diff --git a/api/internal/loadertest/fakeloader.go b/api/internal/loadertest/fakeloader.go
index 34a08df92..d11d26a5d 100644
--- a/api/internal/loadertest/fakeloader.go
+++ b/api/internal/loadertest/fakeloader.go
@@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ func NewFakeLoaderWithRestrictor(
 	// Create fake filesystem and inject it into initial Loader.
 	fSys := filesys.MakeFsInMemory()
 	fSys.Mkdir(initialDir)
-	dc := false
-	ldr, err := loader.NewLoader(lr, initialDir, fSys, dc)
+	ldr, err := loader.NewLoader(lr, initialDir, fSys)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Unable to make loader: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/api/internal/target/plugindir_test.go b/api/internal/target/plugindir_test.go
index a68c6fd85..0ed73862f 100644
--- a/api/internal/target/plugindir_test.go
+++ b/api/internal/target/plugindir_test.go
@@ -57,9 +57,8 @@ metadata:
 		t.Fatalf("err %v", err)
 	}
 
-	dc := false
 	ldr, err := fLdr.NewLoader(
-		fLdr.RestrictionRootOnly, dir, fSys, dc)
+		fLdr.RestrictionRootOnly, dir, fSys)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Err: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/api/krusty/kustomizer.go b/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
index 6623b9c6f..61a43f9d5 100644
--- a/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
+++ b/api/krusty/kustomizer.go
@@ -54,8 +54,7 @@ func (b *Kustomizer) Run(path string) (resmap.ResMap, error) {
 	if b.options.LoadRestrictions == types.LoadRestrictionsRootOnly {
 		lr = fLdr.RestrictionRootOnly
 	}
-
-	ldr, err := fLdr.NewLoader(lr, path, b.fSys, b.options.DoDeepGitClone)
+	ldr, err := fLdr.NewLoader(lr, path, b.fSys)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/api/krusty/options.go b/api/krusty/options.go
index 2f6763cae..e325b0dc8 100644
--- a/api/krusty/options.go
+++ b/api/krusty/options.go
@@ -18,10 +18,6 @@ type Options struct {
 	// order as specified by the kustomization file(s).
 	DoLegacyResourceSort bool
 
-	// When true, use full-depth git clone, in order to allow
-	// reference to a specific commit
-	DoDeepGitClone bool
-
 	// Restrictions on what can be loaded from the file system.
 	// See type definition.
 	LoadRestrictions types.LoadRestrictions
@@ -37,7 +33,6 @@ type Options struct {
 func MakeDefaultOptions() *Options {
 	return &Options{
 		DoLegacyResourceSort: true,
-		DoDeepGitClone:       false,
 		LoadRestrictions:     types.LoadRestrictionsRootOnly,
 		DoPrune:              false,
 		PluginConfig:         konfig.DisabledPluginConfig(),
diff --git a/api/loader/loader.go b/api/loader/loader.go
index 55c440f71..c72a95965 100644
--- a/api/loader/loader.go
+++ b/api/loader/loader.go
@@ -18,21 +18,17 @@ import (
 // the remote bases will all be root-only restricted.
 func NewLoader(
 	lr LoadRestrictorFunc,
-	target string, fSys filesys.FileSystem, deepClone bool) (ifc.Loader, error) {
-	cloner := git.ClonerUsingGitExec
-	if deepClone {
-		cloner = git.DeepClonerUsingGitExec
-	}
+	target string, fSys filesys.FileSystem) (ifc.Loader, error) {
 	repoSpec, err := git.NewRepoSpecFromUrl(target)
 	if err == nil {
 		// The target qualifies as a remote git target.
 		return newLoaderAtGitClone(
-			repoSpec, fSys, nil, cloner)
+			repoSpec, fSys, nil, git.ClonerUsingGitExec)
 	}
 	root, err := demandDirectoryRoot(fSys, target)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return newLoaderAtConfirmedDir(
-		lr, root, fSys, nil, cloner), nil
+		lr, root, fSys, nil, git.ClonerUsingGitExec), nil
 }
diff --git a/kustomize/internal/commands/build/build.go b/kustomize/internal/commands/build/build.go
index fe6f0c6db..21af80347 100644
--- a/kustomize/internal/commands/build/build.go
+++ b/kustomize/internal/commands/build/build.go
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ func NewCmdBuild(out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 	addFlagLoadRestrictor(cmd.Flags())
 	addFlagEnablePlugins(cmd.Flags())
 	addFlagReorderOutput(cmd.Flags())
-	addFlagEnableDeepClone(cmd.Flags())
 	cmd.AddCommand(NewCmdBuildPrune(out))
 	return cmd
 }
@@ -106,7 +105,6 @@ func (o *Options) makeOptions() *krusty.Options {
 		DoLegacyResourceSort: o.outOrder == legacy,
 		LoadRestrictions:     getFlagLoadRestrictorValue(),
 		DoPrune:              false,
-		DoDeepGitClone:       isFlagEnableDeepCloneSet(),
 	}
 	if isFlagEnablePluginsSet() {
 		c, err := konfig.EnabledPluginConfig()
diff --git a/kustomize/internal/commands/build/flagenabledeepclone.go b/kustomize/internal/commands/build/flagenabledeepclone.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 61dc9e37f..000000000
--- a/kustomize/internal/commands/build/flagenabledeepclone.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright 2019 The Kubernetes Authors.
-// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-
-package build
-
-import (
-	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
-)
-
-const (
-	flagEnableDeepCloneName = "enable_deep_clone"
-	flagEnableDeepCloneHelp = `enable deep git cloning.
-See https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/issues/1452
-`
-)
-
-var (
-	flagEnableDeepCloneValue = false
-)
-
-func addFlagEnableDeepClone(set *pflag.FlagSet) {
-	set.BoolVar(
-		&flagEnableDeepCloneValue, flagEnableDeepCloneName,
-		false, flagEnableDeepCloneHelp)
-}
-
-func isFlagEnableDeepCloneSet() bool {
-	return flagEnableDeepCloneValue
-}