diff --git a/chan.go b/chan.go
index be0e8426..7bf83e7d 100644
--- a/chan.go
+++ b/chan.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmdkit"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds/debug"
 )
 
 func NewChanResponsePair(req *Request) (ResponseEmitter, Response) {
@@ -130,12 +129,6 @@ func (re *chanResponseEmitter) Emit(v interface{}) error {
 	re.wl.Lock()
 	defer re.wl.Unlock()
 
-	// Initially this library allowed commands to return errors by sending an
-	// error value along a stream. We removed that in favour of CloseWithError,
-	// so we want to make sure we catch situations where some code still uses the
-	// old error emitting semantics and _panic_ in those situations.
-	debug.AssertNotError(v)
-
 	// unblock Length()
 	select {
 	case <-re.waitLen:
diff --git a/cli/responseemitter.go b/cli/responseemitter.go
index 3849be7b..6b882f04 100644
--- a/cli/responseemitter.go
+++ b/cli/responseemitter.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds/debug"
 )
 
 var _ ResponseEmitter = &responseEmitter{}
@@ -137,12 +136,6 @@ func (re *responseEmitter) Emit(v interface{}) error {
 		isSingle = true
 	}
 
-	// Initially this library allowed commands to return errors by sending an
-	// error value along a stream. We removed that in favour of CloseWithError,
-	// so we want to make sure we catch situations where some code still uses the
-	// old error emitting semantics and _panic_ in those situations.
-	debug.AssertNotError(v)
-
 	// channel emission iteration
 	if ch, ok := v.(chan interface{}); ok {
 		v = (<-chan interface{})(ch)
diff --git a/debug/checkerr.go b/debug/checkerr.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 0e35c932..00000000
--- a/debug/checkerr.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-package debug
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"runtime/debug"
-
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmdkit"
-)
-
-// UnexpectedError wraps a *cmdkit.Error that is being emitted. That type (and its non-pointer version) used to be emitted to indicate an error. That was deprecated in favour of CloseWithError.
-type UnexpectedError struct {
-	Err *cmdkit.Error
-}
-
-// Error returns the error string
-func (err UnexpectedError) Error() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("unexpected error value emitted: %q at\n%s", err.Err.Error(), debug.Stack())
-}
-
-// AssertNotError verifies that v is not a cmdkit.Error or *cmdkit.Error. Otherwise it panics.
-func AssertNotError(v interface{}) {
-	if e, ok := v.(cmdkit.Error); ok {
-		v = &e
-	}
-	if e, ok := v.(*cmdkit.Error); ok {
-		panic(UnexpectedError{e})
-	}
-}
diff --git a/http/responseemitter.go b/http/responseemitter.go
index c5e478a3..163da4ae 100644
--- a/http/responseemitter.go
+++ b/http/responseemitter.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmdkit"
 	cmds "github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds/debug"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -88,12 +87,6 @@ type responseEmitter struct {
 }
 
 func (re *responseEmitter) Emit(value interface{}) error {
-	// Initially this library allowed commands to return errors by sending an
-	// error value along a stream. We removed that in favour of CloseWithError,
-	// so we want to make sure we catch situations where some code still uses the
-	// old error emitting semantics and _panic_ in those situations.
-	debug.AssertNotError(value)
-
 	// if we got a channel, instead emit values received on there.
 	if ch, ok := value.(chan interface{}); ok {
 		value = (<-chan interface{})(ch)
diff --git a/writer.go b/writer.go
index 6f5fcaad..4b6296f1 100644
--- a/writer.go
+++ b/writer.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmdkit"
-	"github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs-cmds/debug"
 )
 
 func NewWriterResponseEmitter(w io.WriteCloser, req *Request) (ResponseEmitter, error) {
@@ -154,14 +153,6 @@ func (re *writerResponseEmitter) Emit(v interface{}) error {
 		return EmitChan(re, ch)
 	}
 
-	// Initially this library allowed commands to return errors by sending an
-	// error value along a stream. We removed that in favour of CloseWithError,
-	// so we want to make sure we catch situations where some code still uses the
-	// old error emitting semantics.
-	// Also errors may occur both as pointers and as plain values, so we need to
-	// check both.
-	debug.AssertNotError(v)
-
 	if re.closed {
 		return ErrClosedEmitter
 	}