diff --git a/.dir-locals.el b/.dir-locals.el
index d18e6ba760..f135eb69a5 100644
--- a/.dir-locals.el
+++ b/.dir-locals.el
@@ -133,8 +133,6 @@
    (eval . (put 'call-with-transaction 'scheme-indent-function 1))
    (eval . (put 'with-statement 'scheme-indent-function 3))
    (eval . (put 'call-with-retrying-transaction 'scheme-indent-function 1))
-   (eval . (put 'call-with-savepoint 'scheme-indent-function 1))
-   (eval . (put 'call-with-retrying-savepoint 'scheme-indent-function 1))
 
    (eval . (put 'call-with-container 'scheme-indent-function 1))
    (eval . (put 'container-excursion 'scheme-indent-function 1))
diff --git a/guix/store/database.scm b/guix/store/database.scm
index 2968f13492..3093fd816a 100644
--- a/guix/store/database.scm
+++ b/guix/store/database.scm
@@ -151,39 +151,11 @@ times.  This may reduce contention for the database somewhat."
       (false-if-exception (exec "rollback;"))
       (apply throw args))))
 
-(define* (call-with-savepoint db proc
-                              #:optional (savepoint-name "SomeSavepoint"))
-  "Call PROC after creating a savepoint named SAVEPOINT-NAME.  If PROC exits
-abnormally, rollback to that savepoint.  In all cases, remove the savepoint
-prior to returning."
-  (define (exec sql)
-    (with-statement db sql stmt
-      (sqlite-fold cons '() stmt)))
-
-  (dynamic-wind
-    (lambda ()
-      (exec (string-append "SAVEPOINT " savepoint-name ";")))
-    (lambda ()
-      (catch #t
-        proc
-        (lambda args
-          (exec (string-append "ROLLBACK TO " savepoint-name ";"))
-          (apply throw args))))
-    (lambda ()
-      (exec (string-append "RELEASE " savepoint-name ";")))))
-
 (define* (call-with-retrying-transaction db proc #:key restartable?)
   (call-with-SQLITE_BUSY-retrying
    (lambda ()
      (call-with-transaction db proc #:restartable? restartable?))))
 
-(define* (call-with-retrying-savepoint db proc
-                                       #:optional (savepoint-name
-                                                   "SomeSavepoint"))
-  (call-with-SQLITE_BUSY-retrying
-   (lambda ()
-     (call-with-savepoint db proc savepoint-name))))
-
 (define %default-database-file
   ;; Default location of the store database.
   (string-append %store-database-directory "/db.sqlite"))
@@ -261,40 +233,19 @@ of course. Returns the row id of the row that was modified or inserted."
   (assert-integer "update-or-insert" positive? #:nar-size nar-size)
   (assert-integer "update-or-insert" (cut >= <> 0) #:time time)
 
-  ;; It's important that querying the path-id and the insert/update operation
-  ;; take place in the same transaction, as otherwise some other
-  ;; process/thread/fiber could register the same path between when we check
-  ;; whether it's already registered and when we register it, resulting in
-  ;; duplicate paths (which, due to a 'unique' constraint, would cause an
-  ;; exception to be thrown). With the default journaling mode this will
-  ;; prevent writes from occurring during that sensitive time, but with WAL
-  ;; mode it will instead arrange to return SQLITE_BUSY when a write occurs
-  ;; between the start of a read transaction and its upgrading to a write
-  ;; transaction (see https://sqlite.org/rescode.html#busy_snapshot).
-  ;; Experimentally, it seems this SQLITE_BUSY will ignore a busy_timeout and
-  ;; immediately return (makes sense, since waiting won't change anything).
-
-  ;; Note that when that kind of SQLITE_BUSY error is returned, it will keep
-  ;; being returned every time we try to upgrade the same outermost
-  ;; transaction to a write transaction.  So when retrying, we have to restart
-  ;; the *outermost* write transaction.  We can't inherently tell whether
-  ;; we're the outermost write transaction, so we leave the retry-handling to
-  ;; the caller.
-  (call-with-savepoint db
-    (lambda ()
-      (let ((id (path-id db path)))
-        (if id
-            (with-statement db update-sql stmt
-              (sqlite-bind-arguments stmt #:id id
-                                     #:deriver deriver
-                                     #:hash hash #:size nar-size #:time time)
-              (sqlite-fold cons '() stmt))
-            (with-statement db insert-sql stmt
-              (sqlite-bind-arguments stmt
-                                     #:path path #:deriver deriver
-                                     #:hash hash #:size nar-size #:time time)
-              (sqlite-fold cons '() stmt)))
-        (last-insert-row-id db)))))
+  (let ((id (path-id db path)))
+    (if id
+        (with-statement db update-sql stmt
+          (sqlite-bind-arguments stmt #:id id
+                                 #:deriver deriver
+                                 #:hash hash #:size nar-size #:time time)
+          (sqlite-fold cons '() stmt))
+        (with-statement db insert-sql stmt
+          (sqlite-bind-arguments stmt
+                                 #:path path #:deriver deriver
+                                 #:hash hash #:size nar-size #:time time)
+          (sqlite-fold cons '() stmt)))
+    (last-insert-row-id db)))
 
 (define add-reference-sql
   "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO Refs (referrer, reference) VALUES (:referrer, :reference);")