diff --git a/protocols/kad/src/behaviour.rs b/protocols/kad/src/behaviour.rs
index 9d3d9014538..b5ac5a48fdd 100644
--- a/protocols/kad/src/behaviour.rs
+++ b/protocols/kad/src/behaviour.rs
@@ -1993,7 +1993,6 @@ where
         Ok(KademliaHandler::new(
             KademliaHandlerConfig {
                 protocol_config: self.protocol_config.clone(),
-                allow_listening: true,
                 idle_timeout: self.connection_idle_timeout,
             },
             ConnectedPoint::Listener {
@@ -2014,7 +2013,6 @@ where
         Ok(KademliaHandler::new(
             KademliaHandlerConfig {
                 protocol_config: self.protocol_config.clone(),
-                allow_listening: true,
                 idle_timeout: self.connection_idle_timeout,
             },
             ConnectedPoint::Dialer {
diff --git a/protocols/kad/src/handler.rs b/protocols/kad/src/handler.rs
index 27938c1f477..2067b381103 100644
--- a/protocols/kad/src/handler.rs
+++ b/protocols/kad/src/handler.rs
@@ -106,9 +106,6 @@ pub struct KademliaHandlerConfig {
     /// Configuration of the wire protocol.
     pub protocol_config: KademliaProtocolConfig,
 
-    /// If false, we deny incoming requests.
-    pub allow_listening: bool,
-
     /// Time after which we close an idle connection.
     pub idle_timeout: Duration,
 }
@@ -534,13 +531,6 @@ where
             <Self as ConnectionHandler>::InboundOpenInfo,
         >,
     ) {
-        // If `self.allow_listening` is false, then we produced a `DeniedUpgrade` and `protocol`
-        // is a `Void`.
-        let protocol = match protocol {
-            future::Either::Left(p) => p,
-            future::Either::Right(p) => void::unreachable(p),
-        };
-
         if let ProtocolStatus::Unconfirmed = self.protocol_status {
             // Upon the first successfully negotiated substream, we know that the
             // remote is configured with the same protocol name and we want
@@ -572,7 +562,6 @@ where
             }
         }
 
-        debug_assert!(self.config.allow_listening);
         let connec_unique_id = self.next_connec_unique_id;
         self.next_connec_unique_id.0 += 1;
         self.inbound_substreams
@@ -611,19 +600,14 @@ where
     type InEvent = KademliaHandlerIn<TUserData>;
     type OutEvent = KademliaHandlerEvent<TUserData>;
     type Error = io::Error; // TODO: better error type?
-    type InboundProtocol = Either<KademliaProtocolConfig, upgrade::DeniedUpgrade>;
+    type InboundProtocol = KademliaProtocolConfig;
     type OutboundProtocol = KademliaProtocolConfig;
     // Message of the request to send to the remote, and user data if we expect an answer.
     type OutboundOpenInfo = (KadRequestMsg, Option<TUserData>);
     type InboundOpenInfo = ();
 
     fn listen_protocol(&self) -> SubstreamProtocol<Self::InboundProtocol, Self::InboundOpenInfo> {
-        if self.config.allow_listening {
-            SubstreamProtocol::new(self.config.protocol_config.clone(), ())
-                .map_upgrade(Either::Left)
-        } else {
-            SubstreamProtocol::new(Either::Right(upgrade::DeniedUpgrade), ())
-        }
+        SubstreamProtocol::new(self.config.protocol_config.clone(), ())
     }
 
     fn on_behaviour_event(&mut self, message: KademliaHandlerIn<TUserData>) {
@@ -812,7 +796,6 @@ impl Default for KademliaHandlerConfig {
     fn default() -> Self {
         KademliaHandlerConfig {
             protocol_config: Default::default(),
-            allow_listening: true,
             idle_timeout: Duration::from_secs(10),
         }
     }