diff --git a/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go b/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
index d1fca90ebeb..b07fe3e2393 100644
--- a/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
+++ b/cmd/kubelet/app/server.go
@@ -387,7 +387,6 @@ func UnsecuredDependencies(s *options.KubeletServer) (*kubelet.Dependencies, err
 		DockerClientConfig:  dockerClientConfig,
 		KubeClient:          nil,
 		HeartbeatClient:     nil,
-		ExternalKubeClient:  nil,
 		EventClient:         nil,
 		Mounter:             mounter,
 		OOMAdjuster:         oom.NewOOMAdjuster(),
@@ -545,16 +544,14 @@ func run(s *options.KubeletServer, kubeDeps *kubelet.Dependencies, stopCh <-chan
 	// if in standalone mode, indicate as much by setting all clients to nil
 	if standaloneMode {
 		kubeDeps.KubeClient = nil
-		kubeDeps.ExternalKubeClient = nil
 		kubeDeps.EventClient = nil
 		kubeDeps.HeartbeatClient = nil
 		glog.Warningf("standalone mode, no API client")
-	} else if kubeDeps.KubeClient == nil || kubeDeps.ExternalKubeClient == nil || kubeDeps.EventClient == nil || kubeDeps.HeartbeatClient == nil {
+	} else if kubeDeps.KubeClient == nil || kubeDeps.EventClient == nil || kubeDeps.HeartbeatClient == nil {
 		// initialize clients if not standalone mode and any of the clients are not provided
 		var kubeClient clientset.Interface
 		var eventClient v1core.EventsGetter
 		var heartbeatClient clientset.Interface
-		var externalKubeClient clientset.Interface
 
 		clientConfig, err := createAPIServerClientConfig(s)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -584,10 +581,6 @@ func run(s *options.KubeletServer, kubeDeps *kubelet.Dependencies, stopCh <-chan
 			clientCertificateManager.SetCertificateSigningRequestClient(kubeClient.CertificatesV1beta1().CertificateSigningRequests())
 			clientCertificateManager.Start()
 		}
-		externalKubeClient, err = clientset.NewForConfig(clientConfig)
-		if err != nil {
-			glog.Warningf("New kubeClient from clientConfig error: %v", err)
-		}
 
 		// make a separate client for events
 		eventClientConfig := *clientConfig
@@ -615,7 +608,6 @@ func run(s *options.KubeletServer, kubeDeps *kubelet.Dependencies, stopCh <-chan
 		}
 
 		kubeDeps.KubeClient = kubeClient
-		kubeDeps.ExternalKubeClient = externalKubeClient
 		if heartbeatClient != nil {
 			kubeDeps.HeartbeatClient = heartbeatClient
 			kubeDeps.OnHeartbeatFailure = closeAllConns
@@ -634,7 +626,7 @@ func run(s *options.KubeletServer, kubeDeps *kubelet.Dependencies, stopCh <-chan
 	}
 
 	if kubeDeps.Auth == nil {
-		auth, err := BuildAuth(nodeName, kubeDeps.ExternalKubeClient, s.KubeletConfiguration)
+		auth, err := BuildAuth(nodeName, kubeDeps.KubeClient, s.KubeletConfiguration)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
index f72f497c6f7..3d185fc8a38 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet.go
@@ -243,7 +243,6 @@ type Dependencies struct {
 	HeartbeatClient         clientset.Interface
 	OnHeartbeatFailure      func()
 	KubeClient              clientset.Interface
-	ExternalKubeClient      clientset.Interface
 	Mounter                 mount.Interface
 	OOMAdjuster             *oom.OOMAdjuster
 	OSInterface             kubecontainer.OSInterface