diff --git a/src/__tests__/ceramic_integration.test.ts b/src/__tests__/ceramic_integration.test.ts
index f3d1f00e3..1ca75342d 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/ceramic_integration.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/ceramic_integration.test.ts
@@ -334,6 +334,10 @@ describe('Ceramic Integration Test', () => {
       ceramic1 = await makeCeramicCore(ipfs3, `http://localhost:${casPort1}`, ganacheServer.url)
       ceramic2 = await makeCeramicCore(ipfs4, `http://localhost:${casPort2}`, ganacheServer.url)
 
+      // Speed up polling interval to speed up test
+      ceramic1.context.anchorService.pollInterval = 100
+      ceramic2.context.anchorService.pollInterval = 100
+
       // The two user-facing ceramic nodes need to have the same DID Provider so that they can modify
       // each others streams.
       const did = makeDID()
@@ -528,7 +532,7 @@ describe('CAR file', () => {
 
     // Poll more often to speed up the test
     const anchorService = ceramic.context.anchorService as any
-    anchorService.pollInterval = 200
+    anchorService.pollInterval = 100
 
     // CAS: Do not publish to IPFS
     const carFactory = new CARFactory()
diff --git a/src/services/__tests__/anchor-service.test.ts b/src/services/__tests__/anchor-service.test.ts
index 027a982bf..ff3c9591e 100644
--- a/src/services/__tests__/anchor-service.test.ts
+++ b/src/services/__tests__/anchor-service.test.ts
@@ -172,7 +172,6 @@ describe('anchor service', () => {
 
     await requestRepository.findAndMarkReady(0)
 
-    const publishSpy = jest.spyOn(ipfsService, 'publishAnchorCommit')
     const [candidates] = await anchorService._findCandidates(requests, 0)
     const merkleTree = await anchorService._buildMerkleTree(candidates)
     const ipfsProofCid = await ipfsService.storeRecord({})
@@ -182,8 +181,6 @@ describe('anchor service', () => {
     expect(candidates.length).toEqual(requests.length)
     expect(anchors.length).toEqual(candidates.length)
 
-    expect(publishSpy).toBeCalledTimes(anchors.length)
-
     // All requests are anchored, in a different order because of IpfsLeafCompare
     expect(anchors.map((a) => a.requestId).sort()).toEqual(requests.map((r) => r.id).sort())
     for (const [index, anchor] of anchors.entries()) {
@@ -197,10 +194,6 @@ describe('anchor service', () => {
       expect(anchorRecord.prev.toString()).toEqual(request.cid)
       expect(anchorRecord.proof).toEqual(ipfsProofCid)
       expect(anchorRecord.path).toEqual(anchor.path)
-      expect(publishSpy.mock.calls[index]).toEqual([
-        anchor.cid,
-        StreamID.fromString(request.streamId),
-      ])
     }
 
     expectPresent(anchors[0])
diff --git a/src/services/anchor-service.ts b/src/services/anchor-service.ts
index 5f485eaa8..40d68bd90 100644
--- a/src/services/anchor-service.ts
+++ b/src/services/anchor-service.ts
@@ -503,10 +503,20 @@ export class AnchorService {
 
     try {
       await this.ipfsService.storeRecord(ipfsAnchorCommit)
-      await this.ipfsService.publishAnchorCommit(anchorCid, candidate.streamId)
-      logger.debug(
-        `Created anchor commit with CID ${anchorCid} for commit ${candidate.cid} of stream ${candidate.streamId}`
-      )
+
+      // Do not publish to pubsub by default
+      if (process.env['CAS_PUBSUB_PUBLISH']) {
+        // TODO: Remove this case entirely after js-ceramic no longer supports pubsub
+        await this.ipfsService.publishAnchorCommit(anchorCid, candidate.streamId)
+        logger.debug(
+          `Created anchor commit with CID ${anchorCid} for commit ${candidate.cid} of stream ${candidate.streamId} and published it to pubsub`
+        )
+      } else {
+        logger.debug(
+          `Created anchor commit with CID ${anchorCid} for commit ${candidate.cid} of stream ${candidate.streamId}`
+        )
+      }
+
       return anchor
     } catch (err) {
       const msg = `Error publishing anchor commit of commit ${