diff --git a/pkg/rpc/clients_cosmos.go b/pkg/rpc/clients_cosmos.go
index c6d485dfcb..59be82bfb5 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/clients_cosmos.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/clients_cosmos.go
@@ -11,21 +11,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/zeta-chain/node/cmd/zetacored/config"
 )
 
-// GetUpgradePlan returns the current upgrade plan.
-// Returns empty plan if no upgrade is planned
-func (c *Clients) GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (upgradetypes.Plan, error) {
+// GetUpgradePlan returns the current upgrade plan or nil if there is no plan.
+func (c *Clients) GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (*upgradetypes.Plan, error) {
 	in := &upgradetypes.QueryCurrentPlanRequest{}
 
 	resp, err := c.Upgrade.CurrentPlan(ctx, in)
-	switch {
-	case err != nil:
-		return upgradetypes.Plan{}, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get current upgrade plan")
-	case resp.Plan == nil:
-		// no upgrade planned
-		return upgradetypes.Plan{}, nil
-	default:
-		return *resp.Plan, nil
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get current upgrade plan")
 	}
+
+	return resp.Plan, nil
 }
 
 // GetZetaTokenSupplyOnNode returns the zeta token supply on the node
diff --git a/zetaclient/chains/interfaces/interfaces.go b/zetaclient/chains/interfaces/interfaces.go
index cd36f938e7..4ed7c0797e 100644
--- a/zetaclient/chains/interfaces/interfaces.go
+++ b/zetaclient/chains/interfaces/interfaces.go
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ type ZetacoreClient interface {
 	GetZetaHotKeyBalance(ctx context.Context) (sdkmath.Int, error)
 	GetInboundTrackersForChain(ctx context.Context, chainID int64) ([]crosschaintypes.InboundTracker, error)
 
-	GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (upgradetypes.Plan, error)
+	GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (*upgradetypes.Plan, error)
 
 	PostOutboundTracker(ctx context.Context, chainID int64, nonce uint64, txHash string) (string, error)
 }
diff --git a/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater.go b/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater.go
index ae601ff112..acef329ba5 100644
--- a/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater.go
+++ b/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import (
 
 type Zetacore interface {
 	GetBlockHeight(ctx context.Context) (int64, error)
-	GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (upgradetypes.Plan, error)
+	GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (*upgradetypes.Plan, error)
 	GetSupportedChains(ctx context.Context) ([]chains.Chain, error)
 	GetAdditionalChains(ctx context.Context) ([]chains.Chain, error)
 	GetCrosschainFlags(ctx context.Context) (observertypes.CrosschainFlags, error)
@@ -138,22 +138,23 @@ func UpdateAppContext(ctx context.Context, app *zctx.AppContext, zc Zetacore, lo
 // returns an error if an upgrade is required
 func checkForZetacoreUpgrade(ctx context.Context, zetaHeight int64, zc Zetacore) error {
 	plan, err := zc.GetUpgradePlan(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
+	switch {
+	case err != nil:
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "unable to get upgrade plan")
-	}
-
-	// no upgrade planned
-	if plan.Height == 0 {
+	case plan == nil:
+		// no upgrade planned
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// We can return an error in couple of blocks ahead.
-	// It's okay because ticker might have a long interval
+	upgradeHeight := plan.Height
+
+	// We can return an error in a few blocks ahead.
+	// It's okay because the ticker might have a long interval.
 	const upgradeRange = 2
 
 	// Note that after plan.Height's block `x/upgrade` module deletes the plan
-	if (plan.Height - zetaHeight) <= upgradeRange {
-		return errors.Wrapf(ErrUpgradeRequired, "current height: %d, upgrade height: %d", zetaHeight, plan.Height)
+	if (upgradeHeight - zetaHeight) <= upgradeRange {
+		return errors.Wrapf(ErrUpgradeRequired, "current height: %d, upgrade height: %d", zetaHeight, upgradeHeight)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater_test.go b/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater_test.go
index faed8941a2..cc28d5ad9e 100644
--- a/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater_test.go
+++ b/zetaclient/orchestrator/contextupdater_test.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func Test_UpdateAppContext(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		zetacore.On("GetBlockHeight", mock.Anything).Return(int64(123), nil)
-		zetacore.On("GetUpgradePlan", mock.Anything).Return(upgradetypes.Plan{}, nil)
+		zetacore.On("GetUpgradePlan", mock.Anything).Return(nil, nil)
 		zetacore.On("GetSupportedChains", mock.Anything).Return(newChains, nil)
 		zetacore.On("GetAdditionalChains", mock.Anything).Return(nil, nil)
 		zetacore.On("GetChainParams", mock.Anything).Return(newParams, nil)
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func Test_UpdateAppContext(t *testing.T) {
 		)
 
 		zetacore.On("GetBlockHeight", mock.Anything).Return(int64(123), nil)
-		zetacore.On("GetUpgradePlan", mock.Anything).Return(upgradetypes.Plan{
+		zetacore.On("GetUpgradePlan", mock.Anything).Return(&upgradetypes.Plan{
 			Name:   "hello",
 			Height: 124,
 		}, nil)
diff --git a/zetaclient/testutils/mocks/zetacore_client.go b/zetaclient/testutils/mocks/zetacore_client.go
index 609925ecbe..6bbaee022c 100644
--- a/zetaclient/testutils/mocks/zetacore_client.go
+++ b/zetaclient/testutils/mocks/zetacore_client.go
@@ -585,22 +585,24 @@ func (_m *ZetacoreClient) GetTSSHistory(ctx context.Context) ([]observertypes.TS
 }
 
 // GetUpgradePlan provides a mock function with given fields: ctx
-func (_m *ZetacoreClient) GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (upgradetypes.Plan, error) {
+func (_m *ZetacoreClient) GetUpgradePlan(ctx context.Context) (*upgradetypes.Plan, error) {
 	ret := _m.Called(ctx)
 
 	if len(ret) == 0 {
 		panic("no return value specified for GetUpgradePlan")
 	}
 
-	var r0 upgradetypes.Plan
+	var r0 *upgradetypes.Plan
 	var r1 error
-	if rf, ok := ret.Get(0).(func(context.Context) (upgradetypes.Plan, error)); ok {
+	if rf, ok := ret.Get(0).(func(context.Context) (*upgradetypes.Plan, error)); ok {
 		return rf(ctx)
 	}
-	if rf, ok := ret.Get(0).(func(context.Context) upgradetypes.Plan); ok {
+	if rf, ok := ret.Get(0).(func(context.Context) *upgradetypes.Plan); ok {
 		r0 = rf(ctx)
 	} else {
-		r0 = ret.Get(0).(upgradetypes.Plan)
+		if ret.Get(0) != nil {
+			r0 = ret.Get(0).(*upgradetypes.Plan)
+		}
 	}
 
 	if rf, ok := ret.Get(1).(func(context.Context) error); ok {