diff --git a/meta/classes/buildhistory.bbclass b/meta/classes/buildhistory.bbclass
index e970182620..4a380c10c6 100644
--- a/meta/classes/buildhistory.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/buildhistory.bbclass
@@ -16,28 +16,6 @@ BUILDHISTORY_DIR ?= "${TOPDIR}/buildhistory"
 BUILDHISTORY_DIR_IMAGE = "${BUILDHISTORY_DIR}/images/${MACHINE_ARCH}/${TCLIBC}/${IMAGE_BASENAME}"
 BUILDHISTORY_DIR_PACKAGE = "${BUILDHISTORY_DIR}/packages/${MULTIMACH_TARGET_SYS}/${PN}"
 
-# Setting this to non-empty will remove the old content of the buildhistory as part of
-# the current bitbake invocation and replace it with information about what was built
-# during the build.
-#
-# This is meant to be used in continuous integration (CI) systems when invoking bitbake
-# for full world builds. The effect in that case is that information about packages
-# that no longer get build also gets removed from the buildhistory, which is not
-# the case otherwise.
-#
-# The advantage over manually cleaning the buildhistory outside of bitbake is that
-# the "version-going-backwards" check still works. When relying on that, be careful
-# about failed world builds: they will lead to incomplete information in the
-# buildhistory because information about packages that could not be built will
-# also get removed. A CI system should handle that by discarding the buildhistory
-# of failed builds.
-#
-# The expected usage is via auto.conf, but passing via the command line also works
-# with: BB_ENV_PASSTHROUGH_ADDITIONS=BUILDHISTORY_RESET BUILDHISTORY_RESET=1
-BUILDHISTORY_RESET ?= ""
-
-BUILDHISTORY_OLD_DIR = "${BUILDHISTORY_DIR}/${@ "old" if "${BUILDHISTORY_RESET}" else ""}"
-BUILDHISTORY_OLD_DIR_PACKAGE = "${BUILDHISTORY_OLD_DIR}/packages/${MULTIMACH_TARGET_SYS}/${PN}"
 BUILDHISTORY_DIR_SDK = "${BUILDHISTORY_DIR}/sdk/${SDK_NAME}${SDK_EXT}/${IMAGE_BASENAME}"
 BUILDHISTORY_IMAGE_FILES ?= "/etc/passwd /etc/group"
 BUILDHISTORY_SDK_FILES ?= "conf/local.conf conf/bblayers.conf conf/auto.conf conf/locked-sigs.inc conf/devtool.conf"
@@ -70,9 +48,10 @@ SSTATEPOSTUNPACKFUNCS[vardepvalueexclude] .= "| buildhistory_emit_outputsigs"
 # necessary because some of these items (package directories, files that
 # we no longer emit) might be obsolete.
 #
-# When extending build history, derive your class from buildhistory.bbclass
-# and extend this list here with the additional files created by the derived
-# class.
+# The files listed here are either written by tasks that aren't do_package (e.g.
+# latest_srcrev from do_fetch) so do_package must not remove them, or, they're
+# used to read values in do_package before always being overwritten, e.g. latest,
+# for version backwards checks.
 BUILDHISTORY_PRESERVE = "latest latest_srcrev sysroot"
 
 PATCH_GIT_USER_EMAIL ?= "buildhistory@oe"
@@ -108,7 +87,6 @@ python buildhistory_emit_pkghistory() {
         return 0
 
     pkghistdir = d.getVar('BUILDHISTORY_DIR_PACKAGE')
-    oldpkghistdir = d.getVar('BUILDHISTORY_OLD_DIR_PACKAGE')
 
     class RecipeInfo:
         def __init__(self, name):
@@ -203,7 +181,7 @@ python buildhistory_emit_pkghistory() {
 
     def getlastpkgversion(pkg):
         try:
-            histfile = os.path.join(oldpkghistdir, pkg, "latest")
+            histfile = os.path.join(pkghistdir, pkg, "latest")
             return readPackageInfo(pkg, histfile)
         except EnvironmentError:
             return None
@@ -219,20 +197,6 @@ python buildhistory_emit_pkghistory() {
         items.sort()
         return ' '.join(items)
 
-    def preservebuildhistoryfiles(pkg, preserve):
-        if os.path.exists(os.path.join(oldpkghistdir, pkg)):
-            listofobjs = os.listdir(os.path.join(oldpkghistdir, pkg))
-            for obj in listofobjs:
-                if obj not in preserve:
-                    continue
-                try:
-                    bb.utils.mkdirhier(os.path.join(pkghistdir, pkg))
-                    shutil.copyfile(os.path.join(oldpkghistdir, pkg, obj), os.path.join(pkghistdir, pkg, obj))
-                except IOError as e:
-                    bb.note("Unable to copy file. %s" % e)
-                except EnvironmentError as e:
-                    bb.note("Unable to copy file. %s" % e)
-
     pn = d.getVar('PN')
     pe = d.getVar('PE') or "0"
     pv = d.getVar('PV')
@@ -260,14 +224,6 @@ python buildhistory_emit_pkghistory() {
     if not os.path.exists(pkghistdir):
         bb.utils.mkdirhier(pkghistdir)
     else:
-        # We need to make sure that all files kept in
-        # buildhistory/old are restored successfully
-        # otherwise next block of code wont have files to
-        # check and purge
-        if d.getVar("BUILDHISTORY_RESET"):
-            for pkg in packagelist:
-                preservebuildhistoryfiles(pkg, preserve)
-
         # Remove files for packages that no longer exist
         for item in os.listdir(pkghistdir):
             if item not in preserve:
@@ -887,25 +843,7 @@ END
 
 python buildhistory_eventhandler() {
     if (e.data.getVar('BUILDHISTORY_FEATURES') or "").strip():
-        reset = e.data.getVar("BUILDHISTORY_RESET")
-        olddir = e.data.getVar("BUILDHISTORY_OLD_DIR")
-        if isinstance(e, bb.event.BuildStarted):
-            if reset:
-                import shutil
-                # Clean up after potentially interrupted build.
-                if os.path.isdir(olddir):
-                    shutil.rmtree(olddir)
-                rootdir = e.data.getVar("BUILDHISTORY_DIR")
-                bb.utils.mkdirhier(rootdir)
-                entries = [ x for x in os.listdir(rootdir) if not x.startswith('.') ]
-                bb.utils.mkdirhier(olddir)
-                for entry in entries:
-                    bb.utils.rename(os.path.join(rootdir, entry),
-                              os.path.join(olddir, entry))
-        elif isinstance(e, bb.event.BuildCompleted):
-            if reset:
-                import shutil
-                shutil.rmtree(olddir)
+        if isinstance(e, bb.event.BuildCompleted):
             if e.data.getVar("BUILDHISTORY_COMMIT") == "1":
                 bb.note("Writing buildhistory")
                 bb.build.exec_func("buildhistory_write_sigs", d)