diff --git a/contrib/pyln-testing/pyln/testing/utils.py b/contrib/pyln-testing/pyln/testing/utils.py
index 32f94926c756..8b4dbbbc2b24 100644
--- a/contrib/pyln-testing/pyln/testing/utils.py
+++ b/contrib/pyln-testing/pyln/testing/utils.py
@@ -587,13 +587,14 @@ def __init__(
             port=9735,
             random_hsm=False,
             node_id=0,
-            grpc_port=None
+            grpc_port="9736"
     ):
         # We handle our own version of verbose, below.
         TailableProc.__init__(self, lightning_dir, verbose=False)
         self.executable = 'lightningd'
         self.lightning_dir = lightning_dir
         self.port = port
+        self.grpc_port = grpc_port
         self.cmd_prefix = []
 
         self.rpcproxy = bitcoindproxy
@@ -605,6 +606,8 @@ def __init__(
             'addr': '127.0.0.1:{}'.format(port),
             'allow-deprecated-apis': '{}'.format("true" if DEPRECATED_APIS
                                                  else "false"),
+            'grpc-port': grpc_port,
+
             'network': TEST_NETWORK,
             'ignore-fee-limits': 'false',
             'bitcoin-rpcuser': BITCOIND_CONFIG['rpcuser'],
@@ -614,11 +617,6 @@ def __init__(
             'bitcoin-datadir': lightning_dir,
         }
 
-        if grpc_port is not None:
-            opts['grpc-port'] = grpc_port
-        else:
-            opts['disable-plugin'] = 'cln-grpc'
-
         for k, v in opts.items():
             self.opts[k] = v
 
@@ -765,6 +763,7 @@ def __init__(self, node_id, lightning_dir, bitcoind, executor, valgrind, may_fai
         self.allow_warning = allow_warning
         self.db = db
         self.lightning_dir = Path(lightning_dir)
+        self.grpc_port = options.get("grpc-port", "9736") if options else "9736"
 
         # Assume successful exit
         self.rc = 0
@@ -839,7 +838,7 @@ def _create_rpc(self, jsonschemas):
 
     def _create_grpc_rpc(self):
         from pyln.testing import grpc
-        self.grpc_port = reserve_unused_port()
+        self.grpc_port = self.grpc_port or reserve_unused_port()
         d = self.lightning_dir / TEST_NETWORK
         d.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
@@ -862,7 +861,6 @@ def _create_grpc_rpc(self):
 
     def _create_jsonrpc_rpc(self, jsonschemas):
         socket_path = self.lightning_dir / TEST_NETWORK / "lightning-rpc"
-        self.grpc_port = None
 
         self.rpc = PrettyPrintingLightningRpc(
             str(socket_path),