diff --git a/cmd/devp2p/main.go b/cmd/devp2p/main.go
index 6faa650937..b895941f25 100644
--- a/cmd/devp2p/main.go
+++ b/cmd/devp2p/main.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ func init() {
 	// Set up the CLI app.
 	app.Flags = append(app.Flags, debug.Flags...)
 	app.Before = func(ctx *cli.Context) error {
-		return debug.Setup(ctx, "")
+		return debug.Setup(ctx)
 	}
 	app.After = func(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		debug.Exit()
diff --git a/cmd/geth/main.go b/cmd/geth/main.go
index d6ded24b31..8db19077a8 100644
--- a/cmd/geth/main.go
+++ b/cmd/geth/main.go
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ func init() {
 	app.Flags = append(app.Flags, metricsFlags...)
 
 	app.Before = func(ctx *cli.Context) error {
-		return debug.Setup(ctx, "")
+		return debug.Setup(ctx)
 	}
 	app.After = func(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		debug.Exit()
diff --git a/internal/debug/flags.go b/internal/debug/flags.go
index 46c8fe9f80..3c85749402 100644
--- a/internal/debug/flags.go
+++ b/internal/debug/flags.go
@@ -112,20 +112,9 @@ func init() {
 
 // Setup initializes profiling and logging based on the CLI flags.
 // It should be called as early as possible in the program.
-func Setup(ctx *cli.Context, logdir string) error {
+func Setup(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 	// logging
 	log.PrintOrigins(ctx.GlobalBool(debugFlag.Name))
-	if logdir != "" {
-		rfh, err := log.RotatingFileHandler(
-			logdir,
-			262144,
-			log.JSONFormatOrderedEx(false, true),
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		glogger.SetHandler(log.MultiHandler(ostream, rfh))
-	}
 	glogger.Verbosity(log.Lvl(ctx.GlobalInt(verbosityFlag.Name)))
 	glogger.Vmodule(ctx.GlobalString(vmoduleFlag.Name))
 	glogger.BacktraceAt(ctx.GlobalString(backtraceAtFlag.Name))