diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 575189fedfb..fd754cd2bd7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ Ref: https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/
 * (x/*all*) [#16052](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16062) `GetSignBytes` implementations on messages and global legacy amino codec definitions have been removed from all modules.
 * (sims) [#16052](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16062) `GetOrGenerate` no longer requires a codec argument is now 4-arity instead of 5-arity.
 * (baseapp) [#16342](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/16342) NewContext was renamed to NewContextLegacy. The replacement (NewContext) now does not take a header, instead you should set the header via `WithHeaderInfo` or `WithBlockHeight`. Note that `WithBlockHeight` will soon be depreacted and its recommneded to use `WithHeaderInfo`
+* (x/auth) [#16112](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/issues/16112) `helpers.AddGenesisAccount` has been moved to `x/genutil` to remove the cyclic dependency between `x/auth` and `x/genutil`.
 
 ### Client Breaking Changes
 
diff --git a/x/auth/client/cli/suite_test.go b/tests/integration/auth/client/cli/suite_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from x/auth/client/cli/suite_test.go
rename to tests/integration/auth/client/cli/suite_test.go
diff --git a/x/auth/keeper/msg_server.go b/x/auth/keeper/msg_server.go
index fbfc0f95ebe..cee9af2633e 100644
--- a/x/auth/keeper/msg_server.go
+++ b/x/auth/keeper/msg_server.go
@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@ package keeper
 
 import (
 	"context"
-
-	"cosmossdk.io/errors"
+	"fmt"
 
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
-	govtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/gov/types"
 )
 
 var _ types.MsgServer = msgServer{}
@@ -25,7 +23,9 @@ func NewMsgServerImpl(ak AccountKeeper) types.MsgServer {
 
 func (ms msgServer) UpdateParams(goCtx context.Context, msg *types.MsgUpdateParams) (*types.MsgUpdateParamsResponse, error) {
 	if ms.ak.authority != msg.Authority {
-		return nil, errors.Wrapf(govtypes.ErrInvalidSigner, "invalid authority; expected %s, got %s", ms.ak.authority, msg.Authority)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
+			"expected gov account as only signer for proposal message; invalid authority; expected %s, got %s",
+			ms.ak.authority, msg.Authority)
 	}
 
 	if err := msg.Params.Validate(); err != nil {
diff --git a/x/auth/module.go b/x/auth/module.go
index b6319950ef8..40bd46896d6 100644
--- a/x/auth/module.go
+++ b/x/auth/module.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"cosmossdk.io/depinject"
+
 	authcodec "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/codec"
 
 	"cosmossdk.io/core/address"
@@ -30,11 +31,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/keeper"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/simulation"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
-	govtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/gov/types"
 )
 
 // ConsensusVersion defines the current x/auth module consensus version.
-const ConsensusVersion = 5
+const (
+	ConsensusVersion = 5
+	GovModuleName    = "gov"
+)
 
 var (
 	_ module.AppModule           = AppModule{}
@@ -239,7 +242,7 @@ func ProvideModule(in ModuleInputs) ModuleOutputs {
 	}
 
 	// default to governance authority if not provided
-	authority := types.NewModuleAddress(govtypes.ModuleName)
+	authority := types.NewModuleAddress(GovModuleName)
 	if in.Config.Authority != "" {
 		authority = types.NewModuleAddressOrBech32Address(in.Config.Authority)
 	}
diff --git a/x/genutil/client/cli/genaccount.go b/x/genutil/client/cli/genaccount.go
index d92fc2888df..0bedc26a1ba 100644
--- a/x/genutil/client/cli/genaccount.go
+++ b/x/genutil/client/cli/genaccount.go
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@ import (
 	"bufio"
 	"fmt"
 
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/flags"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/crypto/keyring"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server"
 	sdk "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/types"
-	auth "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/helpers"
-
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/genutil"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ contain valid denominations. Accounts may optionally be supplied with vesting pa
 			vestingAmtStr, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString(flagVestingAmt)
 			moduleNameStr, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString(flagModuleName)
 
-			return auth.AddGenesisAccount(clientCtx.Codec, addr, appendflag, config.GenesisFile(), args[1], vestingAmtStr, vestingStart, vestingEnd, moduleNameStr)
+			return genutil.AddGenesisAccount(clientCtx.Codec, addr, appendflag, config.GenesisFile(), args[1], vestingAmtStr, vestingStart, vestingEnd, moduleNameStr)
 		},
 	}
 
diff --git a/x/auth/helpers/genaccounts.go b/x/genutil/genaccounts.go
similarity index 97%
rename from x/auth/helpers/genaccounts.go
rename to x/genutil/genaccounts.go
index 9ff62f17150..8e92ab61e9a 100644
--- a/x/auth/helpers/genaccounts.go
+++ b/x/genutil/genaccounts.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package helpers
+package genutil
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 	authtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/types"
 	authvesting "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/vesting/types"
 	banktypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/bank/types"
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/genutil"
 	genutiltypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/genutil/types"
 )
 
@@ -137,5 +136,5 @@ func AddGenesisAccount(
 	}
 
 	appGenesis.AppState = appStateJSON
-	return genutil.ExportGenesisFile(appGenesis, genesisFileURL)
+	return ExportGenesisFile(appGenesis, genesisFileURL)
 }