diff --git a/trie/bintrie/store_commit.go b/trie/bintrie/store_commit.go
index 2d1b3b05b5..76e9fb365b 100644
--- a/trie/bintrie/store_commit.go
+++ b/trie/bintrie/store_commit.go
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ func (s *nodeStore) decodeNode(serialized []byte, depth int, hn common.Hash, mus
 // clean root means the whole subtree is clean.
 func (s *nodeStore) collectNodes(ref nodeRef, path []byte, flushfn nodeFlushFn, groupDepth int) error {
 	if groupDepth < 1 || groupDepth > MaxGroupDepth {
-		return errors.New("groupDepth must be between 1 and 8")
+		return fmt.Errorf("groupDepth %d,  must be between 1 and 8", groupDepth)
 	}
 
 	switch ref.Kind() {
diff --git a/trie/bintrie/trie_test.go b/trie/bintrie/trie_test.go
index 73aacb76c4..8b7d9e46d6 100644
--- a/trie/bintrie/trie_test.go
+++ b/trie/bintrie/trie_test.go
@@ -768,8 +768,9 @@ func TestGetStorageNonMembershipInternalRoot(t *testing.T) {
 // flushes only the root-to-leaf path.
 func TestCommitSkipCleanSubtrees(t *testing.T) {
 	tr := &BinaryTrie{
-		store:  newNodeStore(),
-		tracer: trie.NewPrevalueTracer(),
+		store:      newNodeStore(),
+		tracer:     trie.NewPrevalueTracer(),
+		groupDepth: 1,
 	}
 	const n = 200
 	key := func(i int) [HashSize]byte {