diff --git a/.changeset/dirty-apricots-swim.md b/.changeset/dirty-apricots-swim.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..787ad81e07d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/dirty-apricots-swim.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@keystone-next/keystone': patch
+---
+
+Updated system setup to only check for a valid `config.db.provider` once during `initConfig`.
diff --git a/packages/keystone/src/artifacts.ts b/packages/keystone/src/artifacts.ts
index 8ddf1438450..1e9e28ad579 100644
--- a/packages/keystone/src/artifacts.ts
+++ b/packages/keystone/src/artifacts.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import { printGeneratedTypes } from './lib/schema-type-printer';
 import { ExitError } from './scripts/utils';
 import { initialiseLists } from './lib/core/types-for-lists';
 import { printPrismaSchema } from './lib/core/prisma-schema';
-import { getDBProvider } from './lib/createSystem';
 
 export function getSchemaPaths(cwd: string) {
   return {
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@ export async function generateNodeModulesArtifacts(
   config: KeystoneConfig,
   cwd: string
 ) {
-  const lists = initialiseLists(config.lists, getDBProvider(config.db));
+  const lists = initialiseLists(config.lists, config.db.provider);
 
   const printedSchema = printSchema(graphQLSchema);
   const dotKeystoneDir = path.join(cwd, 'node_modules/.keystone');
diff --git a/packages/keystone/src/lib/config/initConfig.ts b/packages/keystone/src/lib/config/initConfig.ts
index 71d5e7542a0..d22725854ca 100644
--- a/packages/keystone/src/lib/config/initConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/keystone/src/lib/config/initConfig.ts
@@ -8,5 +8,11 @@ import { applyIdFieldDefaults } from './applyIdFieldDefaults';
 */
 
 export function initConfig(config: KeystoneConfig) {
+  if (!['postgresql', 'sqlite'].includes(config.db.provider)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'Invalid db configuration. Please specify db.provider as either "sqlite" or "postgresql"'
+    );
+  }
+
   return { ...config, lists: applyIdFieldDefaults(config) };
 }
diff --git a/packages/keystone/src/lib/createGraphQLSchema.ts b/packages/keystone/src/lib/createGraphQLSchema.ts
index 18b590c6bab..f56b3bc1e73 100644
--- a/packages/keystone/src/lib/createGraphQLSchema.ts
+++ b/packages/keystone/src/lib/createGraphQLSchema.ts
@@ -3,15 +3,13 @@ import { getAdminMetaSchema } from '../admin-ui/system';
 import { sessionSchema } from '../session';
 import { InitialisedList } from './core/types-for-lists';
 import { getGraphQLSchema } from './core/graphql-schema';
-import { getDBProvider } from './createSystem';
-
 export function createGraphQLSchema(
   config: KeystoneConfig,
   lists: Record<string, InitialisedList>,
   adminMeta: AdminMetaRootVal
 ) {
   // Start with the core keystone graphQL schema
-  let graphQLSchema = getGraphQLSchema(lists, getDBProvider(config.db));
+  let graphQLSchema = getGraphQLSchema(lists, config.db.provider);
 
   // Merge in the user defined graphQL API
   if (config.extendGraphqlSchema) {
diff --git a/packages/keystone/src/lib/createSystem.ts b/packages/keystone/src/lib/createSystem.ts
index 456d5a4b60c..7be2c85f392 100644
--- a/packages/keystone/src/lib/createSystem.ts
+++ b/packages/keystone/src/lib/createSystem.ts
@@ -5,15 +5,6 @@ import { createGraphQLSchema } from './createGraphQLSchema';
 import { makeCreateContext } from './context/createContext';
 import { initialiseLists } from './core/types-for-lists';
 
-export function getDBProvider(db: KeystoneConfig['db']): DatabaseProvider {
-  if (!['postgresql', 'sqlite'].includes(db.provider)) {
-    throw new Error(
-      'Invalid db configuration. Please specify db.provider as either "sqlite" or "postgresql"'
-    );
-  }
-  return db.provider;
-}
-
 function getSudoGraphQLSchema(config: KeystoneConfig, provider: DatabaseProvider) {
   // This function creates a GraphQLSchema based on a modified version of the provided config.
   // The modifications are:
@@ -64,14 +55,13 @@ function getSudoGraphQLSchema(config: KeystoneConfig, provider: DatabaseProvider
 }
 
 export function createSystem(config: KeystoneConfig) {
-  const provider = getDBProvider(config.db);
-  const lists = initialiseLists(config.lists, provider);
+  const lists = initialiseLists(config.lists, config.db.provider);
 
   const adminMeta = createAdminMeta(config, lists);
 
   const graphQLSchema = createGraphQLSchema(config, lists, adminMeta);
 
-  const sudoGraphQLSchema = getSudoGraphQLSchema(config, provider);
+  const sudoGraphQLSchema = getSudoGraphQLSchema(config, config.db.provider);
 
   return {
     graphQLSchema,
@@ -79,7 +69,7 @@ export function createSystem(config: KeystoneConfig) {
     getKeystone: (PrismaClient: any) => {
       const prismaClient = new PrismaClient({
         log: config.db.enableLogging && ['query'],
-        datasources: { [provider]: { url: config.db.url } },
+        datasources: { [config.db.provider]: { url: config.db.url } },
       });
       prismaClient.$on('beforeExit', async () => {
         // Prisma is failing to properly clean up its child processes