diff --git a/data/dbus-interfaces/org.gnome.Mutter.DebugControl.xml b/data/dbus-interfaces/org.gnome.Mutter.DebugControl.xml
index 56a271680..d2c3017f0 100644
--- a/data/dbus-interfaces/org.gnome.Mutter.DebugControl.xml
+++ b/data/dbus-interfaces/org.gnome.Mutter.DebugControl.xml
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
     <property name="ForceLinearBlending" type="b" access="readwrite" />
     <property name="SessionManagementProtocol" type="b" access="readwrite" />
     <property name="InhibitHwCursor" type="b" access="readwrite" />
-    <property name="CursorShapeProtocol" type="b" access="readwrite" />
     <property name="A11yManagerWithoutAccessControl" type="b" access="readwrite" />
   </interface>
 
diff --git a/src/core/meta-debug-control-private.h b/src/core/meta-debug-control-private.h
index 0787fed89..eee760685 100644
--- a/src/core/meta-debug-control-private.h
+++ b/src/core/meta-debug-control-private.h
@@ -28,6 +28,4 @@ gboolean meta_debug_control_is_session_management_protocol_enabled (MetaDebugCon
 
 gboolean meta_debug_control_is_hw_cursor_inhibited (MetaDebugControl *debug_control);
 
-gboolean meta_debug_control_is_cursor_shape_protocol_enabled (MetaDebugControl *debug_control);
-
 gboolean meta_debug_control_is_a11y_manager_without_access_control (MetaDebugControl *debug_control);
diff --git a/src/core/meta-debug-control.c b/src/core/meta-debug-control.c
index bc97368b9..bdf59d0fa 100644
--- a/src/core/meta-debug-control.c
+++ b/src/core/meta-debug-control.c
@@ -170,7 +170,6 @@ meta_debug_control_init (MetaDebugControl *debug_control)
     META_DBUS_DEBUG_CONTROL (debug_control);
   gboolean force_hdr, force_linear_blending;
   gboolean session_management_protocol;
-  gboolean cursor_shape_protocol;
   gboolean inhibit_hw_cursor;
   gboolean a11y_manager_without_access_control;
 
@@ -192,11 +191,6 @@ meta_debug_control_init (MetaDebugControl *debug_control)
   meta_dbus_debug_control_set_inhibit_hw_cursor (dbus_debug_control,
                                                  inhibit_hw_cursor);
 
-  cursor_shape_protocol =
-    g_strcmp0 (getenv ("MUTTER_DEBUG_CURSOR_SHAPE_PROTOCOL"), "1") == 0;
-  meta_dbus_debug_control_set_cursor_shape_protocol (dbus_debug_control,
-                                                     cursor_shape_protocol);
-
   a11y_manager_without_access_control =
     g_strcmp0 (getenv ("MUTTER_DEBUG_A11Y_MANAGER_WITHOUT_ACCESS_CONTROL"), "1") == 0;
   meta_dbus_debug_control_set_a11y_manager_without_access_control (dbus_debug_control,
@@ -267,15 +261,6 @@ meta_debug_control_is_hw_cursor_inhibited (MetaDebugControl *debug_control)
   return meta_dbus_debug_control_get_inhibit_hw_cursor (dbus_debug_control);
 }
 
-gboolean
-meta_debug_control_is_cursor_shape_protocol_enabled (MetaDebugControl *debug_control)
-{
-  MetaDBusDebugControl *dbus_debug_control =
-    META_DBUS_DEBUG_CONTROL (debug_control);
-
-  return meta_dbus_debug_control_get_cursor_shape_protocol (dbus_debug_control);
-}
-
 gboolean
 meta_debug_control_is_a11y_manager_without_access_control (MetaDebugControl *debug_control)
 {
diff --git a/src/tests/wayland-unit-tests.c b/src/tests/wayland-unit-tests.c
index 84aa45dbd..d4d5db176 100644
--- a/src/tests/wayland-unit-tests.c
+++ b/src/tests/wayland-unit-tests.c
@@ -1391,7 +1391,6 @@ main (int   argc,
   MetaTestRunFlags test_run_flags;
 
   g_setenv ("MUTTER_DEBUG_SESSION_MANAGEMENT_PROTOCOL", "1", TRUE);
-  g_setenv ("MUTTER_DEBUG_CURSOR_SHAPE_PROTOCOL", "1", TRUE);
 
 #ifdef MUTTER_PRIVILEGED_TEST
   context = meta_create_test_context (META_CONTEXT_TEST_TYPE_VKMS,
diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-cursor-shape.c b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-cursor-shape.c
index 72d3cffe2..172ddf233 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-cursor-shape.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-cursor-shape.c
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 #include "wayland/meta-wayland-cursor-shape.h"
 
-#include "core/meta-debug-control-private.h"
 #include "core/window-private.h"
 #include "wayland/meta-wayland-private.h"
 #include "wayland/meta-wayland-xdg-shell.h"
@@ -282,48 +281,12 @@ bind_cursor_shape (struct wl_client *client,
                                   NULL, NULL);
 }
 
-static void
-update_enabled (MetaWaylandCompositor *compositor)
-{
-  MetaDebugControl *debug_control =
-    meta_context_get_debug_control (compositor->context);
-  gboolean is_enabled =
-    meta_debug_control_is_cursor_shape_protocol_enabled (debug_control);
-  struct wl_global *global;
-
-  global = g_object_get_data (G_OBJECT (compositor),
-                              "-meta-wayland-cursor-shape");
-
-  if (is_enabled && global == NULL)
-    {
-
-      global = wl_global_create (compositor->wayland_display,
-                                 &wp_cursor_shape_manager_v1_interface,
-                                 META_WP_CURSOR_SHAPE_VERSION,
-                                 NULL, bind_cursor_shape);
-      if (global == NULL)
-        g_error ("Failed to register a global cursor-shape object");
-    }
-  else if (!is_enabled)
-    {
-      g_clear_pointer (&global, wl_global_destroy);
-    }
-
-  g_object_set_data (G_OBJECT (compositor),
-                     "-meta-wayland-cursor-shape",
-                     global);
-}
-
 void
 meta_wayland_init_cursor_shape (MetaWaylandCompositor *compositor)
 {
-  MetaDebugControl *debug_control =
-    meta_context_get_debug_control (compositor->context);
-
-  g_signal_connect_data (debug_control, "notify::cursor-shape-protocol",
-                         G_CALLBACK (update_enabled),
-                         compositor, NULL,
-                         G_CONNECT_SWAPPED | G_CONNECT_AFTER);
-
-  update_enabled (compositor);
+  if (wl_global_create (compositor->wayland_display,
+                        &wp_cursor_shape_manager_v1_interface,
+                        META_WP_CURSOR_SHAPE_VERSION,
+                        NULL, bind_cursor_shape) == NULL)
+    g_error ("Failed to register a global cursor-shape object");
 }