diff --git a/src/actions/about.test.ts b/src/actions/about.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 34e5240f7..000000000
--- a/src/actions/about.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,44 +0,0 @@
-import MockAdapter from 'axios-mock-adapter';
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-
-import { staticClient } from 'soapbox/api/index.ts';
-import { mockStore } from 'soapbox/jest/test-helpers.tsx';
-
-import {
-  FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_REQUEST,
-  FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_SUCCESS,
-  FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_FAIL,
-  fetchAboutPage,
-} from './about.ts';
-
-describe('fetchAboutPage()', () => {
-  it('creates the expected actions on success', () => {
-
-    const mock = new MockAdapter(staticClient);
-
-    mock.onGet('/instance/about/index.html')
-      .reply(200, '<h1>Hello world</h1>');
-
-    const expectedActions = [
-      { type: FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_REQUEST, slug: 'index' },
-      { type: FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_SUCCESS, slug: 'index', html: '<h1>Hello world</h1>' },
-    ];
-    const store = mockStore({});
-
-    return store.dispatch(fetchAboutPage()).then(() => {
-      expect(store.getActions()).toEqual(expectedActions);
-    });
-  });
-
-  it('creates the expected actions on failure', () => {
-    const expectedActions = [
-      { type: FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_REQUEST, slug: 'asdf' },
-      { type: FETCH_ABOUT_PAGE_FAIL, slug: 'asdf', error: new Error('Request failed with status code 404') },
-    ];
-    const store = mockStore({});
-
-    return store.dispatch(fetchAboutPage('asdf')).catch(() => {
-      expect(store.getActions()).toEqual(expectedActions);
-    });
-  });
-});
diff --git a/src/actions/soapbox.ts b/src/actions/soapbox.ts
index 31e7679b1..cee62ab4f 100644
--- a/src/actions/soapbox.ts
+++ b/src/actions/soapbox.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import KVStore from 'soapbox/storage/kv-store.ts';
 import { removeVS16s } from 'soapbox/utils/emoji.ts';
 import { getFeatures } from 'soapbox/utils/features.ts';
 
-import api, { staticClient } from '../api/index.ts';
+import api from '../api/index.ts';
 
 import type { AppDispatch, RootState } from 'soapbox/store.ts';
 import type { APIEntity } from 'soapbox/types/entities.ts';
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ const loadSoapboxConfig = () =>
 
 const fetchSoapboxJson = (host: string | null) =>
   (dispatch: AppDispatch) =>
-    staticClient.get('/instance/soapbox.json').then(({ data }) => {
+    fetch('/instance/soapbox.json').then((response) => response.json()).then((data) => {
       if (!isObject(data)) throw 'soapbox.json failed';
       dispatch(importSoapboxConfig(data, host));
       return data;
diff --git a/src/api/__mocks__/index.ts b/src/api/__mocks__/index.ts
index d0664bbe6..ff5fba2c2 100644
--- a/src/api/__mocks__/index.ts
+++ b/src/api/__mocks__/index.ts
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@ const setupMock = (axios: AxiosInstance) => {
   mocks.map(func => func(mock));
 };
 
-export const staticClient = api.staticClient;
-
 export const getLinks = (response: AxiosResponse): LinkHeader => {
   return new LinkHeader(response.headers?.link);
 };
diff --git a/src/api/index.ts b/src/api/index.ts
index 7a7e9aeaf..0898ab576 100644
--- a/src/api/index.ts
+++ b/src/api/index.ts
@@ -82,16 +82,6 @@ export const baseClient = (
   });
 };
 
-/**
-  * Dumb client for grabbing static files.
-  * It uses FE_SUBDIRECTORY and parses JSON if possible.
-  * No authorization is needed.
-  */
-export const staticClient = axios.create({
-  baseURL: BuildConfig.FE_SUBDIRECTORY,
-  transformResponse: [maybeParseJSON],
-});
-
 /**
   * Stateful API client.
   * Uses credentials from the Redux store if available.