diff --git a/keyserver/src/database/migration-config.js b/keyserver/src/database/migration-config.js
--- a/keyserver/src/database/migration-config.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/database/migration-config.js
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
   createPickledOlmAccount,
   publishPrekeysToIdentity,
 } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
+import type { PickledOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 import { synchronizeInviteLinksWithBlobs } from '../utils/synchronize-invite-links-with-blobs.js';
 
 const botViewer = createScriptViewer(bots.commbot.userID);
@@ -844,6 +845,13 @@
   const [pickledContentAccount, pickledNotificationsAccount] =
     await Promise.all([createPickledOlmAccount(), createPickledOlmAccount()]);
 
+  await saveNewOlmAccounts(pickledContentAccount, pickledNotificationsAccount);
+}
+
+async function saveNewOlmAccounts(
+  pickledContentAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+  pickledNotificationsAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+) {
   await dbQuery(
     SQL`
       INSERT INTO olm_accounts (is_content, version, 
@@ -869,4 +877,9 @@
   return !!process.env.COMM_DATABASE_HOST;
 }
 
-export { migrations, newDatabaseVersion, createOlmAccounts };
+export {
+  migrations,
+  newDatabaseVersion,
+  createOlmAccounts,
+  saveNewOlmAccounts,
+};
diff --git a/keyserver/src/database/setup-db.js b/keyserver/src/database/setup-db.js
--- a/keyserver/src/database/setup-db.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/database/setup-db.js
@@ -12,18 +12,30 @@
 import { updateDBVersion } from '../database/db-version.js';
 import {
   newDatabaseVersion,
-  createOlmAccounts,
+  saveNewOlmAccounts,
 } from '../database/migration-config.js';
 import { createScriptViewer } from '../session/scripts.js';
 import { ensureUserCredentials } from '../user/checks.js';
-import { thisKeyserverAdmin } from '../user/identity.js';
-import { verifyUserLoggedIn } from '../user/login.js';
+import { thisKeyserverAdmin, saveIdentityInfo } from '../user/identity.js';
+import { verifyUserLoggedInWithoutDB } from '../user/login.js';
+import { createPickledOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 async function setupDB() {
+  const [pickledContentAccount, pickledNotificationsAccount] =
+    await Promise.all([createPickledOlmAccount(), createPickledOlmAccount()]);
+
+  const {
+    identityInfo,
+    pickledContentAccount: contentAccount,
+    pickledNotificationsAccount: notificationsAccount,
+  } = await verifyUserLoggedInWithoutDB(
+    pickledContentAccount,
+    pickledNotificationsAccount,
+  );
   await ensureUserCredentials();
   await createTables();
-  await createOlmAccounts();
-  await verifyUserLoggedIn();
+  await saveNewOlmAccounts(contentAccount, notificationsAccount);
+  await saveIdentityInfo(identityInfo);
   await createUsers();
   await createThreads();
   await setUpMetadataTable();
diff --git a/keyserver/src/user/login.js b/keyserver/src/user/login.js
--- a/keyserver/src/user/login.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/user/login.js
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 } from './identity.js';
 import { getMessageForException } from '../responders/utils.js';
 import { fetchCallUpdateOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
+import { unpickleOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
+import type { PickledOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 // After register or login is successful
 function markKeysAsPublished(account: OlmAccount) {
@@ -69,6 +71,62 @@
   return identityInfo;
 }
 
+async function unpickleAndUseCallback<T>(
+  pickledOlmAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+  callback: (account: OlmAccount, picklingKey: string) => Promise<T> | T,
+): Promise<{ result: T, pickledOlmAccount: PickledOlmAccount }> {
+  const { picklingKey, pickledAccount } = pickledOlmAccount;
+
+  const account = await unpickleOlmAccount({
+    picklingKey,
+    pickledAccount,
+  });
+  let result;
+  try {
+    result = await callback(account, picklingKey);
+  } catch (e) {
+    throw new ServerError(getMessageForException(e) ?? 'unknown_error');
+  }
+  const updatedAccount = account.pickle(picklingKey);
+
+  return {
+    result,
+    pickledOlmAccount: { ...pickledOlmAccount, pickledAccount: updatedAccount },
+  };
+}
+
+async function verifyUserLoggedInWithoutDB(
+  pickledContentAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+  pickledNotificationsAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+): Promise<{
+  identityInfo: IdentityInfo,
+  pickledContentAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+  pickledNotificationsAccount: PickledOlmAccount,
+}> {
+  const userInfo = await getUserCredentials();
+
+  const identityInfo = await registerOrLogInBase(
+    userInfo,
+    async callback => {
+      const { result, pickledOlmAccount } = await unpickleAndUseCallback(
+        pickledContentAccount,
+        callback,
+      );
+      pickledContentAccount = pickledOlmAccount;
+      return result;
+    },
+    async callback => {
+      const { result, pickledOlmAccount } = await unpickleAndUseCallback(
+        pickledNotificationsAccount,
+        callback,
+      );
+      pickledNotificationsAccount = pickledOlmAccount;
+      return result;
+    },
+  );
+  return { identityInfo, pickledContentAccount, pickledNotificationsAccount };
+}
+
 async function registerOrLogIn(
   userInfo: UserCredentials,
 ): Promise<IdentityInfo> {
@@ -197,4 +255,4 @@
   }
 }
 
-export { verifyUserLoggedIn };
+export { verifyUserLoggedIn, verifyUserLoggedInWithoutDB };
diff --git a/keyserver/src/utils/olm-utils.js b/keyserver/src/utils/olm-utils.js
--- a/keyserver/src/utils/olm-utils.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/utils/olm-utils.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
 import { verifyUserLoggedIn } from '../user/login.js';
 
-type PickledOlmAccount = {
+export type PickledOlmAccount = {
   +picklingKey: string,
   +pickledAccount: string,
 };