
+			Bootstrap bootstrap = new Bootstrap();
+			bootstrap.startImport();
 			return;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/qortal/repository/Bootstrap.java b/src/main/java/org/qortal/repository/Bootstrap.java
index b647a9f8..0a822d5f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/qortal/repository/Bootstrap.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/qortal/repository/Bootstrap.java
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import static java.nio.file.StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING;
 
 public class Bootstrap {
 
-    private final Repository repository;
+    private Repository repository;
 
     private static final Logger LOGGER = LogManager.getLogger(Bootstrap.class);
 
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ public class Bootstrap {
     private static final int MAXIMUM_UNPRUNED_BLOCKS = 100;
 
 
+    public Bootstrap() {
+    }
+
     public Bootstrap(Repository repository) {
         this.repository = repository;
     }
@@ -56,6 +59,12 @@ public class Bootstrap {
             final boolean isTopOnly = Settings.getInstance().isTopOnly();
             final boolean archiveEnabled = Settings.getInstance().isArchiveEnabled();
 
+            // Make sure we have a repository instance
+            if (repository == null) {
+                LOGGER.info("Error: repository instance required to check if we can create a bootstrap.");
+                return false;
+            }
+
             // Require that a block archive has been built
             if (!isTopOnly && !archiveEnabled) {
                 LOGGER.info("Unable to create bootstrap because the block archive isn't enabled. " +
@@ -201,6 +210,11 @@ public class Bootstrap {
 
     public String create() throws DataException, InterruptedException, IOException {
 
+        // Make sure we have a repository instance
+        if (repository == null) {
+            throw new DataException("Repository instance required in order to create a boostrap");
+        }
+
         LOGGER.info("Acquiring blockchain lock...");
         ReentrantLock blockchainLock = Controller.getInstance().getBlockchainLock();
         blockchainLock.lockInterruptibly();
@@ -285,7 +299,9 @@ public class Bootstrap {
 
     public void startImport() throws InterruptedException {
         while (!Controller.isStopping()) {
-            try {
+            try (final Repository repository = RepositoryManager.getRepository()) {
+                this.repository = repository;
+
                 LOGGER.info("Starting import of bootstrap...");
 
                 this.doImport();