diff --git a/d2m/actions/create-room.js b/d2m/actions/create-room.js
index 322f8be9..2dd62e01 100644
--- a/d2m/actions/create-room.js
+++ b/d2m/actions/create-room.js
@@ -120,8 +120,7 @@ async function channelToKState(channel, guild) {
 	if (customAvatar) {
 		avatarEventContent.url = customAvatar
 	} else if (guild.icon) {
-		avatarEventContent.discord_path = file.guildIcon(guild)
-		avatarEventContent.url = await file.uploadDiscordFileToMxc(avatarEventContent.discord_path) // TODO: somehow represent future values in kstate (callbacks?), while still allowing for diffing, so test cases don't need to touch the media API
+		avatarEventContent.url = {$url: file.guildIcon(guild)}
 	}
 
 	let history_visibility = PRIVACY_ENUMS.ROOM_HISTORY_VISIBILITY[privacyLevel]
diff --git a/d2m/actions/create-space.js b/d2m/actions/create-space.js
index b15cba6a..a9b8448d 100644
--- a/d2m/actions/create-space.js
+++ b/d2m/actions/create-space.js
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ async function guildToKState(guild, privacyLevel) {
 		"m.room.name/": {name: guild.name},
 		"m.room.avatar/": {
 			$if: guild.icon,
-			discord_path: file.guildIcon(guild),
 			url: {$url: file.guildIcon(guild)}
 		},
 		"m.room.guest_access/": {guest_access: createRoom.PRIVACY_ENUMS.GUEST_ACCESS[privacyLevel]},
diff --git a/d2m/actions/create-space.test.js b/d2m/actions/create-space.test.js
index b1c1f068..c4111dbd 100644
--- a/d2m/actions/create-space.test.js
+++ b/d2m/actions/create-space.test.js
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ test("guild2space: can generate kstate for a guild, passing privacy level 0", as
 		await kstateUploadMxc(kstateStripConditionals(await guildToKState(testData.guild.general, 0))),
 		{
 			"m.room.avatar/": {
-				discord_path: "/icons/112760669178241024/a_f83622e09ead74f0c5c527fe241f8f8c.png?size=1024",
 				url: "mxc://cadence.moe/zKXGZhmImMHuGQZWJEFKJbsF"
 			},
 			"m.room.guest_access/": {
diff --git a/test/data.js b/test/data.js
index 771c1830..456033a3 100644
--- a/test/data.js
+++ b/test/data.js
@@ -38,8 +38,7 @@ module.exports = {
 				}]
 			},
 			"m.room.avatar/": {
-				discord_path: "/icons/112760669178241024/a_f83622e09ead74f0c5c527fe241f8f8c.png?size=1024",
-				url: "mxc://cadence.moe/zKXGZhmImMHuGQZWJEFKJbsF"
+				url: {$url: "/icons/112760669178241024/a_f83622e09ead74f0c5c527fe241f8f8c.png?size=1024"}
 			},
 			"m.room.power_levels/": {
 				events: {