diff --git a/changes/bug4786 b/changes/bug4786
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7c1c60f632ec1adec1e8e30156d657bb3655a74c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug4786
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+  - Feature removal:
+    - When sending or relaying a RELAY_EARLY cell, we used to convert
+      it to a RELAY cell if the connection was using the v1 link
+      protocol. This was a workaround for older versions of Tor, which
+      didn't handle RELAY_EARLY cells properly. Now that all supported
+      versions can handle RELAY_EARLY cells, and now that we're
+      enforcing the "no RELAY_EXTEND commands except in RELAY_EARLY
+      cells" rule, we're removing this workaround. Addresses bug 4786.
+
diff --git a/src/or/relay.c b/src/or/relay.c
index d9b9d0c48675cc0ad5951f6318427258eed04221..b637fadf59f8a526619fc9bcfae916bd0846bf42 100644
--- a/src/or/relay.c
+++ b/src/or/relay.c
@@ -2423,10 +2423,6 @@ append_cell_to_circuit_queue(circuit_t *circ, or_connection_t *orconn,
     queue = &orcirc->p_conn_cells;
     streams_blocked = circ->streams_blocked_on_p_conn;
   }
-  if (cell->command == CELL_RELAY_EARLY && orconn->link_proto < 2) {
-    /* V1 connections don't understand RELAY_EARLY. */
-    cell->command = CELL_RELAY;
-  }
 
   cell_queue_append_packed_copy(queue, cell);