diff --git a/packages/agent/src/store-data.ts b/packages/agent/src/store-data.ts
index 78d86d0f1..59563d0a6 100644
--- a/packages/agent/src/store-data.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/src/store-data.ts
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ export type DataStoreDeleteParams = DataStoreTenantParams & {
 }
 
 export interface AgentDataStore<TStoreObject> {
-  initialize({ tenant, agent }: DataStoreTenantParams): Promise<void>;
-
   delete(params: DataStoreDeleteParams): Promise<boolean>;
 
   get(params: DataStoreGetParams): Promise<TStoreObject | undefined>;
diff --git a/packages/agent/tests/store-data.spec.ts b/packages/agent/tests/store-data.spec.ts
index b8ca04d31..571f0a633 100644
--- a/packages/agent/tests/store-data.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/tests/store-data.spec.ts
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ describe('AgentDataStore', () => {
           const didBytes = Convert.string(new Array(102400 + 1).join('0')).toUint8Array();
 
           // since we are writing directly to the dwn we first initialize the storage protocol
-          await testStore.initialize({ agent: testHarness.agent });
+          await (testStore as DwnDataStore<PortableDid>)['initialize']({ agent: testHarness.agent });
 
           // Store the DID in the DWN.
           const response = await testHarness.agent.dwn.processRequest({
@@ -581,8 +581,8 @@ describe('AgentDataStore', () => {
           // Skip this test for InMemoryTestStore, as it is only relevant for the DWN store.
           if (TestStore.name === 'InMemoryTestStore') this.skip();
 
-          // have the protocol installed before dwn api stub
-          await testStore.initialize({ agent: testHarness.agent });
+          // since we are writing directly to the dwn we first initialize the storage protocol
+          await (testStore as DwnDataStore<PortableDid>)['initialize']({ agent: testHarness.agent });
 
           // Stub the DWN API to return a failed response.
           const dwnApiStub = sinon.stub(testHarness.agent.dwn, 'processRequest').resolves({
diff --git a/packages/agent/tests/store-did.spec.ts b/packages/agent/tests/store-did.spec.ts
index f224ca8e1..aa93c104a 100644
--- a/packages/agent/tests/store-did.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/tests/store-did.spec.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { expect } from 'chai';
 import { Convert } from '@web5/common';
 import { DidJwk, PortableDid } from '@web5/dids';
 
-import type { AgentDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
+import type { AgentDataStore, DwnDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
 
 import { AgentDidApi } from '../src/did-api.js';
 import { TestAgent } from './utils/test-agent.js';
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ describe('DidStore', () => {
           const didBytes = Convert.string(new Array(102400 + 1).join('0')).toUint8Array();
 
           // since we are writing directly to the dwn we first initialize the storage protocol
-          await didStore.initialize({ agent: testHarness.agent });
+          await (didStore as DwnDataStore<PortableDid>)['initialize']({ agent: testHarness.agent });
 
           // Store the DID in the DWN.
           const response = await testHarness.agent.dwn.processRequest({
diff --git a/packages/agent/tests/store-identity.spec.ts b/packages/agent/tests/store-identity.spec.ts
index 7305521bd..13ddd13ca 100644
--- a/packages/agent/tests/store-identity.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/tests/store-identity.spec.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { expect } from 'chai';
 import { DidJwk } from '@web5/dids';
 import { Convert } from '@web5/common';
 
-import type { AgentDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
+import type { AgentDataStore, DwnDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
 import type { IdentityMetadata } from '../src/types/identity.js';
 
 import { TestAgent } from './utils/test-agent.js';
@@ -200,9 +200,8 @@ describe('IdentityStore', () => {
           // regardless of the size of the data.
           if (IdentityStore.name === 'InMemoryIdentityStore') this.skip();
 
-          // since we are testing by issuing a RecordsWrite directly to the DWN without the `identityStore` abstraction,
-          // we need to ensure the AgentStore protocol is initialized.
-          await identityStore.initialize({ agent: testHarness.agent });
+          // since we are writing directly to the dwn we first initialize the storage protocol
+          await (identityStore as DwnDataStore<IdentityMetadata>)['initialize']({ agent: testHarness.agent });
 
           const identityBytes = Convert.string(new Array(102400 + 1).join('0')).toUint8Array();
 
diff --git a/packages/agent/tests/store-key.spec.ts b/packages/agent/tests/store-key.spec.ts
index 366ab9e6a..5d166ca26 100644
--- a/packages/agent/tests/store-key.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/tests/store-key.spec.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import type { Jwk } from '@web5/crypto';
 import { expect } from 'chai';
 import { Convert } from '@web5/common';
 
-import type { AgentDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
+import type { AgentDataStore, DwnDataStore } from '../src/store-data.js';
 
 import { TestAgent } from './utils/test-agent.js';
 import { DwnInterface } from '../src/types/dwn.js';
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ describe('KeyStore', () => {
           const keyBytes = Convert.string(new Array(102400 + 1).join('0')).toUint8Array();
 
           // since we are writing directly to the dwn we first initialize the storage protocol
-          await keyStore.initialize({ agent: testHarness.agent });
+          await (keyStore as DwnDataStore<Jwk>)['initialize']({ agent: testHarness.agent });
 
           // Store the DID in the DWN.
           const response = await testHarness.agent.dwn.processRequest({