diff --git a/scripts/nym-node-setup/nym-node-cli.py b/scripts/nym-node-setup/nym-node-cli.py
index 2df9657e3f..21eacbac48 100755
--- a/scripts/nym-node-setup/nym-node-cli.py
+++ b/scripts/nym-node-setup/nym-node-cli.py
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ class NodeSetupCLI:
         mode = getattr(args, "mode", None)
         if mode:
             mode = mode.strip().lower()
-            self._upsert_env_vars("MODE", mode)
+            self._upsert_env_vars({"MODE": mode})
             print(f"Mode set to '{mode}' from CLI argument.")
             return mode