diff --git a/odb.c b/odb.c
index 2f8a70a90c..5fe081496f 100644
--- a/odb.c
+++ b/odb.c
@@ -247,12 +247,6 @@ void odb_add_to_alternates_file(struct object_database *odb,
 	odb_add_alternate_recursively(odb, dir, 0);
 }
 
-struct odb_source *odb_add_to_alternates_memory(struct object_database *odb,
-						const char *dir)
-{
-	return odb_add_alternate_recursively(odb, dir, 0);
-}
-
 struct odb_source *odb_set_temporary_primary_source(struct object_database *odb,
 						    const char *dir, int will_destroy,
 						    struct odb_source **prev_source)
diff --git a/odb.h b/odb.h
index 54548efc55..9025239df5 100644
--- a/odb.h
+++ b/odb.h
@@ -258,14 +258,6 @@ int odb_has_alternates(struct object_database *odb);
 void odb_add_to_alternates_file(struct object_database *odb,
 				const char *dir);
 
-/*
- * Add the directory to the in-memory list of alternate sources (along with any
- * recursive alternates it points to), but do not modify the on-disk alternates
- * file.
- */
-struct odb_source *odb_add_to_alternates_memory(struct object_database *odb,
-						const char *dir);
-
 /*
  * Read an object from the database. Returns the object data and assigns object
  * type and size to the `type` and `size` pointers, if these pointers are