diff --git a/keyserver/src/creators/account-creator.js b/keyserver/src/creators/account-creator.js
--- a/keyserver/src/creators/account-creator.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/creators/account-creator.js
@@ -42,13 +42,13 @@
 import { createNewUserCookie, setNewSession } from '../session/cookies.js';
 import { createScriptViewer } from '../session/scripts.js';
 import type { Viewer } from '../session/viewer.js';
-import { fetchOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
 import { updateThread } from '../updaters/thread-updaters.js';
 import { viewerAcknowledgmentUpdater } from '../updaters/viewer-acknowledgment-updater.js';
 import {
   isAuthoritativeKeyserver,
   thisKeyserverAdmin,
 } from '../user/identity.js';
+import { signUsingOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 const adminMessages = [
   'welcome to Comm!',
@@ -224,11 +224,10 @@
   };
   const stringifiedMessage = JSON.stringify(reservedUsernameMessage);
 
-  const [rustAPI, accountInfo] = await Promise.all([
+  const [rustAPI, signature] = await Promise.all([
     getRustAPI(),
-    fetchOlmAccount('content'),
+    signUsingOlmAccount(stringifiedMessage),
   ]);
-  const signature = accountInfo.account.sign(stringifiedMessage);
 
   await rustAPI.addReservedUsernames(stringifiedMessage, signature);
 }
diff --git a/keyserver/src/cron/update-identity-reserved-usernames.js b/keyserver/src/cron/update-identity-reserved-usernames.js
--- a/keyserver/src/cron/update-identity-reserved-usernames.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/cron/update-identity-reserved-usernames.js
@@ -5,13 +5,12 @@
 import type { ReservedUsernameMessage } from 'lib/types/crypto-types.js';
 
 import { fetchAllUserDetails } from '../fetchers/user-fetchers.js';
-import { fetchOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
+import { signUsingOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 async function updateIdentityReservedUsernames(): Promise<void> {
-  const [userDetails, rustAPI, accountInfo] = await Promise.all([
+  const [userDetails, rustAPI] = await Promise.all([
     fetchAllUserDetails(),
     getRustAPI(),
-    fetchOlmAccount('content'),
   ]);
   const issuedAt = new Date().toISOString();
   const reservedUsernameMessage: ReservedUsernameMessage = {
@@ -20,7 +19,7 @@
     issuedAt,
   };
   const stringifiedMessage = JSON.stringify(reservedUsernameMessage);
-  const signature = accountInfo.account.sign(stringifiedMessage);
+  const signature = await signUsingOlmAccount(stringifiedMessage);
 
   await rustAPI.addReservedUsernames(stringifiedMessage, signature);
 }
diff --git a/keyserver/src/deleters/account-deleters.js b/keyserver/src/deleters/account-deleters.js
--- a/keyserver/src/deleters/account-deleters.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/deleters/account-deleters.js
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 import { removeBlobHolders } from '../services/blob.js';
 import { createNewAnonymousCookie } from '../session/cookies.js';
 import type { Viewer, AnonymousViewerData } from '../session/viewer.js';
-import { fetchOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
 import { blobHoldersFromUploadRows } from '../uploads/media-utils.js';
+import { signUsingOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 async function deleteUploadsForUser(deletedUserID: string): Promise<void> {
   try {
@@ -129,9 +129,10 @@
     const message = JSON.stringify(reservedUsernameMessage);
 
     const removeReservedUsernamePromise = (async () => {
-      const rustAPI = await getRustAPI();
-      const accountInfo = await fetchOlmAccount('content');
-      const signature = accountInfo.account.sign(message);
+      const [rustAPI, signature] = await Promise.all([
+        getRustAPI(),
+        signUsingOlmAccount(message),
+      ]);
       await rustAPI.removeReservedUsername(message, signature);
     })();
     if (viewer.isScriptViewer) {
diff --git a/keyserver/src/responders/user-responders.js b/keyserver/src/responders/user-responders.js
--- a/keyserver/src/responders/user-responders.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/responders/user-responders.js
@@ -133,10 +133,10 @@
   updateUserSettings,
   updateUserAvatar,
 } from '../updaters/account-updaters.js';
-import { fetchOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
 import { userSubscriptionUpdater } from '../updaters/user-subscription-updaters.js';
 import { viewerAcknowledgmentUpdater } from '../updaters/viewer-acknowledgment-updater.js';
 import { getInboundKeysForUserDevice } from '../utils/identity-utils.js';
+import { signUsingOlmAccount } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 export const subscriptionUpdateRequestInputValidator: TInterface<SubscriptionUpdateRequest> =
   tShape<SubscriptionUpdateRequest>({
@@ -962,10 +962,7 @@
     FROM users
     WHERE LCASE(username) = LCASE(${request.username})
   `;
-  const [[userResult], accountInfo] = await Promise.all([
-    dbQuery(userQuery),
-    fetchOlmAccount('content'),
-  ]);
+  const [userResult] = await dbQuery(userQuery);
 
   if (userResult.length === 0) {
     throw new ServerError('invalid_credentials');
@@ -993,7 +990,7 @@
     issuedAt,
   };
   const message = JSON.stringify(reservedUsernameMessage);
-  const signature = accountInfo.account.sign(message);
+  const signature = await signUsingOlmAccount(message);
 
   return { message, signature };
 }
diff --git a/keyserver/src/socket/tunnelbroker.js b/keyserver/src/socket/tunnelbroker.js
--- a/keyserver/src/socket/tunnelbroker.js
+++ b/keyserver/src/socket/tunnelbroker.js
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@
 import { getMessageForException } from 'lib/utils/errors.js';
 import sleep from 'lib/utils/sleep.js';
 
-import { fetchOlmAccount } from '../updaters/olm-account-updater.js';
 import {
   clearIdentityInfo,
   fetchIdentityInfo,
@@ -60,6 +59,7 @@
   uploadNewOneTimeKeys,
   getNewDeviceKeyUpload,
   markPrekeysAsPublished,
+  signUsingOlmAccount,
 } from '../utils/olm-utils.js';
 
 type TBConnectionInfo = {
@@ -297,10 +297,9 @@
         const messageToKeyserver = JSON.parse(payload);
         if (qrCodeAuthMessageValidator.is(messageToKeyserver)) {
           const request: QRCodeAuthMessage = messageToKeyserver;
-          const [qrCodeAuthMessage, rustAPI, accountInfo] = await Promise.all([
+          const [qrCodeAuthMessage, rustAPI] = await Promise.all([
             this.parseQRCodeAuthMessage(request),
             getRustAPI(),
-            fetchOlmAccount('content'),
           ]);
           if (
             !qrCodeAuthMessage ||
@@ -320,7 +319,7 @@
             payload: deviceKeyUpload.keyPayload,
             signature: deviceKeyUpload.keyPayloadSignature,
           };
-          const nonceSignature = accountInfo.account.sign(nonce);
+          const nonceSignature = await signUsingOlmAccount(nonce);
 
           const identityInfo = await rustAPI.uploadSecondaryDeviceKeysAndLogIn(
             userID,
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
@@ -241,6 +241,20 @@
   return result;
 }
 
+async function signUsingOlmAccount(message: string): Promise<string> {
+  const pickledAccount = await fetchPickledOlmAccount('content');
+
+  const signUsingAccount: (account: OlmAccount) => string = (
+    account: OlmAccount,
+  ) => account.sign(message);
+
+  const { result } = await unpickleAccountAndUseCallback(
+    pickledAccount,
+    signUsingAccount,
+  );
+  return result;
+}
+
 function validateAndUploadAccountPrekeys(
   contentAccount: OlmAccount,
   notifAccount: OlmAccount,
@@ -300,4 +314,5 @@
   publishPrekeysToIdentity,
   getNewDeviceKeyUpload,
   markPrekeysAsPublished,
+  signUsingOlmAccount,
 };