diff --git a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/genesis.go b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/genesis.go
index 4384fb1f599..c09dd96c254 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/genesis.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/genesis.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package keeper
 import (
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 
+	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/internal/ibcwasm"
 	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/types"
 )
 
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ func (k Keeper) InitGenesis(ctx sdk.Context, gs types.GenesisState) error {
 
 // ExportGenesis returns the 08-wasm module's exported genesis. This includes the code
 // for all contracts previously stored.
-func (k Keeper) ExportGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) types.GenesisState {
+func (Keeper) ExportGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) types.GenesisState {
 	checksums, err := types.GetAllChecksums(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ func (k Keeper) ExportGenesis(ctx sdk.Context) types.GenesisState {
 	// Grab code from wasmVM and add to genesis state.
 	var genesisState types.GenesisState
 	for _, checksum := range checksums {
-		code, err := k.wasmVM.GetCode(checksum)
+		code, err := ibcwasm.GetVM().GetCode(checksum)
 		if err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
diff --git a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/grpc_query.go b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/grpc_query.go
index 7332246445d..44216fd2454 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/grpc_query.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/grpc_query.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 var _ types.QueryServer = (*Keeper)(nil)
 
 // Code implements the Query/Code gRPC method
-func (k Keeper) Code(goCtx context.Context, req *types.QueryCodeRequest) (*types.QueryCodeResponse, error) {
+func (Keeper) Code(goCtx context.Context, req *types.QueryCodeRequest) (*types.QueryCodeResponse, error) {
 	if req == nil {
 		return nil, status.Error(codes.InvalidArgument, "empty request")
 	}
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func (k Keeper) Code(goCtx context.Context, req *types.QueryCodeRequest) (*types
 		return nil, status.Error(codes.NotFound, errorsmod.Wrap(types.ErrWasmChecksumNotFound, req.Checksum).Error())
 	}
 
-	code, err := k.wasmVM.GetCode(checksum)
+	code, err := ibcwasm.GetVM().GetCode(checksum)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, status.Error(codes.NotFound, errorsmod.Wrap(types.ErrWasmChecksumNotFound, req.Checksum).Error())
 	}
diff --git a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/keeper.go b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/keeper.go
index 4b65bba05b1..0982150c2a1 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/keeper.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/keeper.go
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@ type Keeper struct {
 	// implements gRPC QueryServer interface
 	types.QueryServer
 
-	cdc    codec.BinaryCodec
-	wasmVM ibcwasm.WasmEngine
+	cdc codec.BinaryCodec
 
 	clientKeeper types.ClientKeeper
 
@@ -64,7 +63,6 @@ func NewKeeperWithVM(
 
 	return Keeper{
 		cdc:          cdc,
-		wasmVM:       vm,
 		clientKeeper: clientKeeper,
 		authority:    authority,
 	}
@@ -93,7 +91,7 @@ func (k Keeper) GetAuthority() string {
 	return k.authority
 }
 
-func (k Keeper) storeWasmCode(ctx sdk.Context, code []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+func (Keeper) storeWasmCode(ctx sdk.Context, code []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	var err error
 	if types.IsGzip(code) {
 		ctx.GasMeter().ConsumeGas(types.VMGasRegister.UncompressCosts(len(code)), "Uncompress gzip bytecode")
@@ -120,7 +118,7 @@ func (k Keeper) storeWasmCode(ctx sdk.Context, code []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 
 	// create the code in the vm
 	ctx.GasMeter().ConsumeGas(types.VMGasRegister.CompileCosts(len(code)), "Compiling wasm bytecode")
-	vmChecksum, err := k.wasmVM.StoreCode(code)
+	vmChecksum, err := ibcwasm.GetVM().StoreCode(code)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errorsmod.Wrap(err, "failed to store contract")
 	}
@@ -131,7 +129,7 @@ func (k Keeper) storeWasmCode(ctx sdk.Context, code []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	}
 
 	// pin the code to the vm in-memory cache
-	if err := k.wasmVM.Pin(vmChecksum); err != nil {
+	if err := ibcwasm.GetVM().Pin(vmChecksum); err != nil {
 		return nil, errorsmod.Wrapf(err, "failed to pin contract with checksum (%s) to vm cache", hex.EncodeToString(vmChecksum))
 	}
 
diff --git a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/msg_server.go b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/msg_server.go
index d63d5ded4bb..83ea4879202 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/msg_server.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/msg_server.go
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func (k Keeper) RemoveChecksum(goCtx context.Context, msg *types.MsgRemoveChecks
 	}
 
 	// unpin the code from the vm in-memory cache
-	if err := k.wasmVM.Unpin(msg.Checksum); err != nil {
+	if err := ibcwasm.GetVM().Unpin(msg.Checksum); err != nil {
 		return nil, errorsmod.Wrapf(err, "failed to unpin contract with checksum (%s) from vm cache", hex.EncodeToString(msg.Checksum))
 	}
 
diff --git a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/snapshotter.go b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/snapshotter.go
index e48baff5678..0d0eb564f0a 100644
--- a/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/snapshotter.go
+++ b/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/keeper/snapshotter.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 
 	tmproto "github.com/cometbft/cometbft/proto/tendermint/types"
 
+	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/internal/ibcwasm"
 	"github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/modules/light-clients/08-wasm/types"
 )
 
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ func (ws *WasmSnapshotter) SnapshotExtension(height uint64, payloadWriter snapsh
 	}
 
 	for _, checksum := range checksums {
-		wasmCode, err := ws.keeper.wasmVM.GetCode(checksum)
+		wasmCode, err := ibcwasm.GetVM().GetCode(checksum)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -111,12 +112,12 @@ func restoreV1(ctx sdk.Context, k *Keeper, compressedCode []byte) error {
 		return errorsmod.Wrap(err, "failed to uncompress wasm code")
 	}
 
-	checksum, err := k.wasmVM.StoreCode(wasmCode)
+	checksum, err := ibcwasm.GetVM().StoreCode(wasmCode)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errorsmod.Wrap(err, "failed to store wasm code")
 	}
 
-	if err := k.wasmVM.Pin(checksum); err != nil {
+	if err := ibcwasm.GetVM().Pin(checksum); err != nil {
 		return errorsmod.Wrapf(err, "failed to pin checksum: %s to in-memory cache", hex.EncodeToString(checksum))
 	}