diff --git a/apitest/src/main/java/bisq/apitest/Scaffold.java b/apitest/src/main/java/bisq/apitest/Scaffold.java
index 4ed19fd80e..47cd1d42cf 100644
--- a/apitest/src/main/java/bisq/apitest/Scaffold.java
+++ b/apitest/src/main/java/bisq/apitest/Scaffold.java
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
@@ -247,14 +246,6 @@ public class Scaffold {
             // Bisq instance's DataDir
             copyBisqPropertiesFileToAppDataDir();
 
-            // Try to avoid confusion about which 'bisq.properties' file is or was loaded
-            // by a Bisq instance:  delete the 'bisq.properties' file automatically copied
-            // to the 'apitest/build/resources/main' directory during IDE or Gradle build.
-            // Note:  there is no way to prevent this deleted file from being re-copied
-            // from 'src/main/resources' to the buildDataDir each time you hit the build
-            // button in the IDE.
-            deleteRedundantBisqPropertiesFile();
-
             // Copy the blocknotify script from the src resources dir to the build
             // resources dir.  Users may want to edit comment out some lines when all
             // the default block notifcation ports being will not be used (to avoid
@@ -269,25 +260,18 @@ public class Scaffold {
         copyBisqPropertiesFileToAppDataDir(alicedaemon);
         copyBisqPropertiesFileToAppDataDir(bobdaemon);
     }
-    private void copyBisqPropertiesFileToAppDataDir(BisqAppConfig bisqAppConfig) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
-        String instanceDataDir = config.rootAppDataDir + "/" + bisqAppConfig.appName;
 
+    private void copyBisqPropertiesFileToAppDataDir(BisqAppConfig bisqAppConfig) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
+        if (!new File(config.baseSrcResourcesDir + "/bisq.properties").exists()) return;
+
+        String instanceDataDir = config.rootAppDataDir + "/" + bisqAppConfig.appName;
         BashCommand moveToDataDir =
                 new BashCommand("cp " + config.baseSrcResourcesDir + "/bisq.properties " + instanceDataDir);
-
-        if(moveToDataDir.run().getExitStatus() !=0)
+        if (moveToDataDir.run().getExitStatus() != 0)
             throw new IllegalStateException("Could not copy bisq.properties to " + instanceDataDir);
-
         log.debug("bisq.properties copied to " + instanceDataDir);
     }
 
-    private void deleteRedundantBisqPropertiesFile() throws IOException, InterruptedException {
-        BashCommand rmRedundantBisqPropertiesFile =
-                new BashCommand("rm -rf " + config.rootAppDataDir.getAbsolutePath() + "/bisq.properties");
-
-        if (rmRedundantBisqPropertiesFile.run().getExitStatus() != 0)
-            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not delete redundant bisq.properties file");
-    }
 
     private void cleanDaoSetupDirectories() {
         String buildDataDir = config.rootAppDataDir.getAbsolutePath();