diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 66a318b..8a03c83 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.
 
+### [0.0.1-alpha.98](https://github.com/DIG-Network/dig-chia-sdk/compare/v0.0.1-alpha.97...v0.0.1-alpha.98) (2024-09-26)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* allow override of the ssl location for fullnode peers ([a16f720](https://github.com/DIG-Network/dig-chia-sdk/commit/a16f720126a10f54dd55cc0454952701e0cae317))
+
 ### [0.0.1-alpha.97](https://github.com/DIG-Network/dig-chia-sdk/compare/v0.0.1-alpha.96...v0.0.1-alpha.97) (2024-09-26)
 
 
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index fe3d9e1..beacc39 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@dignetwork/dig-sdk",
-  "version": "0.0.1-alpha.97",
+  "version": "0.0.1-alpha.98",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@dignetwork/dig-sdk",
-      "version": "0.0.1-alpha.97",
+      "version": "0.0.1-alpha.98",
       "license": "ISC",
       "dependencies": {
         "@dignetwork/datalayer-driver": "^0.1.25",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1372858..f90a195 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@dignetwork/dig-sdk",
-  "version": "0.0.1-alpha.97",
+  "version": "0.0.1-alpha.98",
   "description": "",
   "type": "commonjs",
   "main": "./dist/index.js",
diff --git a/src/blockchain/FullNodePeer.ts b/src/blockchain/FullNodePeer.ts
index 4522636..d30790c 100644
--- a/src/blockchain/FullNodePeer.ts
+++ b/src/blockchain/FullNodePeer.ts
@@ -29,15 +29,26 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
   private static deprioritizedIps: Set<string> = new Set(); // New set for deprioritized IPs
 
   static {
-    FullNodePeer.memoizedFetchNewPeerIPs = memoize(FullNodePeer.fetchNewPeerIPs);
+    FullNodePeer.memoizedFetchNewPeerIPs = memoize(
+      FullNodePeer.fetchNewPeerIPs
+    );
   }
 
   private constructor(peer: Peer) {
     this.peer = peer;
   }
 
-  public static async connect(): Promise<Peer> {
-    const peer = await FullNodePeer.getBestPeer();
+  /**
+   * Connect to the best peer, optionally using custom certificate and key file paths.
+   * @param {string} [certFilePath] - Optional custom certificate file path.
+   * @param {string} [keyFilePath] - Optional custom key file path.
+   * @returns {Promise<Peer>} The connected peer.
+   */
+  public static async connect(
+    certFilePath?: string,
+    keyFilePath?: string
+  ): Promise<Peer> {
+    const peer = await FullNodePeer.getBestPeer(certFilePath, keyFilePath);
     return new FullNodePeer(peer).peer;
   }
 
@@ -132,7 +143,9 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
           }
         }
       } catch (error: any) {
-        console.error(`Failed to resolve IPs from ${DNS_HOST}: ${error.message}`);
+        console.error(
+          `Failed to resolve IPs from ${DNS_HOST}: ${error.message}`
+        );
       }
     }
     throw new Error("No reachable IPs found in any DNS records.");
@@ -178,7 +191,9 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
             const timeoutPromise = new Promise<null>((_, reject) => {
               timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
                 FullNodePeer.cachedPeer = null;
-                reject(new Error("Operation timed out. Reconnecting to a new peer."));
+                reject(
+                  new Error("Operation timed out. Reconnecting to a new peer.")
+                );
               }, 60000); // 1 minute
             });
 
@@ -197,12 +212,17 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
               return result;
             } catch (error: any) {
               // If the error is WebSocket-related or timeout, reset the peer
-              if (error.message.includes("WebSocket") || error.message.includes("Operation timed out")) {
+              if (
+                error.message.includes("WebSocket") ||
+                error.message.includes("Operation timed out")
+              ) {
                 FullNodePeer.cachedPeer = null;
                 // @ts-ignore
                 FullNodePeer.memoizedFetchNewPeerIPs.cache.clear();
                 FullNodePeer.deprioritizedIps.clear();
-                console.info(`Fullnode Peer error, reconnecting to a new peer...`);
+                console.info(
+                  `Fullnode Peer error, reconnecting to a new peer...`
+                );
                 const newPeer = await FullNodePeer.getBestPeer();
                 return (newPeer as any)[prop](...args);
               }
@@ -215,7 +235,10 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
     });
   }
 
-  private static async getBestPeer(): Promise<Peer> {
+  private static async getBestPeer(
+    certFilePath?: string,
+    keyFilePath?: string
+  ): Promise<Peer> {
     const now = Date.now();
 
     if (
@@ -225,12 +248,29 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
       return FullNodePeer.cachedPeer.peer;
     }
 
-    const sslFolder = path.resolve(os.homedir(), ".dig", "ssl");
-    const certFile = path.join(sslFolder, "public_dig.crt");
-    const keyFile = path.join(sslFolder, "public_dig.key");
+    let certFile: string;
+    let keyFile: string;
+
+    // If certFilePath or keyFilePath is provided, ensure both are provided
+    if (certFilePath && keyFilePath) {
+      certFile = certFilePath;
+      keyFile = keyFilePath;
 
-    if (!fs.existsSync(sslFolder)) {
-      fs.mkdirSync(sslFolder, { recursive: true });
+      if (!fs.existsSync(certFile)) {
+        throw new Error(`Certificate file not found: ${certFile}`);
+      }
+      if (!fs.existsSync(keyFile)) {
+        throw new Error(`Key file not found: ${keyFile}`);
+      }
+    } else {
+      // Use default paths if no custom paths are provided
+      const sslFolder = path.resolve(os.homedir(), ".dig", "ssl");
+      certFile = path.join(sslFolder, "public_dig.crt");
+      keyFile = path.join(sslFolder, "public_dig.key");
+
+      if (!fs.existsSync(sslFolder)) {
+        throw new Error(`SSL folder not found: ${sslFolder}`);
+      }
     }
 
     new Tls(certFile, keyFile);
@@ -258,7 +298,9 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
             );
             return FullNodePeer.createPeerProxy(peer);
           } catch (error: any) {
-            console.error(`Failed to create peer for IP ${ip}: ${error.message}`);
+            console.error(
+              `Failed to create peer for IP ${ip}: ${error.message}`
+            );
             return null;
           }
         }
@@ -299,7 +341,9 @@ export class FullNodePeer {
       (height, index) =>
         height === highestPeak &&
         !FullNodePeer.deprioritizedIps.has(peerIPs[index]) && // Exclude deprioritized IPs
-        (peerIPs[index] === LOCALHOST || peerIPs[index] === trustedNodeIp || peerIPs[index] === CHIA_NODES_HOST)
+        (peerIPs[index] === LOCALHOST ||
+          peerIPs[index] === trustedNodeIp ||
+          peerIPs[index] === CHIA_NODES_HOST)
     );
 
     // If LOCALHOST, TRUSTED_NODE_IP, or CHIA_NODES_HOST don't have the highest peak, select any peer with the highest peak