diff --git a/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo.go b/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo.go
index 0c337dfd1..1c5f7395d 100644
--- a/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo.go
+++ b/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo.go
@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
-	"runtime/debug"
-	"strings"
-	"time"
 
 	"src.elv.sh/pkg/must"
 	"src.elv.sh/pkg/prog"
@@ -21,14 +18,6 @@ import (
 // identifies the next release.
 const VersionBase = "0.19.0"
 
-// VCSOverride may be set during compilation to "time-commit" (e.g.
-// "20220320172241-5dc8c02a32cf") for identifying the version of development
-// builds.
-//
-// It is only needed if the automatic population of version information
-// implemented in devVersion fails.
-var VCSOverride string
-
 // BuildVariant may be set during compilation to identify a particular
 // build variant, such as a build by a specific distribution, with modified
 // dependencies, or with a non-standard toolchain.
@@ -48,7 +37,7 @@ func (Type) IsStructMap() {}
 var Value = Type{
 	// On a release branch, change to addVariant(VersionBase, BuildVariant) and
 	// remove unneeded code.
-	Version:   addVariant(devVersion(VersionBase, VCSOverride), BuildVariant),
+	Version:   addVariant(VersionBase, BuildVariant),
 	GoVersion: runtime.Version(),
 }
 
@@ -59,50 +48,6 @@ func addVariant(version, variant string) string {
 	return version
 }
 
-var readBuildInfo = debug.ReadBuildInfo
-
-func devVersion(next, vcsOverride string) string {
-	if vcsOverride != "" {
-		return next + "-dev.0." + vcsOverride
-	}
-	fallback := next + "-dev.unknown"
-	bi, ok := readBuildInfo()
-	if !ok {
-		return fallback
-	}
-	// If the main module's version is known, use it, but without the "v"
-	// prefix. This is the case when Elvish is built with "go install
-	// src.elv.sh/cmd/elvish@version".
-	if v := bi.Main.Version; v != "" && v != "(devel)" {
-		return strings.TrimPrefix(v, "v")
-	}
-	// If VCS information is available (i.e. when Elvish is built from a checked
-	// out repo), build the version string with it. Emulate the format of pseudo
-	// version (https://go.dev/ref/mod#pseudo-versions).
-	m := make(map[string]string)
-	for _, s := range bi.Settings {
-		if k := strings.TrimPrefix(s.Key, "vcs."); k != s.Key {
-			m[k] = s.Value
-		}
-	}
-	if m["revision"] == "" || m["time"] == "" || m["modified"] == "" {
-		return fallback
-	}
-	t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339Nano, m["time"])
-	if err != nil {
-		return fallback
-	}
-	revision := m["revision"]
-	if len(revision) > 12 {
-		revision = revision[:12]
-	}
-	version := fmt.Sprintf("%s-dev.0.%s-%s", next, t.Format("20060102150405"), revision)
-	if m["modified"] == "true" {
-		return version + "-dirty"
-	}
-	return version
-}
-
 // Program is the buildinfo subprogram.
 type Program struct {
 	version, buildinfo bool
diff --git a/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo_test.go b/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo_test.go
index 27f9841c6..8237a4e84 100644
--- a/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo_test.go
+++ b/pkg/buildinfo/buildinfo_test.go
@@ -3,12 +3,10 @@ package buildinfo
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"runtime"
-	"runtime/debug"
 	"testing"
 
 	"src.elv.sh/pkg/eval/vals"
 	"src.elv.sh/pkg/prog/progtest"
-	"src.elv.sh/pkg/testutil"
 )
 
 var ThatElvish = progtest.ThatElvish
@@ -27,83 +25,6 @@ func TestProgram(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 }
 
-var devVersionTests = []struct {
-	name        string
-	next        string
-	vcsOverride string
-	buildInfo   *debug.BuildInfo
-	want        string
-}{
-	{
-		name: "no BuildInfo",
-		next: "0.42.0",
-		want: "0.42.0-dev.unknown",
-	},
-	{
-		name:      "BuildInfo with Main.Version = (devel)",
-		next:      "0.42.0",
-		buildInfo: &debug.BuildInfo{Main: debug.Module{Version: "(devel)"}},
-		want:      "0.42.0-dev.unknown",
-	},
-	{
-		name:      "BuildInfo with non-empty Main.Version != (devel)",
-		next:      "0.42.0",
-		buildInfo: &debug.BuildInfo{Main: debug.Module{Version: "v0.42.0-dev.foobar"}},
-		want:      "0.42.0-dev.foobar",
-	},
-	{
-		name: "BuildInfo with VCS data from clean checkout",
-		next: "0.42.0",
-		buildInfo: &debug.BuildInfo{Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
-			{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "1234567890123456"},
-			{Key: "vcs.time", Value: "2022-04-01T23:59:58Z"},
-			{Key: "vcs.modified", Value: "false"},
-		}},
-		want: "0.42.0-dev.0.20220401235958-123456789012",
-	},
-	{
-		name: "BuildInfo with VCS data from dirty checkout",
-		next: "0.42.0",
-		buildInfo: &debug.BuildInfo{Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
-			{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "1234567890123456"},
-			{Key: "vcs.time", Value: "2022-04-01T23:59:58Z"},
-			{Key: "vcs.modified", Value: "true"},
-		}},
-		want: "0.42.0-dev.0.20220401235958-123456789012-dirty",
-	},
-	{
-		name: "BuildInfo with unknown VCS timestamp format",
-		next: "0.42.0",
-		buildInfo: &debug.BuildInfo{Settings: []debug.BuildSetting{
-			{Key: "vcs.revision", Value: "1234567890123456"},
-			{Key: "vcs.time", Value: "April First"},
-			{Key: "vcs.modified", Value: "false"},
-		}},
-		want: "0.42.0-dev.unknown",
-	},
-	{
-		name:        "vcsOverride",
-		next:        "0.42.0",
-		vcsOverride: "20220401235958-123456789012",
-		want:        "0.42.0-dev.0.20220401235958-123456789012",
-	},
-}
-
-func TestDevVersion(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, test := range devVersionTests {
-		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			testutil.Set(t, &readBuildInfo,
-				func() (*debug.BuildInfo, bool) {
-					return test.buildInfo, test.buildInfo != nil
-				})
-			got := devVersion(test.next, test.vcsOverride)
-			if got != test.want {
-				t.Errorf("got %q, want %q", got, test.want)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 func TestAddVariant(t *testing.T) {
 	got := addVariant("0.42.0", "")
 	want := "0.42.0"