diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/DependencyInjection/UmbracoBuilder.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/DependencyInjection/UmbracoBuilder.cs
index f9fde4c47e..5dd2499624 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/DependencyInjection/UmbracoBuilder.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/DependencyInjection/UmbracoBuilder.cs
@@ -145,9 +145,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Cms.Core.DependencyInjection
             this.AddAllCoreCollectionBuilders();
             this.AddNotificationHandler<UmbracoApplicationStartingNotification, EssentialDirectoryCreator>();
 
-            Services.AddSingleton<ManifestWatcher>();
             Services.AddSingleton<UmbracoRequestPaths>();
-            this.AddNotificationAsyncHandler<UmbracoApplicationStartingNotification, AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler>();
 
             Services.AddUnique<InstallStatusTracker>();
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestWatcher.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestWatcher.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index 26c54a8b5e..0000000000
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Manifest/ManifestWatcher.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,87 +0,0 @@
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
-using System.IO;
-using System.Linq;
-using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Hosting;
-using Umbraco.Extensions;
-
-namespace Umbraco.Cms.Core.Manifest
-{
-    public class ManifestWatcher : IDisposable
-    {
-        private static readonly object Locker = new object();
-        private static volatile bool _isRestarting;
-
-        private readonly ILogger<ManifestWatcher> _logger;
-        private readonly IUmbracoApplicationLifetime _umbracoApplicationLifetime;
-        private readonly List<FileSystemWatcher> _fws = new List<FileSystemWatcher>();
-        private bool _disposed;
-
-        public ManifestWatcher(ILogger<ManifestWatcher> logger, IUmbracoApplicationLifetime umbracoApplicationLifetime)
-        {
-            _logger = logger ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(logger));
-            _umbracoApplicationLifetime = umbracoApplicationLifetime;
-        }
-
-        public void Start(params string[] packageFolders)
-        {
-            foreach (var packageFolder in packageFolders.Where(IsWatchable))
-            {
-                // for some reason *.manifest doesn't work
-                var fsw = new FileSystemWatcher(packageFolder, "*package.*")
-                {
-                    IncludeSubdirectories = false,
-                    NotifyFilter = NotifyFilters.LastAccess | NotifyFilters.LastWrite
-                };
-
-                _fws.Add(fsw);
-
-                fsw.Changed += FswChanged;
-                fsw.EnableRaisingEvents = true;
-            }
-        }
-
-        private static bool IsWatchable(string folder)
-        {
-            return Directory.Exists(folder) && File.Exists(Path.Combine(folder, "package.manifest"));
-        }
-
-        private void FswChanged(object sender, FileSystemEventArgs e)
-        {
-            if (!e.Name.InvariantContains("package.manifest"))
-            {
-                return;
-            }
-
-            // ensure the app is not restarted multiple times for multiple
-            // savings during the same app domain execution - restart once
-            lock (Locker)
-            {
-                if (_isRestarting) return;
-
-                _isRestarting = true;
-                _logger.LogInformation("Manifest has changed, app pool is restarting ({Path})", e.FullPath);
-                _umbracoApplicationLifetime.Restart();
-            }
-        }
-
-        private void Dispose(bool disposing)
-        {
-            // ReSharper disable InvertIf
-            if (disposing && !_disposed)
-            {
-                foreach (FileSystemWatcher fw in _fws)
-                {
-                    fw.Dispose();
-                }
-
-                _disposed = true;
-            }
-
-            // ReSharper restore InvertIf
-        }
-
-        public void Dispose() => Dispose(true);
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Runtime/AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Runtime/AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler.cs
deleted file mode 100644
index a416452966..0000000000
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Runtime/AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler.cs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-using System;
-using System.IO;
-using System.Threading;
-using System.Threading.Tasks;
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Events;
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Hosting;
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Manifest;
-using Umbraco.Cms.Core.Notifications;
-
-namespace Umbraco.Cms.Core.Runtime
-{
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Starts monitoring AppPlugins directory during debug runs, to restart site when a plugin manifest changes.
-    /// </summary>
-    public sealed class AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler : INotificationAsyncHandler<UmbracoApplicationStartingNotification>
-    {
-        private readonly ManifestWatcher _manifestWatcher;
-        private readonly IHostingEnvironment _hostingEnvironment;
-
-        public AppPluginsManifestWatcherNotificationHandler(ManifestWatcher manifestWatcher, IHostingEnvironment hostingEnvironment)
-        {
-            _manifestWatcher = manifestWatcher ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(manifestWatcher));
-            _hostingEnvironment = hostingEnvironment ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(hostingEnvironment));
-        }
-
-        public Task HandleAsync(UmbracoApplicationStartingNotification notification, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
-        {
-            if (!_hostingEnvironment.IsDebugMode)
-            {
-                return Task.CompletedTask;
-            }
-
-            var appPlugins = _hostingEnvironment.MapPathContentRoot(Constants.SystemDirectories.AppPlugins);
-
-            if (!Directory.Exists(appPlugins))
-            {
-                return Task.CompletedTask;
-            }
-
-            _manifestWatcher.Start(Directory.GetDirectories(appPlugins));
-
-            return Task.CompletedTask;
-        }
-    }
-}