diff --git a/src/lib/tls/tortls.h b/src/lib/tls/tortls.h
index 7bbb42b2fd..a8bc7370a7 100644
--- a/src/lib/tls/tortls.h
+++ b/src/lib/tls/tortls.h
@@ -111,7 +111,6 @@ int tor_tls_finish_handshake(tor_tls_t *tls);
 void tor_tls_unblock_renegotiation(tor_tls_t *tls);
 void tor_tls_block_renegotiation(tor_tls_t *tls);
 void tor_tls_assert_renegotiation_unblocked(tor_tls_t *tls);
-int tor_tls_shutdown(tor_tls_t *tls);
 int tor_tls_get_pending_bytes(tor_tls_t *tls);
 size_t tor_tls_get_forced_write_size(tor_tls_t *tls);
 
diff --git a/src/lib/tls/tortls_nss.c b/src/lib/tls/tortls_nss.c
index d2b81ad084..671c018471 100644
--- a/src/lib/tls/tortls_nss.c
+++ b/src/lib/tls/tortls_nss.c
@@ -533,15 +533,6 @@ tor_tls_assert_renegotiation_unblocked(tor_tls_t *tls)
   /* We don't support renegotiation with NSS. */
 }
 
-int
-tor_tls_shutdown(tor_tls_t *tls)
-{
-  tor_assert(tls);
-  /* XXXX This is not actually used, so I'm not implementing it.  We can
-   * XXXX remove this function entirely someday. */
-  return -1;
-}
-
 int
 tor_tls_get_pending_bytes(tor_tls_t *tls)
 {
diff --git a/src/lib/tls/tortls_openssl.c b/src/lib/tls/tortls_openssl.c
index c4e9e7770f..a9bab67a05 100644
--- a/src/lib/tls/tortls_openssl.c
+++ b/src/lib/tls/tortls_openssl.c
@@ -1323,69 +1323,6 @@ tor_tls_finish_handshake(tor_tls_t *tls)
   return r;
 }
 
-/** Shut down an open tls connection <b>tls</b>.  When finished, returns
- * TOR_TLS_DONE.  On failure, returns TOR_TLS_ERROR, TOR_TLS_WANTREAD,
- * or TOR_TLS_WANTWRITE.
- */
-int
-tor_tls_shutdown(tor_tls_t *tls)
-{
-  int r, err;
-  char buf[128];
-  tor_assert(tls);
-  tor_assert(tls->ssl);
-  check_no_tls_errors();
-
-  while (1) {
-    if (tls->state == TOR_TLS_ST_SENTCLOSE) {
-      /* If we've already called shutdown once to send a close message,
-       * we read until the other side has closed too.
-       */
-      do {
-        r = SSL_read(tls->ssl, buf, 128);
-      } while (r>0);
-      err = tor_tls_get_error(tls, r, CATCH_ZERO, "reading to shut down",
-                              LOG_INFO, LD_NET);
-      if (err == TOR_TLS_ZERORETURN_) {
-        tls->state = TOR_TLS_ST_GOTCLOSE;
-        /* fall through... */
-      } else {
-        return err;
-      }
-    }
-
-    r = SSL_shutdown(tls->ssl);
-    if (r == 1) {
-      /* If shutdown returns 1, the connection is entirely closed. */
-      tls->state = TOR_TLS_ST_CLOSED;
-      return TOR_TLS_DONE;
-    }
-    err = tor_tls_get_error(tls, r, CATCH_SYSCALL|CATCH_ZERO, "shutting down",
-                            LOG_INFO, LD_NET);
-    if (err == TOR_TLS_SYSCALL_) {
-      /* The underlying TCP connection closed while we were shutting down. */
-      tls->state = TOR_TLS_ST_CLOSED;
-      return TOR_TLS_DONE;
-    } else if (err == TOR_TLS_ZERORETURN_) {
-      /* The TLS connection says that it sent a shutdown record, but
-       * isn't done shutting down yet.  Make sure that this hasn't
-       * happened before, then go back to the start of the function
-       * and try to read.
-       */
-      if (tls->state == TOR_TLS_ST_GOTCLOSE ||
-         tls->state == TOR_TLS_ST_SENTCLOSE) {
-        log_warn(LD_NET,
-            "TLS returned \"half-closed\" value while already half-closed");
-        return TOR_TLS_ERROR_MISC;
-      }
-      tls->state = TOR_TLS_ST_SENTCLOSE;
-      /* fall through ... */
-    } else {
-      return err;
-    }
-  } /* end loop */
-}
-
 /** Return true iff this TLS connection is authenticated.
  */
 int
diff --git a/src/test/test_tortls_openssl.c b/src/test/test_tortls_openssl.c
index 12a05b3033..b7e28f3768 100644
--- a/src/test/test_tortls_openssl.c
+++ b/src/test/test_tortls_openssl.c
@@ -1710,102 +1710,6 @@ dummy_handshake_func(SSL *s)
   return 1;
 }
 
-static void
-test_tortls_shutdown(void *ignored)
-{
-  (void)ignored;
-  int ret;
-  tor_tls_t *tls;
-  SSL_METHOD *method = give_me_a_test_method();
-  setup_capture_of_logs(LOG_WARN);
-
-  tls = tor_malloc_zero(sizeof(tor_tls_t));
-  tls->ssl = tor_malloc_zero(sizeof(SSL));
-  tls->ssl->method = method;
-  method->ssl_read = fixed_ssl_read;
-  method->ssl_shutdown = fixed_ssl_shutdown;
-
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, -9);
-
-  tls->state = TOR_TLS_ST_SENTCLOSE;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = -1;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, -9);
-
-#ifndef LIBRESSL_VERSION_NUMBER
-  tls->ssl->handshake_func = dummy_handshake_func;
-
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = 42;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[2] = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_shutdown_result = 1;
-  ERR_clear_error();
-  tls->ssl->version = SSL2_VERSION;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_DONE);
-  tt_int_op(tls->state, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_ST_CLOSED);
-
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = 42;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[2] = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_shutdown_result = 0;
-  ERR_clear_error();
-  tls->ssl->version = 0;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_DONE);
-  tt_int_op(tls->state, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_ST_CLOSED);
-
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = 42;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[2] = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_shutdown_result = 0;
-  ERR_clear_error();
-  tls->ssl->version = 0;
-  method->ssl_shutdown = setting_version_ssl_shutdown;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_ERROR_MISC);
-
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = 42;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[2] = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_shutdown_result = 0;
-  fixed_tls = tls;
-  fixed_ssl_state_to_set = TOR_TLS_ST_GOTCLOSE;
-  ERR_clear_error();
-  tls->ssl->version = 0;
-  method->ssl_shutdown = setting_version_and_state_ssl_shutdown;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_ERROR_MISC);
-
-  fixed_ssl_read_result_index = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[0] = 10;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[1] = 42;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[2] = 0;
-  fixed_ssl_read_result[3] = -1;
-  fixed_ssl_shutdown_result = 0;
-  fixed_tls = tls;
-  fixed_ssl_state_to_set = 0;
-  ERR_clear_error();
-  tls->ssl->version = 0;
-  method->ssl_shutdown = setting_version_and_state_ssl_shutdown;
-  ret = tor_tls_shutdown(tls);
-  tt_int_op(ret, OP_EQ, TOR_TLS_ERROR_MISC);
-#endif /* !defined(LIBRESSL_VERSION_NUMBER) */
-
- done:
-  teardown_capture_of_logs();
-  tor_free(method);
-  tor_free(tls->ssl);
-  tor_free(tls);
-}
-
 static int negotiated_callback_called;
 
 static void