diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 4e5e769b7d..cf01288686 100755
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -519,10 +519,6 @@ endif ()
 
 add_definitions("-DTRI_LIBEV_VERSION=\"${LIBEV_VERSION}\"")
 
-# linenoise --------------------------------------------------------------------
-set(LINENOISE_VERSION "unknown" CACHE string "LINENOISE version")
-option(USE_LINENOISE "User linenoise for editing command lines and command line histories" ON)
-
 
 # Boost ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 find_package(Boost 1.48 COMPONENTS unit_test_framework)
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ce52949262..a3df43e807 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -614,28 +614,10 @@ AC_MSG_NOTICE([-----------------------------------------------------------------
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([CHECKING FOR CONSOLE SUPPORT])
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([--------------------------------------------------------------------------------])
 
-CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS=""
-
-AC_ARG_ENABLE(console,
-  AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-console], [enable console support (default: linenoise)]),
-  tr_CONSOLE="$enableval",
-  tr_CONSOLE="linenoise"
-)
-
-if test "$tr_CONSOLE" = "dummy"; then
-  LIB_INFO="$LIB_INFO|CONSOLE: dummy"
-elif test "$tr_CONSOLE" = "linenoise"; then
-  LIB_INFO="$LIB_INFO|CONSOLE: linenoise"
-  CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS="-I${srcdir}/3rdParty/linenoise-ng/include -I${srcdir}/3rdParty/linenoise-ng/src -DTRI_HAVE_LINENOISE"
-fi
-
-LIB_INFO="$LIB_INFO|CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS: ${CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS}"
-LIB_INFO="$LIB_INFO|."
+CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS="-I${srcdir}/3rdParty/linenoise-ng/include -I${srcdir}/3rdParty/linenoise-ng/src"
 
 AC_SUBST(CONSOLE_CPPFLAGS)
 
-AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_LINENOISE, test "x$tr_CONSOLE" = xlinenoise)
-
 dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 dnl tcmalloc
 dnl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/lib/Basics/local-configuration.h.in b/lib/Basics/local-configuration.h.in
index 910072bde6..aba4afa3a2 100644
--- a/lib/Basics/local-configuration.h.in
+++ b/lib/Basics/local-configuration.h.in
@@ -60,12 +60,6 @@
 
 #undef TRI_ENABLE_FAILURE_TESTS
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// @brief enable linenoise
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-#define TRI_HAVE_LINENOISE @TRI_HAVE_LINENOISE@
-
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief enable tcmalloc
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/lib/Basics/operating-system.h b/lib/Basics/operating-system.h
index 4bf95ed3ae..94d22dea54 100644
--- a/lib/Basics/operating-system.h
+++ b/lib/Basics/operating-system.h
@@ -762,8 +762,6 @@
 /// @brief available features
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-#define TRI_HAVE_LINENOISE 1
-
 #define YY_NO_UNISTD_H 1
 
 #define TRI_WIN32_CONSOLE 1
diff --git a/lib/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
index de62167288..752525b8c6 100644
--- a/lib/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -148,7 +148,6 @@ add_library(
     Rest/InitializeRest.cpp
     Rest/SslInterface.cpp
     Rest/Version.cpp
-    Utilities/DummyShell.cpp
     Utilities/LineEditor.cpp
     Utilities/ScriptLoader.cpp
     Utilities/ShellBase.cpp
diff --git a/lib/Makefile.files b/lib/Makefile.files
index 85fe8bd6d0..311739c070 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile.files
+++ b/lib/Makefile.files
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ lib_libarango_a_SOURCES = \
 	lib/Rest/InitializeRest.cpp \
 	lib/Rest/SslInterface.cpp \
 	lib/Rest/Version.cpp \
-	lib/Utilities/DummyShell.cpp \
 	lib/Utilities/LineEditor.cpp \
 	lib/Utilities/ScriptLoader.cpp \
 	lib/Utilities/ShellBase.cpp \
@@ -93,16 +92,12 @@ lib_libarango_a_SOURCES = \
 	lib/Zip/unzip.cpp \
 	lib/Zip/zip.cpp
 
-if ENABLE_LINENOISE
-
 lib_libarango_a_SOURCES += \
 	3rdParty/linenoise-ng/src/linenoise.cpp \
 	3rdParty/linenoise-ng/src/ConvertUTF.cpp \
 	3rdParty/linenoise-ng/src/wcwidth.cpp \
 	lib/Utilities/LinenoiseShell.cpp
 
-endif
-
 lib_libarango_a_SOURCES += \
 	3rdParty/velocypack/src/AttributeTranslator.cpp \
 	3rdParty/velocypack/src/Builder.cpp \
diff --git a/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.cpp b/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 0b6086bb77..0000000000
--- a/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,65 +0,0 @@
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// DISCLAIMER
-///
-/// Copyright 2014-2016 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-/// Copyright 2004-2014 triAGENS GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-///
-/// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-/// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-/// You may obtain a copy of the License at
-///
-///     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-///
-/// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-/// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-/// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-/// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-/// limitations under the License.
-///
-/// Copyright holder is ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-///
-/// @author Dr. Frank Celler
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-#include "DummyShell.h"
-
-#include <iostream>
-
-using namespace arangodb;
-
-DummyShell::DummyShell(std::string const& history, Completer* completer)
-    : ShellBase(history, completer) {}
-
-DummyShell::~DummyShell() { close(); }
-
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// @brief line editor open
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-bool DummyShell::open(bool) {
-  _state = STATE_OPENED;
-  return true;
-}
-
-bool DummyShell::close() {
-  _state = STATE_CLOSED;
-  return true;
-}
-
-void DummyShell::addHistory(std::string const&) {}
-
-bool DummyShell::writeHistory() { return true; }
-
-std::string DummyShell::getLine(std::string const& prompt, bool& eof) {
-  std::cout << prompt << std::flush;
-
-  std::string line;
-  std::getline(std::cin, line);
-
-  if (std::cin.eof()) {
-    eof = true;
-    return "";
-  }
-
-  return line;
-}
diff --git a/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.h b/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.h
deleted file mode 100644
index d2dd87b7e5..0000000000
--- a/lib/Utilities/DummyShell.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// DISCLAIMER
-///
-/// Copyright 2014-2016 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-/// Copyright 2004-2014 triAGENS GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-///
-/// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-/// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-/// You may obtain a copy of the License at
-///
-///     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-///
-/// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-/// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-/// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-/// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-/// limitations under the License.
-///
-/// Copyright holder is ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
-///
-/// @author Esteban Lombeyda
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-#ifndef LIB_UTILITIES_DUMMY_SHELL_H
-#define LIB_UTILITIES_DUMMY_SHELL_H 1
-
-#include "ShellBase.h"
-
-namespace arangodb {
-class Completer;
-
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// @brief DummyShell
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-class DummyShell : public ShellBase {
- public:
-  DummyShell(std::string const& history, Completer*);
-
-  virtual ~DummyShell();
-
- public:
-  bool open(bool autoComplete) override final;
-
-  bool close() override final;
-
-  void addHistory(std::string const&) override final;
-
-  bool writeHistory() override final;
-
-  std::string getLine(std::string const& prompt, bool& eof) override final;
-};
-}
-
-#endif
diff --git a/lib/Utilities/ShellBase.cpp b/lib/Utilities/ShellBase.cpp
index 67fda9f627..6368e396de 100644
--- a/lib/Utilities/ShellBase.cpp
+++ b/lib/Utilities/ShellBase.cpp
@@ -26,11 +26,7 @@
 #include "Basics/StringUtils.h"
 #include "Basics/files.h"
 #include "Utilities/Completer.h"
-#include "Utilities/DummyShell.h"
-
-#if defined(TRI_HAVE_LINENOISE)
 #include "Utilities/LinenoiseShell.h"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb;
 using namespace arangodb::basics;
@@ -41,18 +37,7 @@ using namespace arangodb::basics;
 
 ShellBase* ShellBase::buildShell(std::string const& history,
                                  Completer* completer) {
-  // no keyboard input. use low-level shell without fancy color codes
-  // and with proper pipe handling
-
-  if (!isatty(STDIN_FILENO)) {
-    return new DummyShell(history, completer);
-  } else {
-#if defined(TRI_HAVE_LINENOISE)
-    return new LinenoiseShell(history, completer);
-#else
-    return new DummyShell(history, completer);  // last resort!
-#endif
-  }
+  return new LinenoiseShell(history, completer);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////