diff --git a/core/binary.mk b/core/binary.mk
index 579e6b5..e2e5be4 100644
--- a/core/binary.mk
+++ b/core/binary.mk
@@ -1572,15 +1572,10 @@
 else ifdef LOCAL_SDK_VERSION
   my_target_global_c_includes :=
   my_target_global_c_system_includes := $(my_ndk_stl_include_path) $(my_ndk_sysroot_include)
-else ifdef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-  my_target_global_c_includes := $(SRC_HEADERS) \
-    $($(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX)$(my_prefix)C_INCLUDES)
-  my_target_global_c_system_includes := $(SRC_SYSTEM_HEADERS) \
-    $($(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX)$(my_prefix)C_SYSTEM_INCLUDES)
 else
   my_target_global_c_includes := $(SRC_HEADERS) \
     $($(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX)$(my_prefix)C_INCLUDES)
-  my_target_global_c_system_includes := $(SRC_SYSTEM_HEADERS) $(TARGET_OUT_HEADERS) \
+  my_target_global_c_system_includes := $(SRC_SYSTEM_HEADERS) \
     $($(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX)$(my_prefix)C_SYSTEM_INCLUDES)
 endif
 
@@ -1667,14 +1662,8 @@
 
 ifdef LOCAL_USE_VNDK
   imported_includes += $(call intermediates-dir-for,HEADER_LIBRARIES,device_kernel_headers,$(my_kind),,$(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX),$(my_host_cross))
-else ifdef LOCAL_SDK_VERSION
-  # Apps shouldn't need device-specific kernel headers
-else ifdef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-  # For devices building with the VNDK, only the VNDK gets device-specific kernel headers by default
-  # In soong, it's entirely opt-in
 else
-  # For older non-VNDK builds, continue adding in kernel headers to everything like we used to
-  imported_includes += $(call intermediates-dir-for,HEADER_LIBRARIES,device_kernel_headers,$(my_kind),,$(LOCAL_2ND_ARCH_VAR_PREFIX),$(my_host_cross))
+  # everything else should manually specify headers
 endif
 
 imported_includes := $(strip \
diff --git a/core/board_config.mk b/core/board_config.mk
index f459d83..663ec7c 100644
--- a/core/board_config.mk
+++ b/core/board_config.mk
@@ -968,27 +968,13 @@
   $(if $(wildcard $(vndk_path)/*/Android.bp),,$(error VNDK version $(1) not found))
 endef
 
-ifdef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-  ifeq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),$(PLATFORM_VNDK_VERSION))
-    $(error BOARD_VNDK_VERSION is equal to PLATFORM_VNDK_VERSION; use BOARD_VNDK_VERSION := current)
-  endif
-  ifneq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),current)
-    $(call check_vndk_version,$(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION))
-  endif
-  TARGET_VENDOR_TEST_SUFFIX := /vendor
-else
-  TARGET_VENDOR_TEST_SUFFIX :=
+ifeq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),$(PLATFORM_VNDK_VERSION))
+  $(error BOARD_VNDK_VERSION is equal to PLATFORM_VNDK_VERSION; use BOARD_VNDK_VERSION := current)
 endif
-
-# If PRODUCT_ENFORCE_INTER_PARTITION_JAVA_SDK_LIBRARY is set,
-# BOARD_VNDK_VERSION must be set because PRODUCT_ENFORCE_INTER_PARTITION_JAVA_SDK_LIBRARY
-# is a enforcement of inter-partition dependency, and it doesn't have any meaning
-# when BOARD_VNDK_VERSION isn't set.
-ifeq ($(PRODUCT_ENFORCE_INTER_PARTITION_JAVA_SDK_LIBRARY),true)
-  ifeq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),)
-    $(error BOARD_VNDK_VERSION must be set when PRODUCT_ENFORCE_INTER_PARTITION_JAVA_SDK_LIBRARY is true)
-  endif
+ifneq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),current)
+  $(call check_vndk_version,$(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION))
 endif
+TARGET_VENDOR_TEST_SUFFIX := /vendor
 
 ###########################################
 # APEXes are by default not flattened, i.e. updatable.
diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index c549296..5191917 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -356,6 +356,16 @@
 endif
 -include $(ANDROID_BUILDSPEC)
 
+# Starting in Android U, non-VNDK devices not supported
+# WARNING: DO NOT CHANGE: if you are downstream of AOSP, and you change this, without
+# letting upstream know it's important to you, we may do cleanup which breaks this
+# significantly. Please let us know if you are changing this.
+ifndef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
+# READ WARNING - DO NOT CHANGE
+BOARD_VNDK_VERSION := current
+# READ WARNING - DO NOT CHANGE
+endif
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
 # Define most of the global variables.  These are the ones that
 # are specific to the user's build configuration.
@@ -775,24 +785,6 @@
   BOARD_PROPERTY_OVERRIDES_SPLIT_ENABLED ?= true
 endif
 
-# Starting in Android U, non-VNDK devices not supported
-# WARNING: DO NOT CHANGE: if you are downstream of AOSP, and you change this, without
-# letting upstream know it's important to you, we may do cleanup which breaks this
-# significantly. Please let us know if you are changing this.
-ifndef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-# READ WARNING - DO NOT CHANGE
-BOARD_VNDK_VERSION := current
-# READ WARNING - DO NOT CHANGE
-endif
-
-ifdef PRODUCT_PRODUCT_VNDK_VERSION
-  ifndef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-    # VNDK for product partition is not available unless BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-    # defined.
-    $(error PRODUCT_PRODUCT_VNDK_VERSION cannot be defined without defining BOARD_VNDK_VERSION)
-  endif
-endif
-
 # Set BOARD_SYSTEMSDK_VERSIONS to the latest SystemSDK version starting from P-launching
 # devices if unset.
 ifndef BOARD_SYSTEMSDK_VERSIONS
diff --git a/core/copy_headers.mk b/core/copy_headers.mk
index 054d271..c457eb0 100644
--- a/core/copy_headers.mk
+++ b/core/copy_headers.mk
@@ -18,11 +18,9 @@
 # If we're using the VNDK, only vendor modules using the VNDK may use
 # LOCAL_COPY_HEADERS. Platform libraries will not have the include path
 # present.
-ifdef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
 ifndef LOCAL_USE_VNDK
   $(call pretty-error,Only vendor modules using LOCAL_USE_VNDK may use LOCAL_COPY_HEADERS)
 endif
-endif
 
 # Clean up LOCAL_COPY_HEADERS_TO, since soong_ui will be comparing cleaned
 # paths to figure out which headers are obsolete and should be removed.
diff --git a/core/local_vndk.mk b/core/local_vndk.mk
index befbc59..eb8f2c0 100644
--- a/core/local_vndk.mk
+++ b/core/local_vndk.mk
@@ -37,12 +37,5 @@
     $(shell echo $(LOCAL_MODULE_MAKEFILE): $(LOCAL_MODULE): LOCAL_USE_VNDK must not be used with LOCAL_SDK_VERSION >&2)
     $(error done)
   endif
-
-  # If we're not using the VNDK, drop all restrictions
-  ifndef BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
-    LOCAL_USE_VNDK:=
-    LOCAL_USE_VNDK_VENDOR:=
-    LOCAL_USE_VNDK_PRODUCT:=
-  endif
 endif
 
diff --git a/target/product/gsi/Android.mk b/target/product/gsi/Android.mk
index 107c94f..86d4622 100644
--- a/target/product/gsi/Android.mk
+++ b/target/product/gsi/Android.mk
@@ -33,9 +33,6 @@
 check-vndk-list: ;
 else ifeq ($(TARGET_SKIP_CURRENT_VNDK),true)
 check-vndk-list: ;
-else ifeq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),)
-# b/143233626 do not check vndk-list when vndk libs are not built
-check-vndk-list: ;
 else
 check-vndk-list: $(check-vndk-list-timestamp)
 ifneq ($(SKIP_ABI_CHECKS),true)
@@ -172,8 +169,6 @@
 #####################################################################
 # VNDK package and snapshot.
 
-ifneq ($(BOARD_VNDK_VERSION),)
-
 include $(CLEAR_VARS)
 LOCAL_MODULE := vndk_package
 LOCAL_LICENSE_KINDS := SPDX-license-identifier-Apache-2.0
@@ -214,8 +209,6 @@
 
 _vndk_versions :=
 
-endif # BOARD_VNDK_VERSION is set
-
 #####################################################################
 # skip_mount.cfg, read by init to skip mounting some partitions when GSI is used.