diff --git a/lib/metadataTypes/User.js b/lib/metadataTypes/User.js
index 49b44d8f9..59701f082 100644
--- a/lib/metadataTypes/User.js
+++ b/lib/metadataTypes/User.js
@@ -938,14 +938,6 @@ class User extends MetadataType {
             return;
         }
 
-        // if ran as part of retrieve/deploy with key, exit here
-        if (metadata && Object.keys(metadata).length === 1) {
-            Util.logger.debug(
-                'Only 1 user found. Skipping documentation, assuming we ran retrieve-by-key.'
-            );
-            return;
-        }
-
         if (!metadata) {
             // load users from disk if document was called directly and not part of a retrieve
             try {