diff --git a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
index d5b40deca44..4e1f4d0e173 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
@@ -24,29 +24,7 @@ func ToWireFormat(data []byte, storage string) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown storage type: %v", storage)
 	}
 
-	// Try parsing json
-	json_out, json_err := tryJSON(data, reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface())
-	if json_err == nil {
-		return json_out, json_err
-	}
-
-	// Try parsing yaml
-	yaml_out, yaml_err := tryYAML(data, reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface())
-	if yaml_err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Could not parse input as json (error: %v) or yaml (error: %v", json_err, yaml_err)
-	}
-	return yaml_out, yaml_err
-}
-
-func tryJSON(data []byte, obj interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
-	err := json.Unmarshal(data, obj)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	return json.Marshal(obj)
-}
-
-func tryYAML(data []byte, obj interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	obj := reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface()
 	err := yaml.Unmarshal(data, obj)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err