diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/__snapshots__/index.spec.ts.snap b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/__snapshots__/index.spec.ts.snap
index abf19bd7c5faeb..eef4ff259d7f80 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/__snapshots__/index.spec.ts.snap
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/__snapshots__/index.spec.ts.snap
@@ -1,21 +1,5 @@
 // Jest Snapshot v1, https://goo.gl/fbAQLP
 
-exports[`workers/repository/onboarding/branch checkOnboardingBranch creates onboarding branch with greenkeeper migration 1`] = `
-"{
-  \\"$schema\\": \\"https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json\\",
-  \\"statusCheckVerify\\": true,
-  \\"labels\\": [
-    \\"renovate\\"
-  ],
-  \\"branchName\\": \\"renovate--\\",
-  \\"ignoreDeps\\": [
-    \\"foo\\",
-    \\"bar\\"
-  ]
-}
-"
-`;
-
 exports[`workers/repository/onboarding/branch checkOnboardingBranch has default onboarding config 1`] = `
 "{
   \\"$schema\\": \\"https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json\\"
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/config.ts b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/config.ts
index 45cee4492b8ebd..b287c99979cfde 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/config.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/config.ts
@@ -1,43 +1,9 @@
-import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
 import { RenovateConfig } from '../../../../config';
 import { logger } from '../../../../logger';
 import { clone } from '../../../../util/clone';
-import { readLocalFile } from '../../../../util/fs';
 
-export async function getOnboardingConfig(
-  config: RenovateConfig
-): Promise<string> {
+export function getOnboardingConfig(config: RenovateConfig): string {
   const onboardingConfig = clone(config.onboardingConfig);
-  try {
-    logger.debug('Checking for greenkeeper config');
-
-    const greenkeeperConfig = JSON.parse(
-      await readLocalFile('package.json', 'utf8')
-    ).greenkeeper;
-    if (greenkeeperConfig) {
-      onboardingConfig.statusCheckVerify = true;
-    }
-    const { label, branchName, ignore } = greenkeeperConfig;
-    if (label) {
-      logger.debug({ label }, 'Migrating Greenkeeper label');
-      onboardingConfig.labels = [
-        String(label).replace('greenkeeper', 'renovate'),
-      ];
-    }
-    if (branchName) {
-      logger.debug({ branch: branchName }, 'Migrating Greenkeeper branchName');
-      onboardingConfig.branchName = String(branchName).replace(
-        'greenkeeper',
-        'renovate'
-      );
-    }
-    if (is.nonEmptyArray(ignore)) {
-      logger.debug({ ignore }, 'Migrating Greenkeeper ignore');
-      onboardingConfig.ignoreDeps = ignore.map(String);
-    }
-  } catch (err) {
-    logger.debug('No greenkeeper config migration');
-  }
   logger.debug({ config: onboardingConfig }, 'onboarding config');
   return JSON.stringify(onboardingConfig, null, 2) + '\n';
 }
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.ts b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.ts
index ad8b8afcb4119d..709e7bbfa4ae54 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ export async function createOnboardingBranch(
   config: Partial<RenovateConfig>
 ): Promise<string | null> {
   logger.debug('createOnboardingBranch()');
-  const contents = await getOnboardingConfig(config);
+  const contents = getOnboardingConfig(config);
   logger.debug('Creating onboarding branch');
   let commitMessage;
   // istanbul ignore if
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.spec.ts b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.spec.ts
index c7577c46443368..8d61dc07d9f1c5 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.spec.ts
@@ -90,24 +90,6 @@ describe('workers/repository/onboarding/branch', () => {
       ]);
       await expect(checkOnboardingBranch(config)).rejects.toThrow();
     });
-    it('creates onboarding branch with greenkeeper migration', async () => {
-      git.getFileList.mockResolvedValue(['package.json']);
-      const pJsonContent = JSON.stringify({
-        name: 'some-name',
-        version: '0.0.1',
-        greenkeeper: {
-          label: 'greenkeeper',
-          branchName: 'greenkeeper--',
-          ignore: ['foo', 'bar'],
-        },
-      });
-      fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue(pJsonContent);
-      platform.commitFiles.mockResolvedValueOnce('abc123');
-      await checkOnboardingBranch(config);
-      expect(
-        platform.commitFiles.mock.calls[0][0].files[0].contents
-      ).toMatchSnapshot();
-    });
     it('updates onboarding branch', async () => {
       git.getFileList.mockResolvedValue(['package.json']);
       platform.findPr.mockResolvedValue(null);
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.ts b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.ts
index 6ac793f49678d5..ace750bb82cf88 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/index.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export async function checkOnboardingBranch(
     }
     logger.debug('Need to create onboarding PR');
     const commit = await createOnboardingBranch(config);
+    // istanbul ignore if
     if (commit) {
       logger.info(
         { branch: config.onboardingBranch, commit, onboarding: true },
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.ts b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.ts
index ff4a8e628edbf4..0b34bb6ed0e0be 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export async function rebaseOnboardingBranch(
     defaultConfigFile,
     config.onboardingBranch
   );
-  const contents = await getOnboardingConfig(config);
+  const contents = getOnboardingConfig(config);
   if (contents === existingContents && !pr.isStale) {
     logger.debug('Onboarding branch is up to date');
     return null;