diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erDb.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erDb.ts
index ef0b5382d..ccf543797 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erDb.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erDb.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ const addRelationship = function (entA: string, rolA: string, entB: string, rSpe
 
 const getRelationships = () => relationships;
 
-const getDirection = () => direction;
+export const getDirection = () => direction;
 const setDirection = (dir: string) => {
   direction = dir;
 };
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erRenderer-unified.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erRenderer-unified.ts
index be668df69..4679a6f04 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erRenderer-unified.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/er/erRenderer-unified.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { getDiagramElement } from '../../rendering-util/insertElementsForSize.js
 import { getRegisteredLayoutAlgorithm, render } from '../../rendering-util/render.js';
 import { setupViewPortForSVG } from '../../rendering-util/setupViewPortForSVG.js';
 import type { LayoutData } from '../../rendering-util/types.js';
-import db from './erDb.js';
+import { getDirection } from './erDb.js';
 import utils from '../../utils.js';
 
 export const draw = async function (text: string, id: string, _version: string, diag: any) {
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export const draw = async function (text: string, id: string, _version: string,
   // Workaround as when rendering and setting up the graph it uses flowchart spacing before data4Layout spacing?
   data4Layout.config.flowchart!.nodeSpacing = conf?.nodeSpacing || 140;
   data4Layout.config.flowchart!.rankSpacing = conf?.rankSpacing || 80;
-  data4Layout.direction = db.getDirection();
+  data4Layout.direction = getDirection();
 
   data4Layout.markers = ['only_one', 'zero_or_one', 'one_or_more', 'zero_or_more'];
   data4Layout.diagramId = id;