diff --git a/ci.docker-compose.yml b/ci.docker-compose.yml
index 209346e..2d19f18 100644
--- a/ci.docker-compose.yml
+++ b/ci.docker-compose.yml
@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@ services:
     env_file: .env
     environment:
       PROXY_HEIGHT_BASED_ROUTING_ENABLED: "true"
+      PROXY_SHARDED_ROUTING_ENABLED: "true"
       # use public testnet as backend origin server to avoid having
       # to self-host a beefy Github Action runner
       # to build and run a kava node each execution
       PROXY_BACKEND_HOST_URL_MAP: localhost:7777>https://evmrpcdata.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io,localhost:7778>https://evmrpc.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io
       PROXY_PRUNING_BACKEND_HOST_URL_MAP: localhost:7777>https://evmrpc.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io
+      # fake the shards by defining shards with existing backends
+      PROXY_SHARD_BACKEND_HOST_URL_MAP: localhost:7777>10|https://evmrpc.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io|20|https://evmrpc.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io
       EVM_QUERY_SERVICE_URL: https://evmrpc.internal.testnet.proxy.kava.io
     ports:
       - "${PROXY_HOST_PORT}:${PROXY_CONTAINER_PORT}"