diff --git a/app.go b/app.go
index 8b326a0d76ab..6d194a3fd58f 100644
--- a/app.go
+++ b/app.go
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ func NewSimApp(
 	cdc := encodingConfig.Amino
 	interfaceRegistry := encodingConfig.InterfaceRegistry
 
-	bApp := baseapp.NewBaseApp(appName, logger, db, authtypes.DefaultTxDecoder(cdc), baseAppOptions...)
+	bApp := baseapp.NewBaseApp(appName, logger, db, encodingConfig.TxConfig.TxDecoder(), baseAppOptions...)
 	bApp.SetCommitMultiStoreTracer(traceStore)
 	bApp.SetAppVersion(version.Version)
 	bApp.GRPCQueryRouter().SetAnyUnpacker(interfaceRegistry)
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ func NewSimApp(
 	app.SetAnteHandler(
 		ante.NewAnteHandler(
 			app.AccountKeeper, app.BankKeeper, ante.DefaultSigVerificationGasConsumer,
-			authtypes.LegacyAminoJSONHandler{},
+			encodingConfig.TxConfig.SignModeHandler(),
 		),
 	)
 	app.SetEndBlocker(app.EndBlocker)
diff --git a/encoding.go b/encoding.go
index 58f899edd7a5..7bb939bb7773 100644
--- a/encoding.go
+++ b/encoding.go
@@ -5,9 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/std"
 )
 
-// MakeEncodingConfig creates an EncodingConfig for an amino based test configuration.
-//
-// TODO: this file should add a "+build test_amino" flag for #6190 and a proto.go file with a protobuf configuration
+// MakeEncodingConfig creates an EncodingConfig for testing
 func MakeEncodingConfig() params.EncodingConfig {
 	encodingConfig := params.MakeEncodingConfig()
 	std.RegisterCodec(encodingConfig.Amino)
diff --git a/params/amino.go b/params/amino.go
index 6cb8a4de636a..871dba814e64 100644
--- a/params/amino.go
+++ b/params/amino.go
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+// +build !test_proto
+
+// TODO switch to test_amino build flag once proto Tx's are ready
 package params
 
 import (
@@ -7,11 +10,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 // MakeEncodingConfig creates an EncodingConfig for an amino based test configuration.
-//
-// TODO: this file should add a "+build test_amino" flag for #6190 and a proto.go file with a protobuf configuration
 func MakeEncodingConfig() EncodingConfig {
 	cdc := codec.New()
 	interfaceRegistry := types.NewInterfaceRegistry()
+	// TODO: switch to using AminoCodec here once amino compatibility is fixed
 	marshaler := codec.NewHybridCodec(cdc, interfaceRegistry)
 
 	return EncodingConfig{
diff --git a/params/proto.go b/params/proto.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..012361d1dc51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/params/proto.go
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// +build test_proto
+
+// TODO switch to !test_amino build flag once proto Tx's are ready
+package params
+
+import (
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec/types"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/std"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/auth/tx"
+)
+
+// MakeEncodingConfig creates an EncodingConfig for an amino based test configuration.
+func MakeEncodingConfig() EncodingConfig {
+	cdc := codec.New()
+	interfaceRegistry := types.NewInterfaceRegistry()
+	marshaler := codec.NewHybridCodec(cdc, interfaceRegistry)
+	txGen := tx.NewTxConfig(marshaler, std.DefaultPublicKeyCodec{}, tx.DefaultSignModeHandler())
+
+	return EncodingConfig{
+		InterfaceRegistry: interfaceRegistry,
+		Marshaler:         marshaler,
+		TxConfig:          txGen,
+		Amino:             cdc,
+	}
+}