diff --git a/.github/workflows/cygwin-test.yml b/.github/workflows/cygwin-test.yml
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ jobs:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 0
-        submodules: recursive

    - name: Install Cygwin
      uses: cygwin/cygwin-install-action@v4

diff --git a/.github/workflows/pythonpackage.yml b/.github/workflows/pythonpackage.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ jobs:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 0
-        submodules: recursive

    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
      uses: actions/setup-python@v4

diff --git a/init-tests-after-clone.sh b/init-tests-after-clone.sh
@@ -47,10 +47,8 @@ git reset --hard HEAD~1
# Point the master branch where we started, so we test the correct code.
git reset --hard __testing_point__

-# The tests need submodules. (On CI, they would already have been checked out.)
-if ! ci; then
-    git submodule update --init --recursive
-fi

# The tests need some version tags. Try to get them even in forks. This fetches
# other objects too. So, locally, we always do it, for a consistent experience.