diff --git a/scripts/sql/manage_storage.php b/scripts/sql/manage_storage.php
index c4fea2efa1..f2e22ec36c 100755
--- a/scripts/sql/manage_storage.php
+++ b/scripts/sql/manage_storage.php
@@ -70,14 +70,6 @@ try {
         'help'    => pht(
           'Do not actually change anything, just show what would be changed.'),
       ),
-      array(
-        'name'    => 'disable-utf8mb4',
-        'help'    => pht(
-          'Disable %s, even if the database supports it. This is an '.
-          'advanced feature used for testing internal changes; you '.
-          'should not normally use this flag.',
-          'utf8mb4'),
-      ),
     ));
 } catch (PhutilArgumentUsageException $ex) {
   $args->printUsageException($ex);
@@ -202,8 +194,7 @@ foreach ($refs as $ref) {
     ->setHost($default_host)
     ->setPort($default_port)
     ->setPassword($password)
-    ->setNamespace($args->getArg('namespace'))
-    ->setDisableUTF8MB4($args->getArg('disable-utf8mb4'));
+    ->setNamespace($args->getArg('namespace'));
   PhabricatorEnv::overrideConfig('mysql.user', $api->getUser());
 
   $ref->setUser($selected_user);
diff --git a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
index 31de0aaced..2a5a95dde6 100644
--- a/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
+++ b/src/infrastructure/storage/management/PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI.php
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ final class PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI extends Phobject {
   private $password;
   private $namespace;
   private $conns = array();
-  private $disableUTF8MB4;
 
   const CHARSET_DEFAULT = 'CHARSET';
   const CHARSET_SORT = 'CHARSET_SORT';
@@ -21,15 +20,6 @@ final class PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI extends Phobject {
   const TABLE_STATUS = 'patch_status';
   const TABLE_HOSTSTATE = 'hoststate';
 
-  public function setDisableUTF8MB4($disable_utf8_mb4) {
-    $this->disableUTF8MB4 = $disable_utf8_mb4;
-    return $this;
-  }
-
-  public function getDisableUTF8MB4() {
-    return $this->disableUTF8MB4;
-  }
-
   public function setNamespace($namespace) {
     $this->namespace = $namespace;
     PhabricatorLiskDAO::pushStorageNamespace($namespace);
@@ -312,12 +302,6 @@ final class PhabricatorStorageManagementAPI extends Phobject {
   }
 
   public function isCharacterSetAvailable($character_set) {
-    if ($character_set == 'utf8mb4') {
-      if ($this->getDisableUTF8MB4()) {
-        return false;
-      }
-    }
-
     $conn = $this->getConn(null);
     return self::isCharacterSetAvailableOnConnection($character_set, $conn);
   }