diff --git a/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc b/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
index 2f9df16f..a68575c7 100644
--- a/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
+++ b/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
@@ -210,7 +210,6 @@ void State::buildRemote(ref<Store> destStore,
         });
 
         /* Handshake. */
-        bool sendDerivation = true;
         unsigned int remoteVersion;
 
         try {
@@ -223,12 +222,6 @@ void State::buildRemote(ref<Store> destStore,
             remoteVersion = readInt(from);
             if (GET_PROTOCOL_MAJOR(remoteVersion) != 0x200)
                 throw Error("unsupported ‘nix-store --serve’ protocol version on ‘%1%’", machine->sshName);
-            // Always send the derivation to localhost, since it's a
-            // no-op anyway but we might not be privileged to use
-            // cmdBuildDerivation (e.g. if we're running in a NixOS
-            // container).
-            if (GET_PROTOCOL_MINOR(remoteVersion) >= 1 && !machine->isLocalhost())
-                sendDerivation = false;
             if (GET_PROTOCOL_MINOR(remoteVersion) < 3 && repeats > 0)
                 throw Error("machine ‘%1%’ does not support repeating a build; please upgrade it to Nix 1.12", machine->sshName);
 
@@ -253,11 +246,8 @@ void State::buildRemote(ref<Store> destStore,
         StorePathSet inputs;
         BasicDerivation basicDrv(*step->drv);
 
-        if (sendDerivation)
-            inputs.insert(step->drvPath);
-        else
-            for (auto & p : step->drv->inputSrcs)
-                inputs.insert(p);
+        for (auto & p : step->drv->inputSrcs)
+            inputs.insert(p);
 
         for (auto & input : step->drv->inputDrvs) {
             auto drv2 = localStore->readDerivation(input.first);
@@ -313,13 +303,8 @@ void State::buildRemote(ref<Store> destStore,
 
         updateStep(ssBuilding);
 
-        if (sendDerivation) {
-            to << cmdBuildPaths;
-            worker_proto::write(*localStore, to, StorePathSet{step->drvPath});
-        } else {
-            to << cmdBuildDerivation << localStore->printStorePath(step->drvPath);
-            writeDerivation(to, *localStore, basicDrv);
-        }
+        to << cmdBuildDerivation << localStore->printStorePath(step->drvPath);
+        writeDerivation(to, *localStore, basicDrv);
         to << maxSilentTime << buildTimeout;
         if (GET_PROTOCOL_MINOR(remoteVersion) >= 2)
             to << maxLogSize;
@@ -337,83 +322,64 @@ void State::buildRemote(ref<Store> destStore,
         }
         result.stopTime = time(0);
 
-        if (sendDerivation) {
-            if (res) {
-                result.errorMsg = fmt("%s on ‘%s’", readString(from), machine->sshName);
-                if (res == 100) {
-                    result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
-                    result.canCache = true;
-                }
-                else if (res == 101) {
-                    result.stepStatus = bsTimedOut;
-                }
-                else {
-                    result.stepStatus = bsAborted;
-                    result.canRetry = true;
-                }
-                return;
+        result.errorMsg = readString(from);
+        if (GET_PROTOCOL_MINOR(remoteVersion) >= 3) {
+            result.timesBuilt = readInt(from);
+            result.isNonDeterministic = readInt(from);
+            auto start = readInt(from);
+            auto stop = readInt(from);
+            if (start && start) {
+                /* Note: this represents the duration of a single
+                    round, rather than all rounds. */
+                result.startTime = start;
+                result.stopTime = stop;
             }
-            result.stepStatus = bsSuccess;
-        } else {
-            result.errorMsg = readString(from);
-            if (GET_PROTOCOL_MINOR(remoteVersion) >= 3) {
-                result.timesBuilt = readInt(from);
-                result.isNonDeterministic = readInt(from);
-                auto start = readInt(from);
-                auto stop = readInt(from);
-                if (start && start) {
-                    /* Note: this represents the duration of a single
-                       round, rather than all rounds. */
-                    result.startTime = start;
-                    result.stopTime = stop;
-                }
-            }
-            switch ((BuildResult::Status) res) {
-                case BuildResult::Built:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsSuccess;
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::Substituted:
-                case BuildResult::AlreadyValid:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsSuccess;
-                    result.isCached = true;
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::PermanentFailure:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
-                    result.canCache = true;
-                    result.errorMsg = "";
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::InputRejected:
-                case BuildResult::OutputRejected:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
-                    result.canCache = true;
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::TransientFailure:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
-                    result.canRetry = true;
-                    result.errorMsg = "";
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::TimedOut:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsTimedOut;
-                    result.errorMsg = "";
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::MiscFailure:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsAborted;
-                    result.canRetry = true;
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::LogLimitExceeded:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsLogLimitExceeded;
-                    break;
-                case BuildResult::NotDeterministic:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsNotDeterministic;
-                    result.canRetry = false;
-                    result.canCache = true;
-                    break;
-                default:
-                    result.stepStatus = bsAborted;
-                    break;
-            }
-            if (result.stepStatus != bsSuccess) return;
         }
+        switch ((BuildResult::Status) res) {
+            case BuildResult::Built:
+                result.stepStatus = bsSuccess;
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::Substituted:
+            case BuildResult::AlreadyValid:
+                result.stepStatus = bsSuccess;
+                result.isCached = true;
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::PermanentFailure:
+                result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
+                result.canCache = true;
+                result.errorMsg = "";
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::InputRejected:
+            case BuildResult::OutputRejected:
+                result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
+                result.canCache = true;
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::TransientFailure:
+                result.stepStatus = bsFailed;
+                result.canRetry = true;
+                result.errorMsg = "";
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::TimedOut:
+                result.stepStatus = bsTimedOut;
+                result.errorMsg = "";
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::MiscFailure:
+                result.stepStatus = bsAborted;
+                result.canRetry = true;
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::LogLimitExceeded:
+                result.stepStatus = bsLogLimitExceeded;
+                break;
+            case BuildResult::NotDeterministic:
+                result.stepStatus = bsNotDeterministic;
+                result.canRetry = false;
+                result.canCache = true;
+                break;
+            default:
+                result.stepStatus = bsAborted;
+                break;
+        }
+        if (result.stepStatus != bsSuccess) return;
 
         result.errorMsg = "";