diff --git a/devstack/plugin.sh b/devstack/plugin.sh
index 662242ae1..b3565c680 100644
--- a/devstack/plugin.sh
+++ b/devstack/plugin.sh
@@ -67,29 +67,7 @@ function nodepool_create_keypairs {
     fi
 }
 
-function nodepool_write_prepare {
-    sudo mkdir -p $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/scripts
-    local pub_key=$(cat $NODEPOOL_PUBKEY)
-
-    cat > /tmp/prepare_node_ubuntu.sh <<EOF
-#!/bin/bash -x
-sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" jenkins
-sudo mkdir -p /home/jenkins/.ssh
-cat > tmp_authorized_keys << INNEREOF
-  $pub_key
-INNEREOF
-sudo mv tmp_authorized_keys /home/jenkins/.ssh/authorized_keys
-sudo chmod 700 /home/jenkins/.ssh
-sudo chmod 600 /home/jenkins/.ssh/authorized_keys
-sudo chown -R jenkins:jenkins /home/jenkins
-sleep 5
-sync
-EOF
-    sudo mv /tmp/prepare_node_ubuntu.sh \
-         $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/scripts/prepare_node_ubuntu.sh
-
-    sudo chmod a+x $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/scripts/prepare_node_ubuntu.sh
-
+function nodepool_write_elements {
     sudo mkdir -p $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/elements/nodepool-setup/install.d
     cat > /tmp/01-nodepool-setup <<EOF
 sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y openssh-server
@@ -169,10 +147,9 @@ EOF
     sudo mv /tmp/secure.conf $NODEPOOL_SECURE
 
     cat > /tmp/nodepool.yaml <<EOF
-# You will need to make and populate these two paths as necessary,
+# You will need to make and populate this path as necessary,
 # cloning nodepool does not do this. Further in this doc we have an
-# example script for /path/to/nodepool/things/scripts.
-script-dir: $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/scripts
+# example element.
 elements-dir: $(dirname $NODEPOOL_CONFIG)/elements
 images-dir: $NODEPOOL_DIB_BASE_PATH/images
 # The mysql password here may be different depending on your
@@ -270,8 +247,8 @@ function configure_nodepool {
     # write the nodepool config
     nodepool_write_config
 
-    # write the prepare node script
-    nodepool_write_prepare
+    # write the elements
+    nodepool_write_elements
 
     # builds a fresh db
     recreate_database nodepool
diff --git a/doc/source/configuration.rst b/doc/source/configuration.rst
index b61c7854a..42e906578 100644
--- a/doc/source/configuration.rst
+++ b/doc/source/configuration.rst
@@ -72,19 +72,6 @@ full configuration file may have the ``diskimages``, ``labels``,
 The following sections are available.  All are required unless
 otherwise indicated.
 
-script-dir
-----------
-When creating an image to use when launching new nodes, Nodepool will
-run a script that is expected to prepare the machine before the
-snapshot image is created.  The ``script-dir`` parameter indicates a
-directory that holds all of the scripts needed to accomplish this.
-Nodepool will copy the entire directory to the machine before invoking
-the appropriate script for the image being created.
-
-Example::
-
-  script-dir: /path/to/script/dir
-
 .. _elements-dir:
 
 elements-dir
diff --git a/doc/source/scripts.rst b/doc/source/scripts.rst
index 17e44cb3e..b9d389c68 100644
--- a/doc/source/scripts.rst
+++ b/doc/source/scripts.rst
@@ -1,36 +1,7 @@
 .. _scripts:
 
-Node Prep Scripts
-=================
-
-Nodepool requires the specification of a script directory
-(`script-dir`) in its configuration.  When Nodepool starts a virtual
-machine for the purpose of creating a snapshot image, all of the files
-within this directory will be copied to the virtual machine so they
-are available for use by the setup script.
-
-At various points in the image and node creation processes, these
-scripts may be invoked by nodepool.  See :ref:`configuration` for
-details.
-
-Any environment variables present in the nodepool daemon environment
-that begin with ``NODEPOOL_`` will be set in the calling environment
-for the script.  This is useful during testing to alter script
-behavior, for instance, to add a local ssh key that would not
-otherwise be set in production.
-
-Setup script
-------------
-
-Each provider can specify a setup script with `setup`, and that script is
-expected to exist in `script_dir`. If it is found, it will be run during image
-creation. When the script is invoked, the instance hostname will be passed in
-as the first parameter. This setup script will only be applied when building
-images using provider snapshots, not using diskimage-builder.
-
-
-Ready script
-------------
+Node Ready Scripts
+==================
 
 Each label can specify a ready script with `ready-script`.  This script can be
 used to perform any last minute changes to a node after it has been launched
diff --git a/nodepool/builder.py b/nodepool/builder.py
index 29614b393..d09107e37 100644
--- a/nodepool/builder.py
+++ b/nodepool/builder.py
@@ -682,8 +682,6 @@ class BuildWorker(BaseWorker):
         # values in this thread.
         if self._config.elementsdir:
             env['ELEMENTS_PATH'] = self._config.elementsdir
-        if self._config.scriptdir:
-            env['NODEPOOL_SCRIPTDIR'] = self._config.scriptdir
 
         # send additional env vars if needed
         for k, v in diskimage.env_vars.items():
diff --git a/nodepool/cmd/config_validator.py b/nodepool/cmd/config_validator.py
index 639296b47..f032403bf 100644
--- a/nodepool/cmd/config_validator.py
+++ b/nodepool/cmd/config_validator.py
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ class ConfigValidator:
         }
 
         top_level = {
-            'script-dir': str,
             'elements-dir': str,
             'images-dir': str,
             'dburi': str,
diff --git a/nodepool/config.py b/nodepool/config.py
index 74fc1f725..9c2a5de4a 100644
--- a/nodepool/config.py
+++ b/nodepool/config.py
@@ -149,7 +149,6 @@ def loadConfig(config_path):
     newconfig.providers = {}
     newconfig.targets = {}
     newconfig.labels = {}
-    newconfig.scriptdir = config.get('script-dir')
     newconfig.elementsdir = config.get('elements-dir')
     newconfig.imagesdir = config.get('images-dir')
     newconfig.dburi = None
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/good.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/good.yaml
index a69d4c0a4..91a1b70ab 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/good.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/good.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: /etc/nodepool/scripts
 elements-dir: /etc/nodepool/elements
 images-dir: /opt/nodepool_dib
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/schema_error.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/schema_error.yaml
index dcb1b9ffd..d8e370aab 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/schema_error.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/schema_error.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: /etc/nodepool/scripts
 elements-dir: /etc/nodepool/elements
 images-dir: /opt/nodepool_dib
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/yaml_error.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/yaml_error.yaml
index efecdae40..2b8a0bf70 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/yaml_error.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/config_validate/yaml_error.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: /etc/nodepool/scripts
 elements-dir: /etc/nodepool/elements
 images-dir: /opt/nodepool_dib
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration.yaml
index 44d2d6bcf..0a6e4c926 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
 cron:
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration_osc.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration_osc.yaml
index c0bcd1de1..3222a960d 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration_osc.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/integration_osc.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
 cron:
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/leaked_node.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/leaked_node.yaml
index 2056e3836..e84cf2d99 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/leaked_node.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/leaked_node.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node.yaml
index d05ce414a..6636d3a2d 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_az.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_az.yaml
index 9eb075166..b78e67d08 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_az.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_az.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_cmd.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_cmd.yaml
index 683ce6562..3c18b82bc 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_cmd.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_cmd.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
 cron:
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_disabled_label.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_disabled_label.yaml
index 40f158be2..6bdc3040a 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_disabled_label.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_disabled_label.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_fail.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_fail.yaml
index baf377ccd..0787d62c8 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_fail.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_fail.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_pause.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_pause.yaml
index c71ed9e24..a8a8e1861 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_pause.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_diskimage_pause.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_image_upload_pause.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_image_upload_pause.yaml
index 13c03ca94..0232e852d 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_image_upload_pause.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_image_upload_pause.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_ipv6.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_ipv6.yaml
index cb1793020..2cd1c6e8c 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_ipv6.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_ipv6.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_net_name.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_net_name.yaml
index 7617ac6eb..8af31f150 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_net_name.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_net_name.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image.yaml
index aeac2e699..f55d8ffc4 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image_remove.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image_remove.yaml
index d05ce414a..6636d3a2d 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image_remove.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_image_remove.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider.yaml
index ccb569032..849c360a5 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider_remove.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider_remove.yaml
index baf20d801..85310516e 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider_remove.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_two_provider_remove.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_upload_fail.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_upload_fail.yaml
index 03f66341b..799f84d0b 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_upload_fail.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_upload_fail.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd.yaml
index 6b283ebb1..12bfd34b8 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd_and_qcow2.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd_and_qcow2.yaml
index 897a91678..b2b28e15f 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd_and_qcow2.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/node_vhd_and_qcow2.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/subnodes.yaml b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/subnodes.yaml
index 6922e5c46..d076178c8 100644
--- a/nodepool/tests/fixtures/subnodes.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/tests/fixtures/subnodes.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: '{images_dir}'
 
diff --git a/tools/fake-dib.yaml b/tools/fake-dib.yaml
index 285ef28e0..120994f9e 100644
--- a/tools/fake-dib.yaml
+++ b/tools/fake-dib.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 elements-dir: .
 images-dir: /tmp/nodepool_dib
 
diff --git a/tools/fake.yaml b/tools/fake.yaml
index bdc83f0a8..0df2ddae1 100644
--- a/tools/fake.yaml
+++ b/tools/fake.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-script-dir: .
 images-dir: tools/images
 
 cron: