diff --git a/eth/catalyst/api.go b/eth/catalyst/api.go
index b33f6ceff2..9693df65e3 100644
--- a/eth/catalyst/api.go
+++ b/eth/catalyst/api.go
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) newPayload(params engine.ExecutableData, versionedHashe
 	// tries to make it import a block. That should be denied as pushing something
 	// into the database directly will conflict with the assumptions of snap sync
 	// that it has an empty db that it can fill itself.
-	if api.eth.Downloader().GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
+	if api.eth.Downloader().ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
 		return api.delayPayloadImport(block), nil
 	}
 	if !api.eth.BlockChain().HasBlockAndState(block.ParentHash(), block.NumberU64()-1) {
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ func (api *ConsensusAPI) delayPayloadImport(block *types.Block) engine.PayloadSt
 	// payload as non-integratable on top of the existing sync. We'll just
 	// have to rely on the beacon client to forcefully update the head with
 	// a forkchoice update request.
-	if api.eth.Downloader().GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.FullSync {
+	if api.eth.Downloader().ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.FullSync {
 		// In full sync mode, failure to import a well-formed block can only mean
 		// that the parent state is missing and the syncer rejected extending the
 		// current cycle with the new payload.
diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader.go b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
index b84a0efddd..6b80a18539 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
@@ -424,8 +424,9 @@ func (d *Downloader) getMode() SyncMode {
 	return SyncMode(d.mode.Load())
 }
 
-// GetSyncMode returns the suggested sync mode.
-func (d *Downloader) GetSyncMode() SyncMode {
+// ConfigSyncMode returns the sync mode configured for the node.
+// The actual running sync mode can differ from this.
+func (d *Downloader) ConfigSyncMode() SyncMode {
 	return d.moder.getMode()
 }
 
diff --git a/eth/handler.go b/eth/handler.go
index 43f26ef663..4510dd32f0 100644
--- a/eth/handler.go
+++ b/eth/handler.go
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ func newHandler(config *handlerConfig) (*handler, error) {
 	h.downloader = downloader.New(config.Database, config.Sync, h.eventMux, h.chain, h.removePeer, h.enableSyncedFeatures)
 
 	// If snap sync is requested but snapshots are disabled, fail loudly
-	if h.downloader.GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync && (config.Chain.Snapshots() == nil && config.Chain.TrieDB().Scheme() == rawdb.HashScheme) {
+	if h.downloader.ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync && (config.Chain.Snapshots() == nil && config.Chain.TrieDB().Scheme() == rawdb.HashScheme) {
 		return nil, errors.New("snap sync not supported with snapshots disabled")
 	}
 	fetchTx := func(peer string, hashes []common.Hash) error {
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ func (h *handler) runEthPeer(peer *eth.Peer, handler eth.Handler) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	reject := false // reserved peer slots
-	if h.downloader.GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
+	if h.downloader.ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
 		if snap == nil {
 			// If we are running snap-sync, we want to reserve roughly half the peer
 			// slots for peers supporting the snap protocol.
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ func (h *handler) blockRangeLoop(st *blockRangeState) {
 			if ev == nil {
 				continue
 			}
-			if _, ok := ev.Data.(downloader.StartEvent); ok && h.downloader.GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
+			if _, ok := ev.Data.(downloader.StartEvent); ok && h.downloader.ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.SnapSync {
 				h.blockRangeWhileSnapSyncing(st)
 			}
 		case <-st.headCh:
diff --git a/eth/sync_test.go b/eth/sync_test.go
index 0fb54a5e14..509b836f82 100644
--- a/eth/sync_test.go
+++ b/eth/sync_test.go
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ func testSnapSyncDisabling(t *testing.T, ethVer uint, snapVer uint) {
 		case <-timeout:
 			t.Fatalf("snap sync not disabled after successful synchronisation")
 		case <-time.After(100 * time.Millisecond):
-			if empty.handler.downloader.GetSyncMode() == ethconfig.FullSync {
+			if empty.handler.downloader.ConfigSyncMode() == ethconfig.FullSync {
 				return
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/eth/syncer/syncer.go b/eth/syncer/syncer.go
index 416bd62ed1..537ece0a69 100644
--- a/eth/syncer/syncer.go
+++ b/eth/syncer/syncer.go
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ func (s *Syncer) run() {
 				break
 			}
 			if resync {
-				if mode := s.backend.Downloader().GetSyncMode(); mode != ethconfig.FullSync {
+				if mode := s.backend.Downloader().ConfigSyncMode(); mode != ethconfig.FullSync {
 					req.errc <- fmt.Errorf("unsupported syncmode %v, please relaunch geth with --syncmode full", mode)
 				} else {
 					req.errc <- s.backend.Downloader().BeaconDevSync(target)