diff --git a/lib/npm.js b/lib/npm.js
index d30554d400f07..65563604ecc6b 100644
--- a/lib/npm.js
+++ b/lib/npm.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 const { resolve, dirname, join } = require('node:path')
 const Config = require('@npmcli/config')
-const which = require('which')
 const fs = require('node:fs/promises')
 const { definitions, flatten, nerfDarts, shorthands } = require('@npmcli/config/lib/definitions')
 const usage = require('./utils/npm-usage.js')
@@ -87,16 +86,6 @@ class Npm {
   }
 
   async #load () {
-    await time.start('npm:load:whichnode', async () => {
-      // TODO should we throw here?
-      const node = await which(process.argv[0]).catch(() => {})
-      if (node && node.toUpperCase() !== process.execPath.toUpperCase()) {
-        log.verbose('node symlink', node)
-        process.execPath = node
-        this.config.execPath = node
-      }
-    })
-
     await time.start('npm:load:configload', () => this.config.load())
 
     // npm --versions
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js.test.cjs b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js.test.cjs
index fd68eea57795b..29865aadf56ed 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js.test.cjs
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js.test.cjs
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
  */
 'use strict'
 exports[`test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js TAP handles unknown error with logs and debug file > debug file contents 1`] = `
-XX timing npm:load:whichnode Completed in {TIME}ms
 XX silly config load:file:{CWD}/npmrc
 XX silly config load:file:{CWD}/prefix/.npmrc
 XX silly config load:file:{CWD}/home/.npmrc
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ XX error A complete log of this run can be found in: {CWD}/cache/_logs/{DATE}-de
 `
 
 exports[`test/lib/cli/exit-handler.js TAP handles unknown error with logs and debug file > logs 1`] = `
-timing npm:load:whichnode Completed in {TIME}ms
 silly config load:file:{CWD}/npmrc
 silly config load:file:{CWD}/prefix/.npmrc
 silly config load:file:{CWD}/home/.npmrc
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/install.js.test.cjs b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/install.js.test.cjs
index 6143eacb57ffa..27030da8ffedf 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/install.js.test.cjs
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/install.js.test.cjs
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ verbose stack Error: The developer of this package has specified the following t
 verbose stack Invalid devEngines.runtime
 verbose stack Invalid name "nondescript" does not match "node" for "runtime"
 verbose stack     at Install.checkDevEngines ({CWD}/lib/base-cmd.js:244:27)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:310:7)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:209:9)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:299:7)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:198:9)
 error code EBADDEVENGINES
 error EBADDEVENGINES The developer of this package has specified the following through devEngines
 error EBADDEVENGINES Invalid devEngines.runtime
@@ -200,8 +200,8 @@ verbose stack Error: The developer of this package has specified the following t
 verbose stack Invalid devEngines.runtime
 verbose stack Invalid name "nondescript" does not match "node" for "runtime"
 verbose stack     at Install.checkDevEngines ({CWD}/lib/base-cmd.js:244:27)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:310:7)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:209:9)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:299:7)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:198:9)
 error code EBADDEVENGINES
 error EBADDEVENGINES The developer of this package has specified the following through devEngines
 error EBADDEVENGINES Invalid devEngines.runtime
@@ -226,8 +226,8 @@ verbose stack Error: The developer of this package has specified the following t
 verbose stack Invalid devEngines.runtime
 verbose stack Invalid name "nondescript" does not match "node" for "runtime"
 verbose stack     at Install.checkDevEngines ({CWD}/lib/base-cmd.js:244:27)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:310:7)
-verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:209:9)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.execCommandClass ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:299:7)
+verbose stack     at MockNpm.exec ({CWD}/lib/npm.js:198:9)
 error code EBADDEVENGINES
 error EBADDEVENGINES The developer of this package has specified the following through devEngines
 error EBADDEVENGINES Invalid devEngines.runtime
diff --git a/test/lib/npm.js b/test/lib/npm.js
index c4c0d720e86e8..f744d0376e9ea 100644
--- a/test/lib/npm.js
+++ b/test/lib/npm.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 const t = require('tap')
-const { resolve, dirname, join } = require('node:path')
+const { resolve, join } = require('node:path')
 const fs = require('node:fs/promises')
 const { time } = require('proc-log')
 const { load: loadMockNpm } = require('../fixtures/mock-npm.js')
@@ -88,73 +88,6 @@ t.test('npm.load', async t => {
     ])
   })
 
-  await t.test('node is a symlink', async t => {
-    const node = process.platform === 'win32' ? 'node.exe' : 'node'
-    const { Npm, npm, logs, outputs, prefix } = await loadMockNpm(t, {
-      prefixDir: {
-        bin: t.fixture('symlink', dirname(process.execPath)),
-      },
-      config: {
-        timing: true,
-        usage: '',
-        scope: 'foo',
-      },
-      argv: [
-        'token',
-        'revoke',
-        'blergggg',
-      ],
-      globals: (dirs) => ({
-        'process.env.PATH': resolve(dirs.prefix, 'bin'),
-        'process.argv': [
-          node,
-          process.argv[1],
-        ],
-      }),
-    })
-
-    t.equal(npm.config.get('scope'), '@foo', 'added the @ sign to scope')
-
-    t.match([
-      ...logs.timing.filter((p) => p.startsWith('npm:load:whichnode')),
-      ...logs.verbose,
-      ...logs.timing.filter((p) => p.startsWith('npm:load')),
-    ], [
-      /npm:load:whichnode Completed in [0-9.]+ms/,
-      `node symlink ${resolve(prefix, 'bin', node)}`,
-      /title npm token revoke blergggg/,
-      /argv "token" "revoke" "blergggg".*"--usage" "--scope" "foo"/,
-      /logfile logs-max:\d+ dir:.*/,
-      /logfile .*-debug-0.log/,
-      /npm:load:.* Completed in [0-9.]+ms/,
-    ])
-    t.equal(process.execPath, resolve(prefix, 'bin', node))
-
-    outputs.length = 0
-    logs.length = 0
-    await npm.exec('ll', [])
-
-    t.equal(npm.command, 'll', 'command set to first npm command')
-    t.equal(npm.flatOptions.npmCommand, 'll', 'npmCommand flatOption set')
-
-    const ll = Npm.cmd('ll')
-    t.same(outputs, [ll.describeUsage], 'print usage')
-    npm.config.set('usage', false)
-
-    outputs.length = 0
-    logs.length = 0
-    await npm.exec('get', ['scope', 'usage'])
-
-    t.strictSame([npm.command, npm.flatOptions.npmCommand], ['ll', 'll'],
-      'does not change npm.command when another command is called')
-
-    t.match(logs, [
-      /timing config:load:flatten Completed in [0-9.]+ms/,
-      /timing command:config Completed in [0-9.]+ms/,
-    ])
-    t.same(outputs, ['scope=@foo\nusage=false'])
-  })
-
   await t.test('--no-workspaces with --workspace', async t => {
     const { npm } = await loadMockNpm(t, {
       prefixDir: {
diff --git a/workspaces/config/lib/set-envs.js b/workspaces/config/lib/set-envs.js
index 12719b5647836..ddb2c8d4630f7 100644
--- a/workspaces/config/lib/set-envs.js
+++ b/workspaces/config/lib/set-envs.js
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ const setEnvs = (config) => {
   // this doesn't have a full definition so we manually export it here
   env.npm_config_npm_version = cliConf['npm-version'] || 'unknown'
   env.npm_execpath = config.npmBin
-  env.NODE = env.npm_node_execpath = config.execPath
+  env.npm_node_execpath = config.execPath
 }
 
 module.exports = setEnvs
diff --git a/workspaces/config/test/set-envs.js b/workspaces/config/test/set-envs.js
index c7af0faca33c0..51f000d3f1047 100644
--- a/workspaces/config/test/set-envs.js
+++ b/workspaces/config/test/set-envs.js
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ const { execPath } = process
 const cwd = process.cwd()
 const globalPrefix = join(cwd, 'global')
 const localPrefix = join(cwd, 'local')
-const NODE = execPath
 
 const npmPath = '{path}'
 const npmBin = join(npmPath, 'bin/npm-cli.js')
@@ -24,7 +23,6 @@ t.test('set envs that are not defaults and not already in env', t => {
   const envConf = Object.create(defaults)
   const cliConf = Object.create(envConf)
   const extras = {
-    NODE,
     INIT_CWD: cwd,
     EDITOR: 'vim',
     HOME: undefined,
@@ -79,7 +77,6 @@ t.test('set envs that are not defaults and not already in env, array style', t =
   const envConf = Object.create(defaults)
   const cliConf = Object.create(envConf)
   const extras = {
-    NODE,
     INIT_CWD: cwd,
     EDITOR: 'vim',
     HOME: undefined,
@@ -131,7 +128,6 @@ t.test('set envs that are not defaults and not already in env, boolean edition',
   const envConf = Object.create(defaults)
   const cliConf = Object.create(envConf)
   const extras = {
-    NODE,
     INIT_CWD: cwd,
     EDITOR: 'vim',
     HOME: undefined,
@@ -210,7 +206,6 @@ t.test('dont set configs marked as envExport:false', t => {
   const envConf = Object.create(defaults)
   const cliConf = Object.create(envConf)
   const extras = {
-    NODE,
     INIT_CWD: cwd,
     EDITOR: 'vim',
     HOME: undefined,