diff --git a/datasette/cli.py b/datasette/cli.py
index 1d7457b2..0d47f47a 100644
--- a/datasette/cli.py
+++ b/datasette/cli.py
@@ -117,77 +117,6 @@ def publish():
 pm.hook.publish_subcommand(publish=publish)
 
 
-@cli.command()
-@click.argument("files", type=click.Path(exists=True), nargs=-1, required=True)
-@click.option(
-    "-m",
-    "--metadata",
-    default="metadata.json",
-    help="Name of metadata file to generate",
-)
-@click.option(
-    "sqlite_extensions",
-    "--load-extension",
-    envvar="SQLITE_EXTENSIONS",
-    multiple=True,
-    type=click.Path(exists=True, resolve_path=True),
-    help="Path to a SQLite extension to load",
-)
-def skeleton(files, metadata, sqlite_extensions):
-    "Generate a skeleton metadata.json file for specified SQLite databases"
-    if os.path.exists(metadata):
-        click.secho(
-            "File {} already exists, will not over-write".format(metadata),
-            bg="red",
-            fg="white",
-            bold=True,
-            err=True,
-        )
-        sys.exit(1)
-    app = Datasette(files, sqlite_extensions=sqlite_extensions)
-    databases = {}
-    for database_name, info in app.inspect().items():
-        databases[database_name] = {
-            "title": None,
-            "description": None,
-            "description_html": None,
-            "license": None,
-            "license_url": None,
-            "source": None,
-            "source_url": None,
-            "queries": {},
-            "tables": {
-                table_name: {
-                    "title": None,
-                    "description": None,
-                    "description_html": None,
-                    "license": None,
-                    "license_url": None,
-                    "source": None,
-                    "source_url": None,
-                    "units": {},
-                }
-                for table_name in (info.get("tables") or {})
-            },
-        }
-    open(metadata, "w").write(
-        json.dumps(
-            {
-                "title": None,
-                "description": None,
-                "description_html": None,
-                "license": None,
-                "license_url": None,
-                "source": None,
-                "source_url": None,
-                "databases": databases,
-            },
-            indent=4,
-        )
-    )
-    click.echo("Wrote skeleton to {}".format(metadata))
-
-
 @cli.command()
 @click.option("--all", help="Include built-in default plugins", is_flag=True)
 @click.option(
diff --git a/docs/metadata.rst b/docs/metadata.rst
index e01803db..9b7fe653 100644
--- a/docs/metadata.rst
+++ b/docs/metadata.rst
@@ -182,52 +182,3 @@ Spatialite tables are automatically hidden) using ``"hidden": true``::
             }
         }
     }
-
-Generating a metadata skeleton
-------------------------------
-
-Tracking down the names of all of your databases and tables and formatting them
-as JSON can be a little tedious, so Datasette provides a tool to help you
-generate a "skeleton" JSON file::
-
-    datasette skeleton database1.db database2.db
-
-This will create a ``metadata.json`` file looking something like this::
-
-    {
-        "title": null,
-        "description": null,
-        "description_html": null,
-        "license": null,
-        "license_url": null,
-        "source": null,
-        "source_url": null,
-        "databases": {
-            "database1": {
-                "title": null,
-                "description": null,
-                "description_html": null,
-                "license": null,
-                "license_url": null,
-                "source": null,
-                "source_url": null,
-                "queries": {},
-                "tables": {
-                    "example_table": {
-                        "title": null,
-                        "description": null,
-                        "description_html": null,
-                        "license": null,
-                        "license_url": null,
-                        "source": null,
-                        "source_url": null,
-                        "units": {}
-                    }
-                }
-            },
-            "database2": ...
-        }
-    }
-
-You can replace any of the ``null`` values with a JSON string to populate that
-piece of metadata.