diff --git a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
index 554eb9bec46f8..b0ef782a166c6 100644
--- a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
+++ b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
@@ -50,42 +50,16 @@ Remove the 'private' field from the package.json to publish it.`),
     opts
   )
 
-  try {
-    const res = await npmFetch(spec.escapedName, {
-      ...opts,
-      method: 'PUT',
-      body: metadata,
-      ignoreBody: true,
-    })
-    if (transparencyLogUrl) {
-      res.transparencyLogUrl = transparencyLogUrl
-    }
-    return res
-  } catch (err) {
-    if (err.code !== 'E409') {
-      throw err
-    }
-    // if E409, we attempt exactly ONE retry, to protect us
-    // against malicious activity like trying to publish
-    // a bunch of new versions of a package at the same time
-    // and/or spamming the registry
-    const current = await npmFetch.json(spec.escapedName, {
-      ...opts,
-      query: { write: true },
-    })
-    const newMetadata = patchMetadata(current, metadata)
-    const res = await npmFetch(spec.escapedName, {
-      ...opts,
-      method: 'PUT',
-      body: newMetadata,
-      ignoreBody: true,
-    })
-    /* istanbul ignore next */
-    if (transparencyLogUrl) {
-      res.transparencyLogUrl = transparencyLogUrl
-    }
-    return res
+  const res = await npmFetch(spec.escapedName, {
+    ...opts,
+    method: 'PUT',
+    body: metadata,
+    ignoreBody: true,
+  })
+  if (transparencyLogUrl) {
+    res.transparencyLogUrl = transparencyLogUrl
   }
+  return res
 }
 
 const patchManifest = (_manifest, opts) => {
@@ -195,51 +169,6 @@ const buildMetadata = async (registry, manifest, tarballData, spec, opts) => {
   }
 }
 
-const patchMetadata = (current, newData) => {
-  const curVers = Object.keys(current.versions || {})
-    .map(v => semver.clean(v, true))
-    .concat(Object.keys(current.time || {})
-      .map(v => semver.valid(v, true) && semver.clean(v, true))
-      .filter(v => v))
-
-  const newVersion = Object.keys(newData.versions)[0]
-
-  if (curVers.indexOf(newVersion) !== -1) {
-    const { name: pkgid, version } = newData
-    throw Object.assign(
-      new Error(
-        `Cannot publish ${pkgid}@${version} over existing version.`
-      ), {
-        code: 'EPUBLISHCONFLICT',
-        pkgid,
-        version,
-      })
-  }
-
-  current.versions = current.versions || {}
-  current.versions[newVersion] = newData.versions[newVersion]
-  for (const i in newData) {
-    switch (i) {
-      // objects that copy over the new stuffs
-      case 'dist-tags':
-      case 'versions':
-      case '_attachments':
-        for (const j in newData[i]) {
-          current[i] = current[i] || {}
-          current[i][j] = newData[i][j]
-        }
-        break
-
-      // copy
-      default:
-        current[i] = newData[i]
-        break
-    }
-  }
-
-  return current
-}
-
 // Check that all the prereqs are met for provenance generation
 const ensureProvenanceGeneration = async (registry, spec, opts) => {
   if (ciInfo.GITHUB_ACTIONS) {
diff --git a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
index 6744443e6843c..f7e824a3805c8 100644
--- a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
+++ b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 'use strict'
 
-const cloneDeep = require('lodash.clonedeep')
 const crypto = require('crypto')
 const fs = require('fs')
 const npa = require('npm-package-arg')
@@ -180,266 +179,6 @@ t.test('scoped publish - restricted access', async t => {
   t.ok(ret, 'publish succeeded')
 })
 
-t.test('retry after a conflict', async t => {
-  const { publish } = t.mock('..')
-  const registry = new MockRegistry({
-    tap: t,
-    registry: opts.registry,
-    authorization: token,
-  })
-  const REV = '72-47f2986bfd8e8b55068b204588bbf484'
-  const manifest = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    version: '1.0.0',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-  }
-
-  const basePackument = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-    access: 'public',
-    _id: 'libnpmpublish',
-    'dist-tags': {},
-    versions: {},
-    _attachments: {},
-  }
-  const currentPackument = cloneDeep({
-    ...basePackument,
-    time: {
-      modified: new Date().toISOString(),
-      created: new Date().toISOString(),
-      '1.0.1': new Date().toISOString(),
-    },
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.1' },
-    versions: {
-      '1.0.1': {
-        _id: 'libnpmpublish@1.0.1',
-        _nodeVersion: process.versions.node,
-        _npmVersion: opts.npmVersion,
-        name: 'libnpmpublish',
-        version: '1.0.1',
-        description: 'some stuff',
-        dist: {
-          shasum,
-          integrity: integrity.toString(),
-          tarball: 'http://mock.reg/libnpmpublish/-/libnpmpublish-1.0.1.tgz',
-        },
-      },
-    },
-    _attachments: {
-      'libnpmpublish-1.0.1.tgz': {
-        content_type: 'application/octet-stream',
-        data: tarData.toString('base64'),
-        length: tarData.length,
-      },
-    },
-  })
-  const newPackument = cloneDeep({
-    ...basePackument,
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
-    versions: {
-      '1.0.0': {
-        _id: 'libnpmpublish@1.0.0',
-        _nodeVersion: process.versions.node,
-        _npmVersion: opts.npmVersion,
-        name: 'libnpmpublish',
-        version: '1.0.0',
-        description: 'some stuff',
-        dist: {
-          shasum,
-          integrity: integrity.toString(),
-          tarball: 'http://mock.reg/libnpmpublish/-/libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz',
-        },
-      },
-    },
-    _attachments: {
-      'libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz': {
-        content_type: 'application/octet-stream',
-        data: tarData.toString('base64'),
-        length: tarData.length,
-      },
-    },
-  })
-  const mergedPackument = cloneDeep({
-    ...basePackument,
-    time: currentPackument.time,
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
-    versions: { ...currentPackument.versions, ...newPackument.versions },
-    _attachments: { ...currentPackument._attachments, ...newPackument._attachments },
-  })
-
-  registry.nock.put('/libnpmpublish', body => {
-    t.notOk(body._rev, 'no _rev in initial post')
-    t.same(body, newPackument, 'got conflicting packument')
-    return true
-  }).reply(409, { error: 'gimme _rev plz' })
-
-  registry.nock.get('/libnpmpublish?write=true').reply(200, {
-    _rev: REV,
-    ...currentPackument,
-  })
-
-  registry.nock.put('/libnpmpublish', body => {
-    t.same(body, {
-      _rev: REV,
-      ...mergedPackument,
-    }, 'posted packument includes _rev and a merged version')
-    return true
-  }).reply(201, {})
-
-  const ret = await publish(manifest, tarData, opts)
-  t.ok(ret, 'publish succeeded')
-})
-
-t.test('retry after a conflict -- no versions on remote', async t => {
-  const { publish } = t.mock('..')
-  const registry = new MockRegistry({
-    tap: t,
-    registry: opts.registry,
-    authorization: token,
-  })
-  const REV = '72-47f2986bfd8e8b55068b204588bbf484'
-  const manifest = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    version: '1.0.0',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-  }
-
-  const basePackument = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-    access: 'public',
-    _id: 'libnpmpublish',
-  }
-  const currentPackument = { ...basePackument }
-  const newPackument = cloneDeep({
-    ...basePackument,
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
-    versions: {
-      '1.0.0': {
-        _id: 'libnpmpublish@1.0.0',
-        _nodeVersion: process.versions.node,
-        _npmVersion: opts.npmVersion,
-        name: 'libnpmpublish',
-        version: '1.0.0',
-        description: 'some stuff',
-        dist: {
-          shasum,
-          integrity: integrity.toString(),
-          tarball: 'http://mock.reg/libnpmpublish/-/libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz',
-        },
-      },
-    },
-    _attachments: {
-      'libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz': {
-        content_type: 'application/octet-stream',
-        data: tarData.toString('base64'),
-        length: tarData.length,
-      },
-    },
-  })
-  const mergedPackument = cloneDeep({
-    ...basePackument,
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
-    versions: { ...newPackument.versions },
-    _attachments: { ...newPackument._attachments },
-  })
-
-  registry.nock.put('/libnpmpublish', body => {
-    t.notOk(body._rev, 'no _rev in initial post')
-    t.same(body, newPackument, 'got conflicting packument')
-    return true
-  }).reply(409, { error: 'gimme _rev plz' })
-
-  registry.nock.get('/libnpmpublish?write=true').reply(200, {
-    _rev: REV,
-    ...currentPackument,
-  })
-
-  registry.nock.put('/libnpmpublish', body => {
-    t.same(body, {
-      _rev: REV,
-      ...mergedPackument,
-    }, 'posted packument includes _rev and a merged version')
-    return true
-  }).reply(201, {})
-
-  const ret = await publish(manifest, tarData, opts)
-
-  t.ok(ret, 'publish succeeded')
-})
-
-t.test('version conflict', async t => {
-  const { publish } = t.mock('..')
-  const registry = new MockRegistry({
-    tap: t,
-    registry: opts.registry,
-    authorization: token,
-  })
-  const REV = '72-47f2986bfd8e8b55068b204588bbf484'
-  const manifest = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    version: '1.0.0',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-  }
-
-  const basePackument = {
-    name: 'libnpmpublish',
-    description: 'some stuff',
-    access: 'public',
-    _id: 'libnpmpublish',
-    'dist-tags': {},
-    versions: {},
-    _attachments: {},
-  }
-  const newPackument = cloneDeep(Object.assign({}, basePackument, {
-    'dist-tags': { latest: '1.0.0' },
-    versions: {
-      '1.0.0': {
-        _id: 'libnpmpublish@1.0.0',
-        _nodeVersion: process.versions.node,
-        _npmVersion: '6.13.7',
-        name: 'libnpmpublish',
-        version: '1.0.0',
-        description: 'some stuff',
-        dist: {
-          shasum,
-          integrity: integrity.toString(),
-          tarball: 'http://mock.reg/libnpmpublish/-/libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz',
-        },
-      },
-    },
-    _attachments: {
-      'libnpmpublish-1.0.0.tgz': {
-        content_type: 'application/octet-stream',
-        data: tarData.toString('base64'),
-        length: tarData.length,
-      },
-    },
-  }))
-
-  registry.nock.put('/libnpmpublish', body => {
-    t.notOk(body._rev, 'no _rev in initial post')
-    t.same(body, newPackument, 'got conflicting packument')
-    return true
-  }).reply(409, { error: 'gimme _rev plz' })
-
-  registry.nock.get('/libnpmpublish?write=true').reply(200, {
-    _rev: REV,
-    ...newPackument,
-  })
-
-  try {
-    await publish(manifest, tarData, {
-      ...opts,
-      npmVersion: '6.13.7',
-      token: 'deadbeef',
-    })
-  } catch (err) {
-    t.equal(err.code, 'EPUBLISHCONFLICT', 'got publish conflict code')
-  }
-})
-
 t.test('refuse if package marked private', async t => {
   const { publish } = t.mock('..')
   const registry = new MockRegistry({