diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index ee69756150..6a19a87161 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -17,3 +17,7 @@ gofmt -s -l .
 ```
 
 This command should produce no output if all files are properly formatted.
+
+## Benchmarking
+
+See [benchmark/CLAUDE.md](benchmark/CLAUDE.md) for benchmark usage, environment variables, and comparison workflows.
diff --git a/app/benchmark/benchmark.go b/app/benchmark/benchmark.go
index 6d454f064b..05723059cd 100644
--- a/app/benchmark/benchmark.go
+++ b/app/benchmark/benchmark.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 //	proposalCh := gen.StartProposalChannel(ctx, benchLogger)
 //
 // The generator can be configured via JSON config files that follow the sei-load
-// LoadConfig format. See scripts/scenarios/ for example configurations.
+// LoadConfig format. See benchmark/scenarios/ for example configurations.
 package benchmark
 
 import (
diff --git a/benchmark/CLAUDE.md b/benchmark/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6ed1b4d992
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+# Benchmark
+
+## Single scenario
+
+```bash
+GIGA_EXECUTOR=true GIGA_OCC=true DEBUG=true benchmark/benchmark.sh
+```
+
+TPS is logged every 5s as `tps=<value>` (with ANSI color codes). To capture output and extract TPS:
+
+```bash
+LOG_FILE=/tmp/bench.log DEBUG=true benchmark/benchmark.sh
+
+# Extract TPS values
+sed 's/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m//g' /tmp/bench.log | sed -n 's/.*tps=\([0-9.]*\).*/\1/p'
+```
+
+Available scenarios in `benchmark/scenarios/`: `evm.json` (default), `erc20.json`, `mixed.json`, `default.json`.
+
+```bash
+# Use a different scenario
+BENCHMARK_CONFIG=benchmark/scenarios/erc20.json benchmark/benchmark.sh
+```
+
+## Environment variables
+
+### benchmark.sh
+
+| Var | Default | Purpose |
+|-----|---------|---------|
+| `BENCHMARK_PHASE` | `all` | `init` (build+init+configure), `start` (run node), `all` (both) |
+| `SEI_HOME` | `$HOME/.sei` | Final chain data dir. If != ~/.sei, init in ~/.sei then `mv` |
+| `PORT_OFFSET` | `0` | Added to all ports (RPC, P2P, pprof, gRPC, etc.) |
+| `SEID_BIN` | `""` | Pre-built binary path. If set, skip build + copy to ~/go/bin/seid |
+| `LOG_FILE` | `""` | Redirect seid output to file |
+| `BENCHMARK_CONFIG` | `$SCRIPT_DIR/scenarios/evm.json` | Scenario config file (absolute path resolved from script location) |
+| `BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH` | `1000` | Transactions per batch |
+| `GIGA_EXECUTOR` | `false` | Enable evmone-based EVM executor |
+| `GIGA_OCC` | `false` | Enable OCC for Giga Executor |
+| `DB_BACKEND` | `goleveldb` | Database backend (goleveldb, memdb, cleveldb, rocksdb) |
+| `MOCK_BALANCES` | `true` | Use mock balances during benchmark |
+| `DISABLE_INDEXER` | `true` | Disable indexer for benchmark (reduces I/O overhead) |
+| `DEBUG` | `false` | Print all log output without filtering |
+
+### benchmark-compare.sh
+
+Inherits all benchmark.sh vars via delegation. Additionally:
+
+| Var | Default | Purpose |
+|-----|---------|---------|
+| `DURATION` | `600` | How long (seconds) to run each node before stopping |
+| `GIGA_EXECUTOR` | **`true`** | Overrides benchmark.sh default (false) |
+| `GIGA_OCC` | **`true`** | Overrides benchmark.sh default (false) |
+| `DB_BACKEND` | `goleveldb` | Forwarded to build and init phases |
+
+**Note:** `GIGA_EXECUTOR` and `GIGA_OCC` default to `true` in the compare script but `false` in benchmark.sh. The compare script is designed for performance comparison where Giga Executor is typically enabled.
+
+## Parallel multi-scenario comparison
+
+Use `benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh` to run multiple git commits side-by-side (minimum 2 scenarios required):
+
+```bash
+benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh \
+  pre-opt=fd2e28d74 \
+  lazy-cms=82acf458d \
+  lazy-cms-fix=37a17fd02
+```
+
+Each scenario gets its own binary, home dir, and port set (offset by 100). Results are printed at the end with median/avg/min/max TPS. Raw data in `/tmp/sei-bench/<label>/tps.txt`.
+
+## Comparing results across sessions
+
+**Important:** Cross-session benchmark numbers (TPS, total allocs) are not directly comparable. Only comparisons within the same `benchmark-compare.sh` run are valid, since all scenarios share identical conditions.
+
+## Comparing pprof profiles
+
+`benchmark-compare.sh` automatically captures pprof profiles (CPU and heap) midway through the run. Single-scenario runs only enable the pprof HTTP endpoint — capture profiles manually with `curl` or `go tool pprof`.
+
+Always use `pprof -diff_base` to compare profiles between benchmark runs. Never compare profiles side-by-side manually.
+
+```bash
+# CPU diff (positive = regression, negative = improvement)
+go tool pprof -top -diff_base /tmp/sei-bench/<baseline>/pprof/cpu.pb.gz /tmp/sei-bench/<candidate>/pprof/cpu.pb.gz
+
+# Allocation diff
+go tool pprof -alloc_space -top -diff_base /tmp/sei-bench/<baseline>/pprof/heap.pb.gz /tmp/sei-bench/<candidate>/pprof/heap.pb.gz
+```
diff --git a/benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh b/benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..a02b3db1f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,297 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# benchmark-compare.sh — Run multiple git commits as benchmarks in parallel
+#
+# Usage:
+#   benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh <label1>=<commit1> <label2>=<commit2> [...]
+#
+# Example:
+#   benchmark/benchmark-compare.sh \
+#     pre-opt=fd2e28d74 \
+#     lazy-cms=82acf458d \
+#     lazy-cms-fix=37a17fd02
+#
+# Each scenario gets its own seid binary, data dir, port set, and log file.
+# Init is sequential (fast, uses ~/.sei then moves). Run is parallel.
+# After DURATION seconds (default 600), all nodes stop and TPS stats are printed.
+#
+# Environment variables (same as benchmark.sh):
+#   GIGA_EXECUTOR=true/false  (default: true)
+#   GIGA_OCC=true/false       (default: true)
+#   BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH   (default: 1000)
+#   DURATION                   (default: 600 seconds)
+#   BENCHMARK_CONFIG           (default: benchmark/scenarios/evm.json)
+
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+
+GIGA_EXECUTOR=${GIGA_EXECUTOR:-true}
+GIGA_OCC=${GIGA_OCC:-true}
+BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=${BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH:-1000}
+DURATION=${DURATION:-600}
+BENCHMARK_CONFIG=${BENCHMARK_CONFIG:-"$SCRIPT_DIR/scenarios/evm.json"}
+DB_BACKEND=${DB_BACKEND:-goleveldb}
+BASE_DIR="/tmp/sei-bench"
+
+if [ $# -lt 2 ]; then
+  echo "Usage: $0 <label1>=<commit1> <label2>=<commit2> [...]"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Example:"
+  echo "  DURATION=600 $0 pre-opt=fd2e28d74 lazy-cms=82acf458d fix=37a17fd02"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Parse arguments
+LABELS=()
+COMMITS=()
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  label="${arg%%=*}"
+  commit="${arg##*=}"
+  if [ "$label" = "$commit" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid argument '$arg'. Use format label=commit"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  LABELS=("${LABELS[@]}" "$label")
+  COMMITS=("${COMMITS[@]}" "$commit")
+done
+
+NUM=${#LABELS[@]}
+
+echo "=== Parallel Benchmark Comparison ==="
+echo "  Scenarios:      $NUM"
+echo "  Duration:       ${DURATION}s"
+echo "  GIGA_EXECUTOR:  $GIGA_EXECUTOR"
+echo "  GIGA_OCC:       $GIGA_OCC"
+echo "  TXS_PER_BATCH:  $BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH"
+echo ""
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  echo "  [$((i+1))] ${LABELS[$i]} = ${COMMITS[$i]}"
+done
+echo ""
+
+# Save current ref to restore later
+ORIGINAL_BRANCH=$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+ORIGINAL_REF=$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" rev-parse HEAD)
+
+cleanup() {
+  echo ""
+  echo "Cleaning up..."
+  for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+    label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+    pkill -f "seid-${label}" 2>/dev/null || true
+  done
+  sleep 2
+  if [ -n "$ORIGINAL_BRANCH" ]; then
+    git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout "$ORIGINAL_BRANCH" 2>/dev/null || true
+  else
+    git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout "$ORIGINAL_REF" --detach 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase 1: Build all binaries (sequential, Go cache helps)
+# ============================================================
+echo "=== Phase 1: Building binaries ==="
+rm -rf "$BASE_DIR"
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  commit="${COMMITS[$i]}"
+  mkdir -p "$BASE_DIR/$label"
+
+  echo -n "  Building [$label] from ${commit}... "
+  git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout "$commit" --detach 2>/dev/null
+  # Forward DB_BACKEND build tags if needed
+  BUILD_TAGS=""
+  case "$DB_BACKEND" in
+    cleveldb) BUILD_TAGS="cleveldb" ;;
+    rocksdb)  BUILD_TAGS="rocksdb" ;;
+  esac
+  if [ -n "$BUILD_TAGS" ]; then
+    COSMOS_BUILD_OPTIONS="$BUILD_TAGS" make -C "$REPO_ROOT" install-bench > /dev/null 2>&1
+  else
+    make -C "$REPO_ROOT" install-bench > /dev/null 2>&1
+  fi
+  cp ~/go/bin/seid "$BASE_DIR/$label/seid-${label}"
+  echo "done"
+done
+echo ""
+
+# Restore to original ref so benchmark.sh can find scenario files
+if [ -n "$ORIGINAL_BRANCH" ]; then
+  git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout "$ORIGINAL_BRANCH" 2>/dev/null
+else
+  git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout "$ORIGINAL_REF" --detach 2>/dev/null
+fi
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase 2: Initialize chains (sequential — delegates to benchmark.sh)
+# ============================================================
+echo "=== Phase 2: Initializing chains ==="
+
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  seid="$BASE_DIR/$label/seid-${label}"
+  home_dir="$BASE_DIR/$label/data"
+  port_offset=$((i * 100))
+
+  echo -n "  Initializing [$label]... "
+
+  BENCHMARK_PHASE=init \
+  SEI_HOME="$home_dir" \
+  SEID_BIN="$seid" \
+  PORT_OFFSET="$port_offset" \
+  GIGA_EXECUTOR="$GIGA_EXECUTOR" \
+  GIGA_OCC="$GIGA_OCC" \
+  DB_BACKEND="$DB_BACKEND" \
+  BENCHMARK_CONFIG="$BENCHMARK_CONFIG" \
+  BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH="$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH" \
+  DISABLE_INDEXER=true \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/benchmark.sh" > /dev/null 2>&1
+
+  RPC=$((26657 + port_offset))
+  PPROF=$((6060 + port_offset))
+  echo "done (RPC=$RPC pprof=$PPROF)"
+done
+echo ""
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase 3: Run all nodes in parallel (delegates to benchmark.sh)
+# ============================================================
+echo "=== Phase 3: Starting $NUM nodes (duration: ${DURATION}s) ==="
+NODE_PIDS=()
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  seid="$BASE_DIR/$label/seid-${label}"
+  home_dir="$BASE_DIR/$label/data"
+  log_file="$BASE_DIR/$label/output.log"
+  port_offset=$((i * 100))
+
+  BENCHMARK_PHASE=start \
+  SEI_HOME="$home_dir" \
+  SEID_BIN="$seid" \
+  PORT_OFFSET="$port_offset" \
+  LOG_FILE="$log_file" \
+  DEBUG=true \
+  BENCHMARK_CONFIG="$BENCHMARK_CONFIG" \
+  BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH="$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH" \
+    "$SCRIPT_DIR/benchmark.sh" &
+  pid=$!
+  NODE_PIDS=("${NODE_PIDS[@]}" $pid)
+  echo "  [$label] PID=$pid log=$log_file"
+done
+echo ""
+echo "Running for ${DURATION}s..."
+
+# Wait until midway, then capture pprof profiles
+PPROF_WAIT=$(( DURATION / 2 ))
+echo "  Waiting ${PPROF_WAIT}s before capturing pprof profiles..."
+sleep "$PPROF_WAIT" || true
+
+echo ""
+echo "=== Capturing pprof profiles (30s CPU + heap allocs) ==="
+PPROF_PIDS=()
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  port_offset=$((i * 100))
+  PPROF_PORT=$((6060 + port_offset))
+  profile_dir="$BASE_DIR/$label/pprof"
+  mkdir -p "$profile_dir"
+
+  # CPU profile (30s)
+  curl -s "http://localhost:${PPROF_PORT}/debug/pprof/profile?seconds=30" \
+    -o "$profile_dir/cpu.pb.gz" &
+  PPROF_PIDS=("${PPROF_PIDS[@]}" $!)
+
+  # Heap (alloc_objects — total allocations)
+  curl -s "http://localhost:${PPROF_PORT}/debug/pprof/heap?debug=0" \
+    -o "$profile_dir/heap.pb.gz" &
+  PPROF_PIDS=("${PPROF_PIDS[@]}" $!)
+
+  echo "  [$label] capturing from localhost:${PPROF_PORT} -> $profile_dir/"
+done
+
+# Wait for all pprof captures to finish
+for pid in "${PPROF_PIDS[@]}"; do
+  wait "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+done
+echo "  pprof capture complete."
+
+# Verify profile sizes
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  profile_dir="$BASE_DIR/$label/pprof"
+  cpu_size=$(wc -c < "$profile_dir/cpu.pb.gz" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  heap_size=$(wc -c < "$profile_dir/heap.pb.gz" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  echo "  [$label] cpu=${cpu_size}B heap=${heap_size}B"
+done
+
+# Wait remaining time
+REMAINING=$(( DURATION - PPROF_WAIT - 30 ))
+if [ "$REMAINING" -gt 0 ]; then
+  echo ""
+  echo "  Continuing benchmark for ${REMAINING}s..."
+  sleep "$REMAINING" || true
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "Stopping all nodes..."
+for pid in "${NODE_PIDS[@]}"; do
+  kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+done
+sleep 3
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase 4: Results
+# ============================================================
+echo ""
+echo "======================================================="
+echo "=== Benchmark Comparison Results (${DURATION}s run) ==="
+echo "======================================================="
+echo ""
+
+PYTHON_CMD=python3
+if ! command -v $PYTHON_CMD &> /dev/null; then
+    PYTHON_CMD=python
+fi
+
+for i in $(seq 0 $((NUM-1))); do
+  label="${LABELS[$i]}"
+  commit="${COMMITS[$i]}"
+  log_file="$BASE_DIR/$label/output.log"
+  tps_file="$BASE_DIR/$label/tps.txt"
+
+  # Extract TPS (strip ANSI codes)
+  sed 's/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m//g' "$log_file" \
+    | sed -n 's/.*tps=\([0-9.]*\).*/\1/p' > "$tps_file"
+
+  HEIGHT=$(sed 's/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m//g' "$log_file" \
+    | sed -n 's/.*height=\([0-9]*\).*/\1/p' | tail -1)
+
+  STATS=$(sort -n "$tps_file" | awk '
+    NR>3 && $1>1000 {
+      sum += $1; count++
+      a[count] = $1
+    }
+    END {
+      if (count == 0) { printf "NO DATA"; exit }
+      median = (count % 2 == 1) ? a[int(count/2)+1] : (a[int(count/2)] + a[int(count/2)+1]) / 2
+      printf "Readings: %d | Median: %.0f | Avg: %.0f | Min: %.0f | Max: %.0f", \
+        count, median, sum/count, a[1], a[count]
+    }')
+
+  echo "[$label] (${commit})"
+  echo "  Height: ${HEIGHT:-N/A}"
+  echo "  $STATS"
+  echo ""
+done
+
+echo "Raw data:  $BASE_DIR/<label>/tps.txt"
+echo "Full logs: $BASE_DIR/<label>/output.log"
+echo "Profiles:  $BASE_DIR/<label>/pprof/{cpu,heap}.pb.gz"
+echo ""
+echo "Compare allocs:"
+echo "  go tool pprof -alloc_space -top -diff_base $BASE_DIR/<baseline>/pprof/heap.pb.gz $BASE_DIR/<candidate>/pprof/heap.pb.gz"
+echo "Compare CPU:"
+echo "  go tool pprof -top -diff_base $BASE_DIR/<baseline>/pprof/cpu.pb.gz $BASE_DIR/<candidate>/pprof/cpu.pb.gz"
diff --git a/scripts/benchmark.sh b/benchmark/benchmark.sh
similarity index 53%
rename from scripts/benchmark.sh
rename to benchmark/benchmark.sh
index 4fdbe8c717..c8e97bd3c9 100755
--- a/scripts/benchmark.sh
+++ b/benchmark/benchmark.sh
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=${BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH:-1000}
 DISABLE_INDEXER=${DISABLE_INDEXER:-true}
 # Debug mode - if true, prints all log output without filtering
 DEBUG=${DEBUG:-false}
-# Benchmark scenario config (path to JSON file, see scripts/scenarios/)
-BENCHMARK_CONFIG=${BENCHMARK_CONFIG:-"scripts/scenarios/evm.json"}
 
 # DB_BACKEND options:
 #   goleveldb - default, pure Go, can have compaction stalls under heavy write load
@@ -20,6 +18,25 @@ BENCHMARK_CONFIG=${BENCHMARK_CONFIG:-"scripts/scenarios/evm.json"}
 #   rocksdb   - best compaction control, requires CGO and rocksdb libs
 DB_BACKEND=${DB_BACKEND:-goleveldb}
 
+# --- New env vars for phase gating / multi-instance support ---
+# Final chain data dir. If != ~/.sei, init in ~/.sei then mv.
+SEI_HOME=${SEI_HOME:-"$HOME/.sei"}
+# Added to all ports (RPC, P2P, pprof, gRPC, etc.)
+PORT_OFFSET=${PORT_OFFSET:-0}
+# Pre-built binary path. If set, skip build + copy to ~/go/bin/seid.
+SEID_BIN=${SEID_BIN:-""}
+# Phase control: "init" (build+init+configure), "start" (run node), "all" (both)
+BENCHMARK_PHASE=${BENCHMARK_PHASE:-all}
+# Redirect seid output to file
+LOG_FILE=${LOG_FILE:-""}
+
+# Portable path resolution
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+
+# Benchmark scenario config (path to JSON file, see benchmark/scenarios/)
+BENCHMARK_CONFIG=${BENCHMARK_CONFIG:-"$SCRIPT_DIR/scenarios/evm.json"}
+
 # Use python3 as default, but fall back to python if python3 doesn't exist
 PYTHON_CMD=python3
 if ! command -v $PYTHON_CMD &> /dev/null
@@ -30,6 +47,18 @@ fi
 # set key name
 keyname=admin
 
+# Determine which seid binary to use
+if [ -n "$SEID_BIN" ]; then
+  SEID="$SEID_BIN"
+else
+  SEID="$HOME/go/bin/seid"
+fi
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase: init (build + init + configure)
+# ============================================================
+if [ "$BENCHMARK_PHASE" = "init" ] || [ "$BENCHMARK_PHASE" = "all" ]; then
+
 # Display configuration
 echo "=== Benchmark Configuration ==="
 echo "  MOCK_BALANCES:           $MOCK_BALANCES"
@@ -40,49 +69,61 @@ echo "  BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH: $BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH"
 echo "  DISABLE_INDEXER:         $DISABLE_INDEXER"
 echo "  DEBUG:                   $DEBUG"
 echo "  BENCHMARK_CONFIG:        ${BENCHMARK_CONFIG:-(default: EVMTransfer)}"
+echo "  SEI_HOME:                $SEI_HOME"
+echo "  PORT_OFFSET:             $PORT_OFFSET"
+echo "  SEID_BIN:                ${SEID_BIN:-(build from source)}"
+echo "  BENCHMARK_PHASE:         $BENCHMARK_PHASE"
 echo ""
-echo "Available scenarios in scripts/scenarios/:"
-ls -1 scripts/scenarios/*.json 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/    /' || echo "    (none found)"
+echo "Available scenarios in $SCRIPT_DIR/scenarios/:"
+ls -1 "$SCRIPT_DIR"/scenarios/*.json 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/    /' || echo "    (none found)"
 echo "================================"
 
 # clean up old sei directory
 rm -rf ~/.sei
 echo "Building..."
 
-# Determine build options based on DB_BACKEND
-BUILD_TAGS=""
-case "$DB_BACKEND" in
-  cleveldb)
-    echo "Building with cleveldb support (C LevelDB - faster)..."
-    BUILD_TAGS="cleveldb"
-    ;;
-  rocksdb)
-    echo "Building with rocksdb support (best compaction control)..."
-    BUILD_TAGS="rocksdb"
-    ;;
-  goleveldb|memdb)
-    echo "Building with default goleveldb support..."
-    ;;
-  *)
-    echo "ERROR: Unknown DB_BACKEND '$DB_BACKEND'. Valid options: goleveldb, memdb, cleveldb, rocksdb"
-    exit 1
-    ;;
-esac
-
-# install seid with benchmark support (includes mock_balances)
-echo "Building with benchmark and mock balances support enabled..."
-if [ -n "$BUILD_TAGS" ]; then
-  COSMOS_BUILD_OPTIONS="$BUILD_TAGS" make install-bench
+if [ -n "$SEID_BIN" ]; then
+  # Use pre-built binary: copy to ~/go/bin/seid so downstream tools find it
+  echo "Using pre-built binary: $SEID_BIN"
+  mkdir -p ~/go/bin
+  cp "$SEID_BIN" ~/go/bin/seid
 else
-  make install-bench
+  # Determine build options based on DB_BACKEND
+  BUILD_TAGS=""
+  case "$DB_BACKEND" in
+    cleveldb)
+      echo "Building with cleveldb support (C LevelDB - faster)..."
+      BUILD_TAGS="cleveldb"
+      ;;
+    rocksdb)
+      echo "Building with rocksdb support (best compaction control)..."
+      BUILD_TAGS="rocksdb"
+      ;;
+    goleveldb|memdb)
+      echo "Building with default goleveldb support..."
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "ERROR: Unknown DB_BACKEND '$DB_BACKEND'. Valid options: goleveldb, memdb, cleveldb, rocksdb"
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+
+  # install seid with benchmark support (includes mock_balances)
+  echo "Building with benchmark and mock balances support enabled..."
+  if [ -n "$BUILD_TAGS" ]; then
+    COSMOS_BUILD_OPTIONS="$BUILD_TAGS" make -C "$REPO_ROOT" install-bench
+  else
+    make -C "$REPO_ROOT" install-bench
+  fi
 fi
+
 # initialize chain with chain ID and add the first key
-~/go/bin/seid init demo --chain-id sei-chain
-~/go/bin/seid keys add $keyname --keyring-backend test
+"$SEID" init demo --chain-id sei-chain
+"$SEID" keys add $keyname --keyring-backend test
 # add the key as a genesis account with massive balances of several different tokens
-~/go/bin/seid add-genesis-account $(~/go/bin/seid keys show $keyname -a --keyring-backend test) 100000000000000000000usei,100000000000000000000uusdc,100000000000000000000uatom --keyring-backend test
+"$SEID" add-genesis-account $("$SEID" keys show $keyname -a --keyring-backend test) 100000000000000000000usei,100000000000000000000uusdc,100000000000000000000uatom --keyring-backend test
 # gentx for account
-~/go/bin/seid gentx $keyname 7000000000000000usei --chain-id sei-chain --keyring-backend test
+"$SEID" gentx $keyname 7000000000000000usei --chain-id sei-chain --keyring-backend test
 # add validator information to genesis file
 KEY=$(jq '.pub_key' ~/.sei/config/priv_validator_key.json -c)
 jq '.validators = [{}]' ~/.sei/config/genesis.json > ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis.json
@@ -92,9 +133,9 @@ mv ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis_3.json ~/.sei/config/genesis.json && rm ~/.sei/conf
 
 echo "Creating Accounts"
 # create 10 test accounts + fund them
-python3  loadtest/scripts/populate_genesis_accounts.py 20 loc
+python3  "$REPO_ROOT/loadtest/scripts/populate_genesis_accounts.py" 20 loc
 
-~/go/bin/seid collect-gentxs
+"$SEID" collect-gentxs
 # update some params in genesis file for easier use of the chain localls (make gov props faster)
 cat ~/.sei/config/genesis.json | jq '.app_state["gov"]["deposit_params"]["max_deposit_period"]="60s"' > ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis.json && mv ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis.json ~/.sei/config/genesis.json
 cat ~/.sei/config/genesis.json | jq '.app_state["gov"]["voting_params"]["voting_period"]="30s"' > ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis.json && mv ~/.sei/config/tmp_genesis.json ~/.sei/config/genesis.json
@@ -123,43 +164,43 @@ else
   APP_TOML_PATH="$HOME/.sei/config/app.toml"
 fi
 # Enable OCC and SeiDB
-sed -i.bak -e 's/# concurrency-workers = .*/concurrency-workers = 500/' $APP_TOML_PATH
-sed -i.bak -e 's/occ-enabled = .*/occ-enabled = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
-sed -i.bak -e 's/sc-enable = .*/sc-enable = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
-sed -i.bak -e 's/ss-enable = .*/ss-enable = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+sed -i.bak -e 's/# concurrency-workers = .*/concurrency-workers = 500/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+sed -i.bak -e 's/occ-enabled = .*/occ-enabled = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+sed -i.bak -e 's/sc-enable = .*/sc-enable = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+sed -i.bak -e 's/ss-enable = .*/ss-enable = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
 
 # Enable Giga Executor (evmone-based) if requested
 if [ "$GIGA_EXECUTOR" = true ]; then
   echo "Enabling Giga Executor (evmone-based EVM)..."
-  if grep -q "\[giga_executor\]" $APP_TOML_PATH; then
+  if grep -q "\[giga_executor\]" "$APP_TOML_PATH"; then
     # If the section exists, update enabled to true
     if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-      sed -i '' '/\[giga_executor\]/,/^\[/ s/enabled = false/enabled = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i '' '/\[giga_executor\]/,/^\[/ s/enabled = false/enabled = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     else
-      sed -i '/\[giga_executor\]/,/^\[/ s/enabled = false/enabled = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i '/\[giga_executor\]/,/^\[/ s/enabled = false/enabled = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     fi
   else
     # If section doesn't exist, append it
-    echo "" >> $APP_TOML_PATH
-    echo "[giga_executor]" >> $APP_TOML_PATH
-    echo "enabled = true" >> $APP_TOML_PATH
-    echo "occ_enabled = false" >> $APP_TOML_PATH
+    echo "" >> "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+    echo "[giga_executor]" >> "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+    echo "enabled = true" >> "$APP_TOML_PATH"
+    echo "occ_enabled = false" >> "$APP_TOML_PATH"
   fi
 
   # Set OCC based on GIGA_OCC flag
   if [ "$GIGA_OCC" = true ]; then
     echo "Enabling OCC for Giga Executor..."
     if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-      sed -i '' 's/occ_enabled = false/occ_enabled = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i '' 's/occ_enabled = false/occ_enabled = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     else
-      sed -i 's/occ_enabled = false/occ_enabled = true/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i 's/occ_enabled = false/occ_enabled = true/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     fi
   else
     echo "Disabling OCC for Giga Executor (sequential mode)..."
     if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-      sed -i '' 's/occ_enabled = true/occ_enabled = false/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i '' 's/occ_enabled = true/occ_enabled = false/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     else
-      sed -i 's/occ_enabled = true/occ_enabled = false/' $APP_TOML_PATH
+      sed -i 's/occ_enabled = true/occ_enabled = false/' "$APP_TOML_PATH"
     fi
   fi
 fi
@@ -178,25 +219,25 @@ else
 fi
 
 if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
-  sed -i 's/mode = "full"/mode = "validator"/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i 's/mode = "full"/mode = "validator"/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
   if [ "$DISABLE_INDEXER" = true ]; then
-    sed -i 's/indexer = \["kv"\]/indexer = \["null"\]/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+    sed -i 's/indexer = \["kv"\]/indexer = \["null"\]/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
     echo "Indexer disabled"
   fi
-  sed -i 's/skip_timeout_commit =.*/skip_timeout_commit = false/g' $CONFIG_PATH
-  sed -i 's/pprof-laddr = ""/pprof-laddr = ":6060"/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i 's/skip_timeout_commit =.*/skip_timeout_commit = false/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
+  sed -i 's/pprof-laddr = ""/pprof-laddr = ":6060"/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
   # Set the DB backend
-  sed -i "s/db-backend = \"goleveldb\"/db-backend = \"$DB_BACKEND\"/g" $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i "s/db-backend = \"goleveldb\"/db-backend = \"$DB_BACKEND\"/g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
   echo "DB backend set to: $DB_BACKEND"
 elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
-  sed -i '' 's/mode = "full"/mode = "validator"/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i '' 's/mode = "full"/mode = "validator"/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
   if [ "$DISABLE_INDEXER" = true ]; then
-    sed -i '' 's/indexer = \["kv"\]/indexer = \["null"\]/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+    sed -i '' 's/indexer = \["kv"\]/indexer = \["null"\]/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
     echo "Indexer disabled"
   fi
-  sed -i '' 's/pprof-laddr = ""/pprof-laddr = ":6060"/g' $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i '' 's/pprof-laddr = ""/pprof-laddr = ":6060"/g' "$CONFIG_PATH"
   # Set the DB backend
-  sed -i '' "s/db-backend = \"goleveldb\"/db-backend = \"$DB_BACKEND\"/g" $CONFIG_PATH
+  sed -i '' "s/db-backend = \"goleveldb\"/db-backend = \"$DB_BACKEND\"/g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
   echo "DB backend set to: $DB_BACKEND"
 else
   printf "Platform not supported, please ensure that the following values are set in your config.toml:\n"
@@ -208,22 +249,84 @@ else
   exit 1
 fi
 
-~/go/bin/seid config keyring-backend test
+# Apply port offsets if non-zero
+if [ "$PORT_OFFSET" -ne 0 ] 2>/dev/null; then
+  RPC=$((26657 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  P2P=$((26656 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  PPROF=$((6060 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  GRPC=$((9090 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  GRPCWEB=$((9091 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  API=$((1317 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  ROSETTA=$((8080 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  EVM_HTTP=$((8545 + PORT_OFFSET))
+  EVM_WS=$((8546 + PORT_OFFSET))
+
+  if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
+    sed -i '' "s|pprof-laddr = .*|pprof-laddr = \"localhost:${PPROF}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26657\"|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${RPC}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26656\"|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${P2P}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|address = \"0.0.0.0:9090\"|address = \"0.0.0.0:${GRPC}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|address = \"0.0.0.0:9091\"|address = \"0.0.0.0:${GRPCWEB}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:1317\"|address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:${API}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|address = \":8080\"|address = \":${ROSETTA}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|http_port = 8545|http_port = ${EVM_HTTP}|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i '' "s|ws_port = 8546|ws_port = ${EVM_WS}|g" "$APP_PATH"
+  else
+    sed -i "s|pprof-laddr = .*|pprof-laddr = \"localhost:${PPROF}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26657\"|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${RPC}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:26656\"|laddr = \"tcp://127.0.0.1:${P2P}\"|g" "$CONFIG_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|address = \"0.0.0.0:9090\"|address = \"0.0.0.0:${GRPC}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|address = \"0.0.0.0:9091\"|address = \"0.0.0.0:${GRPCWEB}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:1317\"|address = \"tcp://0.0.0.0:${API}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|address = \":8080\"|address = \":${ROSETTA}\"|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|http_port = 8545|http_port = ${EVM_HTTP}|g" "$APP_PATH"
+    sed -i "s|ws_port = 8546|ws_port = ${EVM_WS}|g" "$APP_PATH"
+  fi
+fi
+
+"$SEID" config keyring-backend test
+
+# If SEI_HOME is not ~/.sei, move the data dir
+if [ "$SEI_HOME" != "$HOME/.sei" ]; then
+  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$SEI_HOME")"
+  mv ~/.sei "$SEI_HOME"
+fi
+
+fi # end BENCHMARK_PHASE=init
+
+# ============================================================
+# Phase: start (run the node)
+# ============================================================
+if [ "$BENCHMARK_PHASE" = "start" ] || [ "$BENCHMARK_PHASE" = "all" ]; then
+
+PPROF_PORT=$((6060 + PORT_OFFSET))
 
 # start the chain with log tracing
 # Benchmark mode is enabled via build tag, no --benchmark flag needed
 echo ""
-echo "=== pprof enabled at http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof ==="
+echo "=== pprof enabled at http://localhost:${PPROF_PORT}/debug/pprof ==="
 echo "To capture 30s CPU profile during benchmark:"
-echo "  go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/profile?seconds=30"
+echo "  go tool pprof http://localhost:${PPROF_PORT}/debug/pprof/profile?seconds=30"
 echo "To capture heap profile:"
-echo "  go tool pprof http://localhost:6060/debug/pprof/heap"
+echo "  go tool pprof http://localhost:${PPROF_PORT}/debug/pprof/heap"
 echo "============================================================"
 echo ""
-if [ "$DEBUG" = true ]; then
+
+# Build the seid command args
+SEID_ARGS=(start --chain-id sei-chain)
+if [ "$SEI_HOME" != "$HOME/.sei" ]; then
+  SEID_ARGS+=(--home "$SEI_HOME")
+fi
+
+if [ -n "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
+  # Redirect all output to log file
+  BENCHMARK_CONFIG=$BENCHMARK_CONFIG BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH "$SEID" "${SEID_ARGS[@]}" > "$LOG_FILE" 2>&1
+elif [ "$DEBUG" = true ]; then
   # Debug mode: print all output
-  BENCHMARK_CONFIG=$BENCHMARK_CONFIG BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH ~/go/bin/seid start --chain-id sei-chain
+  BENCHMARK_CONFIG=$BENCHMARK_CONFIG BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH "$SEID" "${SEID_ARGS[@]}"
 else
   # Normal mode: filter to benchmark-related output only
-  BENCHMARK_CONFIG=$BENCHMARK_CONFIG BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH ~/go/bin/seid start --chain-id sei-chain 2>&1 | grep -E "(benchmark|Benchmark|deployed|transitioning)"
+  BENCHMARK_CONFIG=$BENCHMARK_CONFIG BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH=$BENCHMARK_TXS_PER_BATCH "$SEID" "${SEID_ARGS[@]}" 2>&1 | grep -E "(benchmark|Benchmark|deployed|transitioning)"
 fi
+
+fi # end BENCHMARK_PHASE=start
diff --git a/scripts/scenarios/README.md b/benchmark/scenarios/README.md
similarity index 89%
rename from scripts/scenarios/README.md
rename to benchmark/scenarios/README.md
index 856a999a49..2ae4dee6fc 100644
--- a/scripts/scenarios/README.md
+++ b/benchmark/scenarios/README.md
@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 # Benchmark Scenarios
 
-This folder contains benchmark scenario configurations for `scripts/benchmark.sh`.
+This folder contains benchmark scenario configurations for `benchmark/benchmark.sh`.
 
 ## Usage
 
 ```bash
 # Use default scenario (EVMTransfer)
-./scripts/benchmark.sh
+./benchmark/benchmark.sh
 
 # Use ERC20 scenario
-BENCHMARK_CONFIG=scripts/scenarios/erc20.json ./scripts/benchmark.sh
+BENCHMARK_CONFIG=benchmark/scenarios/erc20.json ./benchmark/benchmark.sh
 
 # Use mixed scenario (EVMTransfer + ERC20)
-BENCHMARK_CONFIG=scripts/scenarios/mixed.json ./scripts/benchmark.sh
+BENCHMARK_CONFIG=benchmark/scenarios/mixed.json ./benchmark/benchmark.sh
 ```
 
 ## Available Scenarios
diff --git a/scripts/scenarios/default.json b/benchmark/scenarios/default.json
similarity index 100%
rename from scripts/scenarios/default.json
rename to benchmark/scenarios/default.json
diff --git a/scripts/scenarios/erc20.json b/benchmark/scenarios/erc20.json
similarity index 100%
rename from scripts/scenarios/erc20.json
rename to benchmark/scenarios/erc20.json
diff --git a/scripts/scenarios/evm.json b/benchmark/scenarios/evm.json
similarity index 100%
rename from scripts/scenarios/evm.json
rename to benchmark/scenarios/evm.json
diff --git a/scripts/scenarios/mixed.json b/benchmark/scenarios/mixed.json
similarity index 100%
rename from scripts/scenarios/mixed.json
rename to benchmark/scenarios/mixed.json