diff --git a/runtime/bin/main_impl.cc b/runtime/bin/main_impl.cc
index d2c4fd14c5f3..eecebd8bab3e 100644
--- a/runtime/bin/main_impl.cc
+++ b/runtime/bin/main_impl.cc
@@ -586,6 +586,16 @@ static Dart_Isolate CreateAndSetupDartDevIsolate(const char* script_uri,
   int64_t start = Dart_TimelineGetMicros();
 
   auto dartdev_path = DartDevIsolate::TryResolveDartDevSnapshotPath();
+  if (dartdev_path.get() == nullptr) {
+    Syslog::PrintErr(
+        "Failed to start the Dart CLI isolate. Could not resolve DartDev "
+        "snapshot or kernel.\n");
+    if (error != nullptr && *error != nullptr) {
+      free(*error);
+      *error = nullptr;
+    }
+    return nullptr;
+  }
 
   Dart_Isolate isolate = nullptr;
   const uint8_t* isolate_snapshot_data = core_isolate_snapshot_data;
@@ -593,14 +603,9 @@ static Dart_Isolate CreateAndSetupDartDevIsolate(const char* script_uri,
       core_isolate_snapshot_instructions;
   IsolateGroupData* isolate_group_data = nullptr;
   IsolateData* isolate_data = nullptr;
-
-  if (error != nullptr) {
-    *error = nullptr;
-  }
   AppSnapshot* app_snapshot = nullptr;
   bool isolate_run_app_snapshot = true;
-  if (dartdev_path.get() != nullptr &&
-      (app_snapshot = Snapshot::TryReadAppSnapshot(
+  if ((app_snapshot = Snapshot::TryReadAppSnapshot(
            dartdev_path.get(), /*force_load_elf_from_memory=*/false,
            /*decode_uri=*/false)) != nullptr) {
     const uint8_t* isolate_snapshot_data = nullptr;
@@ -621,27 +626,16 @@ static Dart_Isolate CreateAndSetupDartDevIsolate(const char* script_uri,
   }
 
   if (isolate == nullptr) {
-    isolate_run_app_snapshot = false;
-    dartdev_path = DartDevIsolate::TryResolveDartDevKernelPath();
+    // dartdev_path was not an application snapshot, try it as a kernel file.
     // Clear error from app snapshot and retry from kernel.
     if (error != nullptr && *error != nullptr) {
       free(*error);
       *error = nullptr;
     }
-
+    isolate_run_app_snapshot = false;
     if (app_snapshot != nullptr) {
       delete app_snapshot;
     }
-
-    if (dartdev_path.get() == nullptr) {
-      Syslog::PrintErr(
-          "Failed to start the Dart CLI isolate. Could not resolve DartDev "
-          "snapshot or kernel.\n");
-      delete isolate_data;
-      delete isolate_group_data;
-      return nullptr;
-    }
-
     isolate_group_data =
         new IsolateGroupData(DART_DEV_ISOLATE_NAME, packages_config, nullptr,
                              isolate_run_app_snapshot);
diff --git a/sdk/BUILD.gn b/sdk/BUILD.gn
index 52897f81a7ff..d80448568af7 100644
--- a/sdk/BUILD.gn
+++ b/sdk/BUILD.gn
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ declare_args() {
 # ........analysis_server.dart.snapshot
 # ........dart2js.dart.snapshot
 # ........dart2wasm_product.snapshot (if not on ia32)
-# ........dartdev.dart.snapshot
-# ........dartdev.dill
+# ........dartdev.dart.snapshot (app-jit snapshot or kernel dill file)
 # ........dartdevc.dart.snapshot
 # ........dds.dart.snapshot
 # ........frontend_server.dart.snapshot
@@ -453,17 +452,6 @@ copy("copy_vm_dill_files") {
       [ "$root_out_dir/$dart_sdk_output/lib/_internal/{{source_file_part}}" ]
 }
 
-copy("copy_dartdev_dill_files") {
-  visibility = [ ":create_common_sdk" ]
-  deps = [
-    ":copy_libraries",
-    "../utils/dartdev:dartdev",
-  ]
-  sources = [ "$root_out_dir/dartdev.dill" ]
-  outputs =
-      [ "$root_out_dir/$dart_sdk_output/bin/snapshots/{{source_file_part}}" ]
-}
-
 copy("copy_dart2js_dill_files") {
   visibility = [ ":create_full_sdk" ]
   deps = [
@@ -682,7 +670,6 @@ group("create_common_sdk") {
   public_deps = [
     ":copy_api_readme",
     ":copy_dart",
-    ":copy_dartdev_dill_files",
     ":copy_dartdoc_files",
     ":copy_headers",
     ":copy_libraries_specification",
diff --git a/utils/dartdev/BUILD.gn b/utils/dartdev/BUILD.gn
index e3818aaedf7f..9e9dd6e73d4d 100644
--- a/utils/dartdev/BUILD.gn
+++ b/utils/dartdev/BUILD.gn
@@ -7,28 +7,11 @@ import("../application_snapshot.gni")
 
 group("dartdev") {
   public_deps = [
-    ":copy_dartdev_kernel",
     ":copy_dartdev_snapshot",
     ":copy_prebuilt_devtools",
   ]
 }
 
-copy("copy_dartdev_kernel") {
-  visibility = [ ":dartdev" ]
-  public_deps = [ ":generate_dartdev_kernel" ]
-  sources = [ "$root_gen_dir/dartdev.dill" ]
-  outputs = [ "$root_out_dir/dartdev.dill" ]
-}
-
-application_snapshot("generate_dartdev_kernel") {
-  dart_snapshot_kind = "kernel"
-  main_dart = "../../pkg/dartdev/bin/dartdev.dart"
-  training_args = []
-  deps = [ "../dds:dds" ]
-  vm_args = [ "--sound-null-safety" ]
-  output = "$root_gen_dir/dartdev.dill"
-}
-
 copy("copy_dartdev_snapshot") {
   visibility = [ ":dartdev" ]
   public_deps = [ ":generate_dartdev_snapshot" ]