diff --git a/src/driver-state.h b/src/driver-state.h
index 54ca17b26088e1bb2e51e8849269693c7c2b9f3a..a8595662afff9fa8c61b62ea37d7320d1e7203df 100644
--- a/src/driver-state.h
+++ b/src/driver-state.h
@@ -30,9 +30,6 @@ typedef int
                          virStateInhibitCallback callback,
                          void *opaque);
 
-typedef void
-(*virDrvStateAutoStart)(void);
-
 typedef int
 (*virDrvStateCleanup)(void);
 
@@ -48,7 +45,6 @@ typedef virStateDriver *virStateDriverPtr;
 struct _virStateDriver {
     const char *name;
     virDrvStateInitialize stateInitialize;
-    virDrvStateAutoStart stateAutoStart;
     virDrvStateCleanup stateCleanup;
     virDrvStateReload stateReload;
     virDrvStateStop stateStop;
diff --git a/src/libvirt.c b/src/libvirt.c
index 854d70a2bf312409952ff58bf578db6ca6d8ef7b..7e665b6cba745c6940baf75fd1596f33f1ea3674 100644
--- a/src/libvirt.c
+++ b/src/libvirt.c
@@ -632,11 +632,7 @@ virRegisterStateDriver(virStateDriverPtr driver)
  * @callback: callback to invoke to inhibit shutdown of the daemon
  * @opaque: data to pass to @callback
  *
- * Initialize all virtualization drivers. Accomplished in two phases,
- * the first being state and structure initialization followed by any
- * auto start supported by the driver.  This is done to ensure dependencies
- * that some drivers may have on another driver having been initialized
- * will exist, such as the storage driver's need to use the secret driver.
+ * Initialize all virtualization drivers.
  *
  * Returns 0 if all succeed, -1 upon any failure.
  */
@@ -664,14 +660,6 @@ virStateInitialize(bool privileged,
             }
         }
     }
-
-    for (i = 0; i < virStateDriverTabCount; i++) {
-        if (virStateDriverTab[i]->stateAutoStart) {
-            VIR_DEBUG("Running global auto start for %s state driver",
-                      virStateDriverTab[i]->name);
-            virStateDriverTab[i]->stateAutoStart();
-        }
-    }
     return 0;
 }