diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b835cca9..8a1bdc7a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -149,7 +149,6 @@ plasma_install_package(${SHIFT_SHELL_PACKAGE_DIR} org.kde.plasma.mobileshell she
 
 add_subdirectory(bin)
 add_subdirectory(color-schemes)
-add_subdirectory(desktoptheme)
 add_subdirectory(fonts)
 add_subdirectory(icons)
 add_subdirectory(wallpapers)
diff --git a/desktoptheme/CMakeLists.txt b/desktoptheme/CMakeLists.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index a79d02a3..00000000
--- a/desktoptheme/CMakeLists.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 SHIFT Contributors
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
-
-# Install the Shift Plasma desktop theme. The package starts empty and
-# inherits everything from the system "default" theme; override SVGs are
-# added one at a time as identity work progresses, so each override can
-# be reviewed visually in isolation.
-install(
-    DIRECTORY org.shift.desktoptheme
-    DESTINATION ${KDE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/plasma/desktoptheme
-)
diff --git a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/README.md b/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/README.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 5db66aa8..00000000
--- a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/README.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-<!--
-SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 SHIFT Contributors
-SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
--->
-
-# Shift Plasma desktop theme
-
-Empty package. Inherits the system "default" desktop theme. SVG overrides are
-added incrementally so each visual change can be reviewed in isolation in the
-preview.
-
-The shell currently references these `KSvg` paths and they are the only ones
-worth overriding here:
-
-- `widgets/panel-background` (`solid/widgets/panel-background` variant)
-- `widgets/background`
-- `widgets/slider`
-- `widgets/tabbar`
-
-Anything not provided here falls back through the inheritance chain to the
-system Breeze theme, so adding overrides is strictly additive.
diff --git a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json b/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json
deleted file mode 100644
index e98f3ccf..00000000
--- a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-{
-    "KPackageStructure": "Plasma/Theme",
-    "KPlugin": {
-        "Authors": [
-            {
-                "Name": "SHIFT Contributors"
-            }
-        ],
-        "Description": "Shift Plasma theme",
-        "Id": "org.shift.desktoptheme",
-        "License": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
-        "Name": "Shift"
-    }
-}
diff --git a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json.license b/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json.license
deleted file mode 100644
index e649148e..00000000
--- a/desktoptheme/org.shift.desktoptheme/metadata.json.license
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 SHIFT Contributors
-SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
diff --git a/lookandfeel/contents/defaults b/lookandfeel/contents/defaults
index 8cb52deb..7ccda9a7 100644
--- a/lookandfeel/contents/defaults
+++ b/lookandfeel/contents/defaults
@@ -19,9 +19,6 @@ menuFont=Atkinson Hyperlegible Next,11,-1,5,400,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1
 [kdeglobals][Icons]
 Theme=breeze-dark
 
-[plasmarc][Theme]
-name=org.shift.desktoptheme
-
 [Wallpaper]
 Image=SHIFT