diff --git a/perl/lib/Nix/Config.pm.in b/perl/lib/Nix/Config.pm.in
index 3575d99c..3613926f 100644
--- a/perl/lib/Nix/Config.pm.in
+++ b/perl/lib/Nix/Config.pm.in
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ $useBindings = "@perlbindings@" eq "yes";
 
 %config = ();
 
-%binaryCachePublicKeys = ();
-
-$defaultPublicKeys = "cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY=";
-
 sub readConfig {
     if (defined $ENV{'_NIX_OPTIONS'}) {
         foreach my $s (split '\n', $ENV{'_NIX_OPTIONS'}) {
@@ -40,12 +36,6 @@ sub readConfig {
         }
         close CONFIG;
     }
-
-    foreach my $s (split(/ /, $config{"binary-cache-public-keys"} // $defaultPublicKeys)) {
-        my ($keyName, $publicKey) = split ":", $s;
-        next unless defined $keyName && defined $publicKey;
-        $binaryCachePublicKeys{$keyName} = decode_base64($publicKey);
-    }
 }
 
 return 1;
diff --git a/src/libstore/crypto.cc b/src/libstore/crypto.cc
index 747483af..0fc86a1f 100644
--- a/src/libstore/crypto.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/crypto.cc
@@ -105,7 +105,9 @@ PublicKeys getDefaultPublicKeys()
 
     // FIXME: filter duplicates
 
-    for (auto s : settings.get("binary-cache-public-keys", Strings())) {
+    for (auto s : settings.get("binary-cache-public-keys",
+            Strings{"cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY="}))
+    {
         PublicKey key(s);
         publicKeys.emplace(key.name, key);
     }
diff --git a/src/libstore/store-api.cc b/src/libstore/store-api.cc
index b1bf961e..8c3422e0 100644
--- a/src/libstore/store-api.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/store-api.cc
@@ -778,10 +778,7 @@ std::list<ref<Store>> getDefaultSubstituters()
         state->stores.push_back(openStore(uri));
     };
 
-    for (auto uri : settings.get("substituters", Strings()))
-        addStore(uri);
-
-    for (auto uri : settings.get("binary-caches", Strings()))
+    for (auto uri : settings.get("substituters", settings.get("binary-caches", Strings{"https://cache.nixos.org/"})))
         addStore(uri);
 
     for (auto uri : settings.get("extra-binary-caches", Strings()))