diff --git a/src/librustc/back/link.rs b/src/librustc/back/link.rs
index 1b9cb10f1dc..815ec943c49 100644
--- a/src/librustc/back/link.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/back/link.rs
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ use lib::llvm::llvm;
 use lib::llvm::ModuleRef;
 use lib;
 use metadata::common::LinkMeta;
-use metadata::{encoder, csearch, cstore, filesearch};
+use metadata::{encoder, cstore, filesearch};
 use middle::trans::context::CrateContext;
 use middle::trans::common::gensym_name;
 use middle::ty;
@@ -1043,14 +1043,6 @@ pub fn link_args(sess: Session,
     let ula = cstore::get_used_link_args(cstore);
     for arg in ula.iter() { args.push(arg.to_owned()); }
 
-    // Add all the link args for external crates.
-    do cstore::iter_crate_data(cstore) |crate_num, _| {
-        let link_args = csearch::get_link_args_for_crate(cstore, crate_num);
-        for link_arg in link_args.move_iter() {
-            args.push(link_arg);
-        }
-    }
-
     // # Extern library linking
 
     // User-supplied library search paths (-L on the cammand line) These are
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
index 617051c217f..48fe21b3343 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/csearch.rs
@@ -261,13 +261,6 @@ pub fn get_item_visibility(cstore: @mut cstore::CStore,
     decoder::get_item_visibility(cdata, def_id.node)
 }
 
-pub fn get_link_args_for_crate(cstore: @mut cstore::CStore,
-                               crate_num: ast::CrateNum)
-                            -> ~[~str] {
-    let cdata = cstore::get_crate_data(cstore, crate_num);
-    decoder::get_link_args_for_crate(cdata)
-}
-
 pub fn each_impl(cstore: @mut cstore::CStore,
                  crate_num: ast::CrateNum,
                  callback: &fn(ast::DefId)) {
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
index aca41f5f4cb..56abaa27cce 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -1456,16 +1456,6 @@ pub fn translate_def_id(cdata: Cmd, did: ast::DefId) -> ast::DefId {
     }
 }
 
-pub fn get_link_args_for_crate(cdata: Cmd) -> ~[~str] {
-    let link_args = reader::get_doc(reader::Doc(cdata.data), tag_link_args);
-    let mut result = ~[];
-    do reader::tagged_docs(link_args, tag_link_args_arg) |arg_doc| {
-        result.push(arg_doc.as_str());
-        true
-    };
-    result
-}
-
 pub fn each_impl(cdata: Cmd, callback: &fn(ast::DefId)) {
     let impls_doc = reader::get_doc(reader::Doc(cdata.data), tag_impls);
     let _ = do reader::tagged_docs(impls_doc, tag_impls_impl) |impl_doc| {
diff --git a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
index 86c4ca0158f..1ad7e416342 100644
--- a/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ struct Stats {
     attr_bytes: u64,
     dep_bytes: u64,
     lang_item_bytes: u64,
-    link_args_bytes: u64,
     impl_bytes: u64,
     misc_bytes: u64,
     item_bytes: u64,
@@ -1610,19 +1609,6 @@ fn encode_lang_items(ecx: &EncodeContext, ebml_w: &mut writer::Encoder) {
     ebml_w.end_tag();   // tag_lang_items
 }
 
-fn encode_link_args(ecx: &EncodeContext, ebml_w: &mut writer::Encoder) {
-    ebml_w.start_tag(tag_link_args);
-
-    let link_args = cstore::get_used_link_args(ecx.cstore);
-    for link_arg in link_args.iter() {
-        ebml_w.start_tag(tag_link_args_arg);
-        ebml_w.writer.write(link_arg.as_bytes());
-        ebml_w.end_tag();
-    }
-
-    ebml_w.end_tag();
-}
-
 struct ImplVisitor<'self> {
     ecx: &'self EncodeContext<'self>,
     ebml_w: &'self mut writer::Encoder,
@@ -1740,7 +1726,6 @@ pub fn encode_metadata(parms: EncodeParams, crate: &Crate) -> ~[u8] {
         attr_bytes: 0,
         dep_bytes: 0,
         lang_item_bytes: 0,
-        link_args_bytes: 0,
         impl_bytes: 0,
         misc_bytes: 0,
         item_bytes: 0,
@@ -1797,11 +1782,6 @@ pub fn encode_metadata(parms: EncodeParams, crate: &Crate) -> ~[u8] {
     encode_lang_items(&ecx, &mut ebml_w);
     ecx.stats.lang_item_bytes = wr.tell() - i;
 
-    // Encode the link args.
-    i = wr.tell();
-    encode_link_args(&ecx, &mut ebml_w);
-    ecx.stats.link_args_bytes = wr.tell() - i;
-
     // Encode the def IDs of impls, for coherence checking.
     i = wr.tell();
     encode_impls(&ecx, crate, &mut ebml_w);
@@ -1838,7 +1818,6 @@ pub fn encode_metadata(parms: EncodeParams, crate: &Crate) -> ~[u8] {
         println!(" attribute bytes: {}", ecx.stats.attr_bytes);
         println!("       dep bytes: {}", ecx.stats.dep_bytes);
         println!(" lang item bytes: {}", ecx.stats.lang_item_bytes);
-        println!(" link args bytes: {}", ecx.stats.link_args_bytes);
         println!("      impl bytes: {}", ecx.stats.impl_bytes);
         println!("      misc bytes: {}", ecx.stats.misc_bytes);
         println!("      item bytes: {}", ecx.stats.item_bytes);