diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 118a821..dace634 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -139,6 +139,44 @@ Grafana is started with the two pre-provisioned dashboards from [leanMetrics](ht
     - On Ctrl+C cleanup, the metrics stack is stopped automatically
 
     Note: Client metrics endpoints are always enabled regardless of this flag.
+12. `--checkpoint-sync-url` specifies the URL to fetch finalized checkpoint state from for checkpoint sync. Default: `https://leanpoint.leanroadmap.org/lean/v0/states/finalized`. Only used when `--restart-client` is specified.
+13. `--restart-client` comma-separated list of client node names (e.g., `zeam_0,ream_0`). When specified, those clients are stopped, their data cleared, and restarted using checkpoint sync. Genesis is skipped. Use with `--checkpoint-sync-url` to override the default URL.
+
+### Checkpoint sync
+
+Checkpoint sync lets you restart clients by syncing from a remote checkpoint instead of from genesis. This is useful for joining an existing network (e.g., leanpoint mainnet) without replaying the full chain.
+
+**Basic usage:**
+
+```sh
+# Restart zeam_0 using the default checkpoint URL
+NETWORK_DIR=local-devnet ./spin-node.sh --restart-client zeam_0
+
+# Restart multiple clients
+NETWORK_DIR=local-devnet ./spin-node.sh --restart-client zeam_0,ream_0
+```
+
+**Custom checkpoint URL:**
+
+```sh
+NETWORK_DIR=local-devnet ./spin-node.sh --restart-client zeam_0 \
+  --checkpoint-sync-url https://leanpoint.leanroadmap.org/lean/v0/states/finalized
+```
+
+**Default checkpoint URL:** `https://leanpoint.leanroadmap.org/lean/v0/states/finalized`
+
+**What happens:**
+1. Existing containers for the specified clients are stopped (no error if already stopped)
+2. Data directories are cleared
+3. Clients are started with `--checkpoint-sync-url` so they sync from the remote checkpoint instead of genesis
+
+**Deployment modes:**
+- **Local** (`NETWORK_DIR=local-devnet`): Uses Docker directly
+- **Ansible** (`NETWORK_DIR=ansible-devnet`): Uses Ansible to deploy to remote hosts
+
+**Supported clients:** zeam, ream, qlean, lantern, lighthouse, grandine, ethlambda
+
+> **Note:** All clients accept `--checkpoint-sync-url`. Client implementations may use different parameter names internally; update client-cmd scripts if parameters change.
 
 ### Clients supported
 
diff --git a/ansible-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml b/ansible-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
index 81e80f5..091275a 100644
--- a/ansible-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
+++ b/ansible-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "46.224.123.223"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1 # number of indices for this node
 
   - name: "ream_0"
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "77.42.27.219"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     devnet: 1
     count: 1
 
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "46.224.123.220"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "lantern_0"
@@ -47,6 +50,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "46.224.135.177"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "lighthouse_0"
@@ -58,6 +62,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "46.224.135.169"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "grandine_0"
@@ -66,6 +71,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "37.27.250.20"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "ethlambda_0"
@@ -74,4 +80,5 @@ validators:
       ip: "78.47.44.215"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 9095
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ansible/playbooks/site.yml b/ansible/playbooks/site.yml
index fea64cc..52dbbac 100644
--- a/ansible/playbooks/site.yml
+++ b/ansible/playbooks/site.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
   import_playbook: clean-node-data.yml
   vars:
     genesis_dir: "{{ network_dir }}/genesis"
-    node_names: "{{ node_names }}"
   when: clean_data | default(false) | bool
 
 - name: Generate Genesis Files
@@ -40,5 +39,4 @@
 - name: Deploy Nodes
   import_playbook: deploy-nodes.yml
   vars:
-    node_names: "{{ node_names }}"
     skip_role_cleaning: "{{ clean_data | default(false) | bool }}"
diff --git a/client-cmds/ethlambda-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/ethlambda-cmd.sh
index 50bd63c..a71ac71 100644
--- a/client-cmds/ethlambda-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/ethlambda-cmd.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@
 
 binary_path="$scriptDir/../ethlambda/target/release/ethlambda"
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 # Command when running as binary
 node_binary="$binary_path \
       --custom-network-config-dir $configDir \
@@ -11,7 +23,9 @@ node_binary="$binary_path \
       --node-id $item \
       --node-key $configDir/$item.key \
       --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
-      --metrics-port $metricsPort"
+      --metrics-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 # Command when running as docker container
 node_docker="ghcr.io/lambdaclass/ethlambda:devnet2 \
@@ -20,6 +34,8 @@ node_docker="ghcr.io/lambdaclass/ethlambda:devnet2 \
       --node-id $item \
       --node-key /config/$item.key \
       --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
-      --metrics-port $metricsPort"
+      --metrics-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_setup="docker"
diff --git a/client-cmds/grandine-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/grandine-cmd.sh
index cd92472..d1d550a 100644
--- a/client-cmds/grandine-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/grandine-cmd.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,17 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 node_binary="$grandine_bin \
         --genesis $configDir/config.yaml \
         --validator-registry-path $configDir/validators.yaml \
@@ -11,7 +23,9 @@ node_binary="$grandine_bin \
         --metrics \
         --http-address 0.0.0.0 \
         --http-port $metricsPort \
-        --hash-sig-key-dir $configDir/hash-sig-keys"
+        --hash-sig-key-dir $configDir/hash-sig-keys \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_docker="sifrai/lean:devnet-2 \
         --genesis /config/config.yaml \
@@ -24,7 +38,9 @@ node_docker="sifrai/lean:devnet-2 \
         --metrics \
         --http-address 0.0.0.0 \
         --http-port $metricsPort \
-        --hash-sig-key-dir /config/hash-sig-keys"
+        --hash-sig-key-dir /config/hash-sig-keys \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 # choose either binary or docker
 node_setup="docker"
diff --git a/client-cmds/lantern-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/lantern-cmd.sh
index b918355..7d22960 100755
--- a/client-cmds/lantern-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/lantern-cmd.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,18 @@ if [ -n "$devnet" ]; then
         devnet_flag="--devnet $devnet"
 fi
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 # Lantern's repo: https://github.com/Pier-Two/lantern
 node_binary="$scriptDir/lantern/build/lantern_cli \
         --data-dir $dataDir/$item \
@@ -22,7 +34,9 @@ node_binary="$scriptDir/lantern/build/lantern_cli \
         --metrics-port $metricsPort \
         --http-port 5055 \
         --log-level debug \
-        --hash-sig-key-dir $configDir/hash-sig-keys"
+        --hash-sig-key-dir $configDir/hash-sig-keys \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_docker="$LANTERN_IMAGE --data-dir /data \
         --genesis-config /config/config.yaml \
@@ -36,7 +50,9 @@ node_docker="$LANTERN_IMAGE --data-dir /data \
         --metrics-port $metricsPort \
         --http-port 5055 \
         --log-level debug \
-        --hash-sig-key-dir /config/hash-sig-keys"
+        --hash-sig-key-dir /config/hash-sig-keys \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 # choose either binary or docker
 node_setup="docker"
diff --git a/client-cmds/lighthouse-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/lighthouse-cmd.sh
index 1e129c2..030b79c 100644
--- a/client-cmds/lighthouse-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/lighthouse-cmd.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,18 @@
 # Metrics enabled by default
 metrics_flag="--metrics"
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 node_binary="$lighthouse_bin lean_node \
       --datadir \"$dataDir/$item\" \
       --config \"$configDir/config.yaml\" \
@@ -14,7 +26,9 @@ node_binary="$lighthouse_bin lean_node \
       --socket-port $quicPort\
       $metrics_flag \
       --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
-      --metrics-port $metricsPort"
+      --metrics-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_docker="hopinheimer/lighthouse:latest lighthouse lean_node \
       --datadir /data \
@@ -27,6 +41,8 @@ node_docker="hopinheimer/lighthouse:latest lighthouse lean_node \
       --socket-port $quicPort\
       $metrics_flag \
       --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
-      --metrics-port $metricsPort"
+      --metrics-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_setup="docker"
diff --git a/client-cmds/qlean-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/qlean-cmd.sh
index 28de40b..0df9e18 100644
--- a/client-cmds/qlean-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/qlean-cmd.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,19 @@
 #-----------------------qlean setup----------------------
 # expects "qlean" submodule or symlink inside "lean-quickstart" root directory
 # https://github.com/qdrvm/qlean-mini
+
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 node_binary="$scriptDir/qlean/build/src/executable/qlean \
       --modules-dir $scriptDir/qlean/build/src/modules \
       --genesis $configDir/config.yaml \
@@ -15,6 +28,8 @@ node_binary="$scriptDir/qlean/build/src/executable/qlean \
       --node-id $item --node-key $configDir/$privKeyPath \
       --listen-addr /ip4/0.0.0.0/udp/$quicPort/quic-v1 \
       --prometheus-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag \
       -ldebug \
       -ltrace"
       
@@ -29,6 +44,8 @@ node_docker="qdrvm/qlean-mini:devnet-2 \
       --node-id $item --node-key /config/$privKeyPath \
       --listen-addr /ip4/0.0.0.0/udp/$quicPort/quic-v1 \
       --prometheus-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag \
       -ldebug \
       -ltrace"
 
diff --git a/client-cmds/ream-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/ream-cmd.sh
index 9985c92..3585f59 100755
--- a/client-cmds/ream-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/ream-cmd.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@
 # Metrics enabled by default
 metrics_flag="--metrics"
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 # modify the path to the ream binary as per your system
 node_binary="$scriptDir/../ream/target/release/ream --data-dir $dataDir/$item \
         lean_node \
@@ -15,7 +27,9 @@ node_binary="$scriptDir/../ream/target/release/ream --data-dir $dataDir/$item \
         $metrics_flag \
         --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
         --metrics-port $metricsPort \
-        --http-address 0.0.0.0"
+        --http-address 0.0.0.0 \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_docker="ghcr.io/reamlabs/ream:latest-devnet2 --data-dir /data \
         lean_node \
@@ -27,7 +41,9 @@ node_docker="ghcr.io/reamlabs/ream:latest-devnet2 --data-dir /data \
         $metrics_flag \
         --metrics-address 0.0.0.0 \
         --metrics-port $metricsPort \
-        --http-address 0.0.0.0"
+        --http-address 0.0.0.0 \
+        $aggregator_flag \
+        $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 # choose either binary or docker
 node_setup="docker"
diff --git a/client-cmds/zeam-cmd.sh b/client-cmds/zeam-cmd.sh
index 4b56d7a..6f693d4 100644
--- a/client-cmds/zeam-cmd.sh
+++ b/client-cmds/zeam-cmd.sh
@@ -6,13 +6,27 @@
 # Metrics enabled by default
 metrics_flag="--metrics_enable"
 
+# Set aggregator flag based on isAggregator value
+aggregator_flag=""
+if [ "$isAggregator" == "true" ]; then
+    aggregator_flag="--is-aggregator"
+fi
+
+# Set checkpoint sync URL when restarting with checkpoint sync
+checkpoint_sync_flag=""
+if [ -n "${checkpoint_sync_url:-}" ]; then
+    checkpoint_sync_flag="--checkpoint-sync-url $checkpoint_sync_url"
+fi
+
 node_binary="$scriptDir/../zig-out/bin/zeam node \
       --custom_genesis $configDir \
       --validator_config $validatorConfig \
       --data-dir $dataDir/$item \
       --node-id $item --node-key $configDir/$item.key \
       $metrics_flag \
-      --api-port $metricsPort"
+      --api-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 node_docker="--security-opt seccomp=unconfined blockblaz/zeam:devnet2 node \
       --custom_genesis /config \
@@ -20,7 +34,9 @@ node_docker="--security-opt seccomp=unconfined blockblaz/zeam:devnet2 node \
       --data-dir /data \
       --node-id $item --node-key /config/$item.key \
       $metrics_flag \
-      --api-port $metricsPort"
+      --api-port $metricsPort \
+      $aggregator_flag \
+      $checkpoint_sync_flag"
 
 # choose either binary or docker
 node_setup="docker"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml b/local-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
index 7f99d48..72d3ad3 100644
--- a/local-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
+++ b/local-devnet/genesis/validator-config.yaml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9001
     metricsPort: 8081
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1 # number of indices for this node
 
   - name: "ream_0"
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9002
     metricsPort: 8082
+    isAggregator: false
     devnet: 1
     count: 1
 
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9003
     metricsPort: 8083
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "lantern_0"
@@ -47,6 +50,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9004
     metricsPort: 8084
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "lighthouse_0"
@@ -58,6 +62,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9005
     metricsPort: 8085
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "grandine_0"
@@ -66,6 +71,7 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9006
     metricsPort: 8086
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
 
   - name: "ethlambda_0"
@@ -77,4 +83,5 @@ validators:
       ip: "127.0.0.1"
       quic: 9007
     metricsPort: 8087
+    isAggregator: false
     count: 1
diff --git a/parse-env.sh b/parse-env.sh
index 84db521..c3b1028 100755
--- a/parse-env.sh
+++ b/parse-env.sh
@@ -80,6 +80,16 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
       stopNodes=true
       shift
       ;;
+    --checkpoint-sync-url)
+      checkpointSyncUrl="$2"
+      shift
+      shift
+      ;;
+    --restart-client)
+      restartClient="$2"
+      shift
+      shift
+      ;;
     --coreDumps)
       coreDumps="$2"
       shift # past argument
@@ -91,13 +101,18 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
   esac
 done
 
-# if no node has been assigned assume all nodes to be started
-if [[ ! -n "$node" ]];
+# if no node and no restart-client specified, exit
+if [[ ! -n "$node" ]] && [[ ! -n "$restartClient" ]];
 then
-  echo "no node specified, exiting..."
+  echo "no node or restart-client specified, exiting..."
   exit
 fi;
 
+# When using --restart-client with checkpoint sync, set default checkpoint URL if not provided
+if [[ -n "$restartClient" ]] && [[ ! -n "$checkpointSyncUrl" ]]; then
+  checkpointSyncUrl="https://leanpoint.leanroadmap.org/lean/v0/states/finalized"
+fi;
+
 if [ ! -n "$validatorConfig" ]
 then
   echo "no external validator config provided, assuming genesis bootnode"
@@ -116,3 +131,5 @@ echo "popupTerminal = $popupTerminal"
 echo "dockerTag = ${dockerTag:-latest}"
 echo "enableMetrics = $enableMetrics"
 echo "coreDumps = ${coreDumps:-disabled}"
+echo "checkpointSyncUrl = ${checkpointSyncUrl:-<not set>}"
+echo "restartClient = ${restartClient:-<not set>}"
diff --git a/parse-vc.sh b/parse-vc.sh
index 8b50e82..629f4e1 100644
--- a/parse-vc.sh
+++ b/parse-vc.sh
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@ if [ -z "$devnet" ] || [ "$devnet" == "null" ]; then
     devnet=""
 fi
 
+# Automatically extract isAggregator flag using yq (defaults to false if not set)
+isAggregator=$(yq eval ".validators[] | select(.name == \"$item\") | .isAggregator // false" "$validator_config_file")
+if [ -z "$isAggregator" ] || [ "$isAggregator" == "null" ]; then
+    isAggregator="false"
+fi
+
 # Automatically extract private key using yq
 privKey=$(yq eval ".validators[] | select(.name == \"$item\") | .privkey" "$validator_config_file")
 
@@ -99,10 +105,12 @@ if [ "$keyType" == "hash-sig" ] && [ "$hashSigKeyIndex" != "null" ] && [ -n "$ha
     echo "Hash-Sig Key Index: $hashSigKeyIndex"
     echo "Hash-Sig Public Key: $hashSigPkPath"
     echo "Hash-Sig Secret Key: $hashSigSkPath"
+    echo "Is Aggregator: $isAggregator"
 else
     echo "Node: $item"
     echo "QUIC Port: $quicPort"
     echo "Metrics Port: $metricsPort"
     echo "Devnet: ${devnet:-<not set>}"
     echo "Private Key File: $privKeyPath"
+    echo "Is Aggregator: $isAggregator"
 fi
diff --git a/run-ansible.sh b/run-ansible.sh
index 3afd48c..1d82736 100755
--- a/run-ansible.sh
+++ b/run-ansible.sh
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ sshKeyFile="$6"
 useRoot="$7"  # Flag to use root user (defaults to current user)
 action="$8"   # Action: "stop" to stop nodes, otherwise deploy
 coreDumps="$9"  # Core dump configuration: "all", node names, or client types
+skipGenesis="${10}"  # Set to "true" to skip genesis generation (e.g. when restarting with checkpoint sync)
 
 # Determine SSH user: use root if --useRoot flag is set, otherwise use current user
 if [ "$useRoot" == "true" ]; then
@@ -112,6 +113,10 @@ if [ -n "$coreDumps" ]; then
   EXTRA_VARS="$EXTRA_VARS enable_core_dumps=$coreDumps"
 fi
 
+if [ "$skipGenesis" == "true" ]; then
+  EXTRA_VARS="$EXTRA_VARS skip_genesis=true"
+fi
+
 # Determine deployment mode (docker/binary) - read default from group_vars/all.yml
 # Default to 'docker' if not specified in group_vars
 GROUP_VARS_FILE="$ANSIBLE_DIR/inventory/group_vars/all.yml"
diff --git a/spin-node.sh b/spin-node.sh
index fd61447..920c29e 100755
--- a/spin-node.sh
+++ b/spin-node.sh
@@ -97,9 +97,37 @@ fi
 echo "Detected nodes: ${nodes[@]}"
 # nodes=("zeam_0" "ream_0" "qlean_0")
 spin_nodes=()
-
+restart_with_checkpoint_sync=false
+
+# When --restart-client is specified, use it as the node list and enable checkpoint sync mode
+if [[ -n "$restartClient" ]]; then
+  echo "Note: --restart-client is only used with --checkpoint-sync-url (default: https://leanpoint.leanroadmap.org/lean/v0/states/finalized)"
+  restart_with_checkpoint_sync=true
+  # Skip genesis when restarting with checkpoint sync (we're syncing from remote)
+  generateGenesis=false
+  # Parse comma-separated client names
+  IFS=',' read -r -a requested_nodes <<< "$restartClient"
+  for requested_node in "${requested_nodes[@]}"; do
+    requested_node=$(echo "$requested_node" | xargs)  # trim whitespace
+    node_found=false
+    for available_node in "${nodes[@]}"; do
+      if [[ "$requested_node" == "$available_node" ]]; then
+        spin_nodes+=("$available_node")
+        node_found=true
+        break
+      fi
+    done
+    if [[ "$node_found" == false ]]; then
+      echo "Error: Node '$requested_node' not found in validator config"
+      echo "Available nodes: ${nodes[@]}"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  done
+  echo "Restarting with checkpoint sync: ${spin_nodes[*]} from $checkpointSyncUrl"
+  cleanData=true  # Clear data when restarting with checkpoint sync
+  node_present=true
 # Parse comma-separated or space-separated node names or handle single node/all
-if [[ "$node" == "all" ]]; then
+elif [[ "$node" == "all" ]]; then
   # Spin all nodes
   spin_nodes=("${nodes[@]}")
   node_present=true
@@ -159,10 +187,21 @@ if [ "$deployment_mode" == "ansible" ]; then
   
   echo "✅ Ansible prerequisites validated"
   
+  # Determine node list for Ansible: use restartClient/spin_nodes when restarting, else $node
+  if [[ "$restart_with_checkpoint_sync" == "true" ]]; then
+    ansible_node_arg=$(IFS=','; echo "${spin_nodes[*]}")
+  else
+    ansible_node_arg="$node"
+  fi
+
+  # Determine skip_genesis for Ansible (true when restarting with checkpoint sync)
+  ansible_skip_genesis="false"
+  [[ "$restart_with_checkpoint_sync" == "true" ]] && ansible_skip_genesis="true"
+
   # Handle stop action
   if [ -n "$stopNodes" ] && [ "$stopNodes" == "true" ]; then
     echo "Stopping nodes via Ansible..."
-    if ! "$scriptDir/run-ansible.sh" "$configDir" "$node" "$cleanData" "$validatorConfig" "$validator_config_file" "$sshKeyFile" "$useRoot" "stop" "$coreDumps"; then
+    if ! "$scriptDir/run-ansible.sh" "$configDir" "$ansible_node_arg" "$cleanData" "$validatorConfig" "$validator_config_file" "$sshKeyFile" "$useRoot" "stop" "$coreDumps" "$ansible_skip_genesis"; then
       echo "❌ Ansible stop operation failed. Exiting."
       exit 1
     fi
@@ -171,7 +210,7 @@ if [ "$deployment_mode" == "ansible" ]; then
   
   # Call separate Ansible execution script
   # If Ansible deployment fails, exit immediately (don't fall through to local deployment)
-  if ! "$scriptDir/run-ansible.sh" "$configDir" "$node" "$cleanData" "$validatorConfig" "$validator_config_file" "$sshKeyFile" "$useRoot" "" "$coreDumps"; then
+  if ! "$scriptDir/run-ansible.sh" "$configDir" "$ansible_node_arg" "$cleanData" "$validatorConfig" "$validator_config_file" "$sshKeyFile" "$useRoot" "" "$coreDumps" "$ansible_skip_genesis"; then
     echo "❌ Ansible deployment failed. Exiting."
     exit 1
   fi
@@ -262,6 +301,16 @@ for item in "${spin_nodes[@]}"; do
   printf '%*s' $(tput cols) | tr ' ' '-'
   echo
 
+  # When restarting with checkpoint sync, stop existing container first
+  if [[ "$restart_with_checkpoint_sync" == "true" ]]; then
+    echo "Stopping existing container $item..."
+    if [ -n "$dockerWithSudo" ]; then
+      sudo docker rm -f "$item" 2>/dev/null || true
+    else
+      docker rm -f "$item" 2>/dev/null || true
+    fi
+  fi
+
   # create and/or cleanup datadirs
   itemDataDir="$dataDir/$item"
   mkdir -p $itemDataDir
@@ -277,6 +326,13 @@ for item in "${spin_nodes[@]}"; do
   # parse validator-config.yaml for $item to load args values
   source parse-vc.sh
 
+  # export checkpoint_sync_url for client-cmd scripts when restarting with checkpoint sync
+  if [[ "$restart_with_checkpoint_sync" == "true" ]] && [[ -n "$checkpointSyncUrl" ]]; then
+    export checkpoint_sync_url="$checkpointSyncUrl"
+  else
+    unset checkpoint_sync_url 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+
   # extract client config
   IFS='_' read -r -a elements <<< "$item"
   client="${elements[0]}"