diff --git a/internal/cli/server/config.go b/internal/cli/server/config.go
index 98bafb5a92f92a7375637a4b2cce9779c873b4a1..6c47de92c41d3c440c27b7db3777fdfb8df33971 100644
--- a/internal/cli/server/config.go
+++ b/internal/cli/server/config.go
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import (
 
 	godebug "runtime/debug"
 
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts/keystore"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/fdlimit"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/downloader"
@@ -611,7 +613,7 @@ func (c *Config) loadChain() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (c *Config) buildEth() (*ethconfig.Config, error) {
+func (c *Config) buildEth(stack *node.Node) (*ethconfig.Config, error) {
 	dbHandles, err := makeDatabaseHandles()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -665,8 +667,36 @@ func (c *Config) buildEth() (*ethconfig.Config, error) {
 
 	// update for developer mode
 	if c.Developer.Enabled {
+		// Get a keystore
+		var ks *keystore.KeyStore
+		if keystores := stack.AccountManager().Backends(keystore.KeyStoreType); len(keystores) > 0 {
+			ks = keystores[0].(*keystore.KeyStore)
+		}
+
+		// Create new developer account or reuse existing one
+		var (
+			developer  accounts.Account
+			passphrase string
+			err        error
+		)
+		// etherbase has been set above, configuring the miner address from command line flags.
+		if n.Miner.Etherbase != (common.Address{}) {
+			developer = accounts.Account{Address: n.Miner.Etherbase}
+		} else if accs := ks.Accounts(); len(accs) > 0 {
+			developer = ks.Accounts()[0]
+		} else {
+			developer, err = ks.NewAccount(passphrase)
+			if err != nil {
+				Fatalf("Failed to create developer account: %v", err)
+			}
+		}
+		if err := ks.Unlock(developer, passphrase); err != nil {
+			Fatalf("Failed to unlock developer account: %v", err)
+		}
+		log.Info("Using developer account", "address", developer.Address)
+
 		// get developer mode chain config
-		c.chain = chains.GetDeveloperChain(c.Developer.Period, n.Miner.Etherbase)
+		c.chain = chains.GetDeveloperChain(c.Developer.Period, developer.Address)
 
 		// update the parameters
 		n.NetworkId = c.chain.NetworkId
@@ -841,9 +871,6 @@ func (c *Config) buildNode() (*node.Config, error) {
 		cfg.P2P.ListenAddr = ""
 		cfg.P2P.NoDial = true
 		cfg.P2P.DiscoveryV5 = false
-
-		// data dir
-		cfg.DataDir = ""
 	}
 
 	// enable jsonrpc endpoints
@@ -864,23 +891,26 @@ func (c *Config) buildNode() (*node.Config, error) {
 	}
 	cfg.P2P.NAT = natif
 
-	// Discovery
-	// if no bootnodes are defined, use the ones from the chain file.
-	bootnodes := c.P2P.Discovery.Bootnodes
-	if len(bootnodes) == 0 {
-		bootnodes = c.chain.Bootnodes
-	}
-	if cfg.P2P.BootstrapNodes, err = parseBootnodes(bootnodes); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if cfg.P2P.BootstrapNodesV5, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.BootnodesV5); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if cfg.P2P.StaticNodes, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.StaticNodes); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if cfg.P2P.TrustedNodes, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.TrustedNodes); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	// only check for non-developer modes
+	if !c.Developer.Enabled {
+		// Discovery
+		// if no bootnodes are defined, use the ones from the chain file.
+		bootnodes := c.P2P.Discovery.Bootnodes
+		if len(bootnodes) == 0 {
+			bootnodes = c.chain.Bootnodes
+		}
+		if cfg.P2P.BootstrapNodes, err = parseBootnodes(bootnodes); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if cfg.P2P.BootstrapNodesV5, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.BootnodesV5); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if cfg.P2P.StaticNodes, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.StaticNodes); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if cfg.P2P.TrustedNodes, err = parseBootnodes(c.P2P.Discovery.TrustedNodes); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 	}
 
 	if c.P2P.NoDiscover {
diff --git a/internal/cli/server/config_test.go b/internal/cli/server/config_test.go
index 6383c3e0035d27d3c9e8e63368214080473a8729..62296d82a4d46507da99d410f931bb92c1b71916 100644
--- a/internal/cli/server/config_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/server/config_test.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ func TestConfigDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	_, err := config.buildNode()
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
-	_, err = config.buildEth()
+	_, err = config.buildEth(nil)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/cli/server/server.go b/internal/cli/server/server.go
index cb64654a69d715ac6a7926859770705bb8acbf0f..13b143d7c952dd4694b57dac2ea18c9a667a061e 100644
--- a/internal/cli/server/server.go
+++ b/internal/cli/server/server.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -69,11 +70,22 @@ func NewServer(config *Config) (*Server, error) {
 	}
 	srv.node = stack
 
+	// setup account manager (only keystore)
+	{
+		keydir := stack.KeyStoreDir()
+		n, p := keystore.StandardScryptN, keystore.StandardScryptP
+		if config.Accounts.UseLightweightKDF {
+			n, p = keystore.LightScryptN, keystore.LightScryptP
+		}
+		stack.AccountManager().AddBackend(keystore.NewKeyStore(keydir, n, p))
+	}
+
 	// register the ethereum backend
-	ethCfg, err := config.buildEth()
+	ethCfg, err := config.buildEth(stack)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
 	backend, err := eth.New(stack, ethCfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -97,16 +109,6 @@ func NewServer(config *Config) (*Server, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// setup account manager (only keystore)
-	{
-		keydir := stack.KeyStoreDir()
-		n, p := keystore.StandardScryptN, keystore.StandardScryptP
-		if config.Accounts.UseLightweightKDF {
-			n, p = keystore.LightScryptN, keystore.LightScryptP
-		}
-		stack.AccountManager().AddBackend(keystore.NewKeyStore(keydir, n, p))
-	}
-
 	// sealing (if enabled) or in dev mode
 	if config.Sealer.Enabled || config.Developer.Enabled {
 		if err := backend.StartMining(1); err != nil {
@@ -283,3 +285,23 @@ func setupLogger(logLevel string) {
 	}
 	log.Root().SetHandler(glogger)
 }
+
+// Fatalf formats a message to standard error and exits the program.
+// The message is also printed to standard output if standard error
+// is redirected to a different file.
+func Fatalf(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+	w := io.MultiWriter(os.Stdout, os.Stderr)
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		// The SameFile check below doesn't work on Windows.
+		// stdout is unlikely to get redirected though, so just print there.
+		w = os.Stdout
+	} else {
+		outf, _ := os.Stdout.Stat()
+		errf, _ := os.Stderr.Stat()
+		if outf != nil && errf != nil && os.SameFile(outf, errf) {
+			w = os.Stderr
+		}
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Fatal: "+format+"\n", args...)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}