diff --git a/src/cache/core/types/common.ts b/src/cache/core/types/common.ts
index fdad9b47547..5c7ac7db401 100644
--- a/src/cache/core/types/common.ts
+++ b/src/cache/core/types/common.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ export class MissingFieldError extends Error {
     public readonly message: string,
     public readonly path: (string | number)[],
     public readonly query: import('graphql').DocumentNode,
-    public readonly clientOnly: boolean,
     public readonly variables?: Record<string, any>,
   ) {
     super(message);
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/entityStore.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/entityStore.ts
index 5f300956dfc..396b683aede 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/entityStore.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/entityStore.ts
@@ -1213,14 +1213,12 @@ describe('EntityStore', () => {
           'Can\'t find field \'hobby\' on Author:{"name":"Ted Chiang"} object',
           ["authorOfBook", "hobby"],
           expect.anything(), // query
-          false, // clientOnly
           expect.anything(), // variables
         ),
         new MissingFieldError(
           'Can\'t find field \'publisherOfBook\' on ROOT_QUERY object',
           ["publisherOfBook"],
           expect.anything(), // query
-          false, // clientOnly
           expect.anything(), // variables
         ),
       ],
@@ -1814,7 +1812,6 @@ describe('EntityStore', () => {
         "Dangling reference to missing Author:2 object",
         ["book", "author"],
         expect.anything(), // query
-        false, // clientOnly
         expect.anything(), // variables
       ),
     ];
@@ -2084,7 +2081,6 @@ describe('EntityStore', () => {
           'Can\'t find field \'title\' on Book:{"isbn":"031648637X"} object',
           ["book", "title"],
           expect.anything(), // query
-          false, // clientOnly
           expect.anything(), // variables
         ),
       ],
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/policies.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/policies.ts
index 0c7267553a2..0721b76f896 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/policies.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/policies.ts
@@ -1352,7 +1352,6 @@ describe("type policies", function () {
           `Can't find field 'result' on Job:{"name":"Job #${jobNumber}"} object`,
           ["jobs", jobNumber - 1, "result"],
           expect.anything(), // query
-          false, // clientOnly
           expect.anything(), // variables
         );
       }
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/readFromStore.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/readFromStore.ts
index 54d9e691741..c3c1deff2a6 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/readFromStore.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/readFromStore.ts
@@ -729,7 +729,6 @@ describe('reading from the store', () => {
 }`,
         ["normal", "missing"],
         query,
-        false, // clientOnly
         {}, // variables
       ),
       new MissingFieldError(
@@ -738,7 +737,6 @@ describe('reading from the store', () => {
 }`,
         ["clientOnly", "missing"],
         query,
-        true, // clientOnly
         {}, // variables
       ),
     ]);
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/readFromStore.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/readFromStore.ts
index 803855c7526..36caf7ea1d4 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/readFromStore.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/readFromStore.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ interface ReadContext extends ReadMergeModifyContext {
   canonizeResults: boolean;
   fragmentMap: FragmentMap;
   path: (string | number)[];
-  clientOnly: boolean;
 };
 
 export type ExecResult<R = any> = {
@@ -62,7 +61,6 @@ function missingFromInvariant(
     err.message,
     context.path.slice(),
     context.query,
-    context.clientOnly,
     context.variables,
   );
 }
@@ -241,7 +239,6 @@ export class StoreReader {
         canonizeResults,
         fragmentMap: createFragmentMap(getFragmentDefinitions(query)),
         path: [],
-        clientOnly: false,
       },
     });
 
@@ -344,20 +341,6 @@ export class StoreReader {
         const resultName = resultKeyNameFromField(selection);
         context.path.push(resultName);
 
-        // If this field has an @client directive, then the field and
-        // everything beneath it is client-only, meaning it will never be
-        // sent to the server.
-        const wasClientOnly = context.clientOnly;
-        // Once we enter a client-only subtree of the query, we can avoid
-        // repeatedly checking selection.directives.
-        context.clientOnly = wasClientOnly || !!(
-          // We don't use the hasDirectives helper here, because it looks
-          // for directives anywhere inside the AST node, whereas we only
-          // care about directives directly attached to this field.
-          selection.directives &&
-          selection.directives.some(d => d.name.value === "client")
-        );
-
         if (fieldValue === void 0) {
           if (!addTypenameToDocument.added(selection)) {
             getMissing().push(
@@ -407,8 +390,6 @@ export class StoreReader {
           objectsToMerge.push({ [resultName]: fieldValue });
         }
 
-        context.clientOnly = wasClientOnly;
-
         invariant(context.path.pop() === resultName);
 
       } else {