diff --git a/docs/Reference/CLI/CLI-Syntax.md b/docs/Reference/CLI/CLI-Syntax.md
index 6b214d2aa..a8f4702cf 100644
--- a/docs/Reference/CLI/CLI-Syntax.md
+++ b/docs/Reference/CLI/CLI-Syntax.md
@@ -314,11 +314,13 @@ receiving warnings that the ETH1 node is unavailable.
     eth1-endpoint: "http://localhost:8545"
     ```
 
-The JSON-RPC URL of Ethereum 1.0 node.
+The JSON-RPC URL of Ethereum 1.0 node. This option must be specified if running a validator.
 
-If not specified, then provide an initial state using the [`--initial-state`](#initial-state) option, or
-start Teku from an existing database using [`--data-path`](#data-path), which provides the initial
-state to work from.
+If not specified (that is, you're running a beacon chain client only), then provide an initial state
+using the [`--initial-state`](#initial-state) option, or start Teku from an existing database using
+[`--data-path`](#data-path), which provides the initial state to work from. You do not need to
+provide an initial state if running a public network which has already started (for example,
+MainNet or Pyrmont).
 
 If using a cloud-based service such as [Infura], then set the endpoint to the supplied URL. For
 example, `https://goerli.infura.io/v3/<Project_ID>`