diff --git a/web/public/service-worker.js b/web/public/service-worker.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 2f9ee873..00000000
--- a/web/public/service-worker.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-// Kill switch for the pre-rewrite service worker (formerly at repo root, see git history).
-// That worker cached every same-origin GET (including session/bootstrap API calls) keyed only
-// by frontend PACKAGE_VERSION -- a backend-only change (deploy, migration, cutover) never
-// invalidated it, so browsers that had visited this origin before the rewrite kept getting
-// stale API responses served instead of hitting the new backend, which looked like "login
-// succeeds then immediately bounces back to the login page".
-//
-// This file's only job is to replace that worker in already-registered browsers and remove
-// it entirely: purge its caches, unregister, then reload any open tabs so they load uncontrolled.
-// The rewritten app (web/) does not use a service worker for anything -- do not add fetch
-// caching logic here.
-self.addEventListener('install', () => self.skipWaiting());
-
-self.addEventListener('activate', event => {
-  event.waitUntil((async () => {
-    const keys = await caches.keys();
-    await Promise.all(keys.map(key => caches.delete(key)));
-    await self.registration.unregister();
-    const clientsList = await self.clients.matchAll({ type: 'window' });
-    for (const client of clientsList) {
-      client.navigate(client.url);
-    }
-  })());
-});
diff --git a/web/src/main.tsx b/web/src/main.tsx
index 8a8aa7e0..bef5202a 100644
--- a/web/src/main.tsx
+++ b/web/src/main.tsx
@@ -3,16 +3,6 @@ import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
 import './index.css'
 import App from './App.tsx'
 
-// This app has no service worker of its own, but browsers that visited this origin before the
-// redesign/desktop-multicolumn rewrite may still have the old one registered (see
-// public/service-worker.js) -- force an immediate update check rather than waiting for the
-// browser's own lazy schedule, so it gets replaced by the kill switch right away.
-if ('serviceWorker' in navigator) {
-  navigator.serviceWorker.getRegistrations().then(regs => {
-    regs.forEach(reg => reg.update())
-  })
-}
-
 createRoot(document.getElementById('root')!).render(
   <StrictMode>
     <App />