diff --git a/api/src/api/v2.js b/api/src/api/v2.js
index 4f0c3e2..c0526f4 100644
--- a/api/src/api/v2.js
+++ b/api/src/api/v2.js
@@ -87,6 +87,15 @@ function get_job(body) {
             }
         }
 
+        if (
+            files.filter(file => !file.encoding || file.encoding === 'utf8')
+                .length === 0
+        ) {
+            return reject({
+                message: 'files must include at least one utf8 encoded file',
+            });
+        }
+
         const rt = runtime.get_latest_runtime_matching_language_version(
             language,
             version
@@ -97,15 +106,6 @@ function get_job(body) {
             });
         }
 
-        if (
-            rt.language !== 'file' &&
-            !files.some(file => !file.encoding || file.encoding === 'utf8')
-        ) {
-            return reject({
-                message: 'files must include at least one utf8 encoded file',
-            });
-        }
-
         for (const constraint of ['memory_limit', 'timeout']) {
             for (const type of ['compile', 'run']) {
                 const constraint_name = `${type}_${constraint}`;
diff --git a/api/src/job.js b/api/src/job.js
index ca95e6f..7acff22 100644
--- a/api/src/job.js
+++ b/api/src/job.js
@@ -222,9 +222,7 @@ class Job {
             } runtime=${this.runtime.toString()}`
         );
 
-        const code_files =
-            (this.runtime.language === 'file' && this.files) ||
-            this.files.filter(file => file.encoding == 'utf8');
+        const code_files = this.files.filter(file => file.encoding == 'utf8');
 
         logger.debug('Compiling');
 
@@ -272,9 +270,7 @@ class Job {
             } gid=${this.gid} runtime=${this.runtime.toString()}`
         );
 
-        const code_files =
-            (this.runtime.language === 'file' && this.files) ||
-            this.files.filter(file => file.encoding == 'utf8');
+        const code_files = this.files.filter(file => file.encoding == 'utf8');
 
         if (this.runtime.compiled) {
             eventBus.emit('stage', 'compile');
diff --git a/cli/commands/execute.js b/cli/commands/execute.js
index 0d906bc..c69d3a0 100644
--- a/cli/commands/execute.js
+++ b/cli/commands/execute.js
@@ -245,18 +245,9 @@ async function run_non_interactively(files, argv) {
 
 exports.handler = async argv => {
     const files = [...(argv.files || []), argv.file].map(file_path => {
-        const buffer = fs.readFileSync(file_path);
-        const encoding =
-            (buffer
-                .toString()
-                .split('')
-                .some(x => x.charCodeAt(0) >= 128) &&
-                'base64') ||
-            'utf8';
         return {
             name: path.basename(file_path),
-            content: buffer.toString(encoding),
-            encoding,
+            content: fs.readFileSync(file_path).toString(),
         };
     });
 
diff --git a/packages/file/0.0.1/build.sh b/packages/file/0.0.1/build.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index d7ab47e..0000000
--- a/packages/file/0.0.1/build.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# Nothing to do here
diff --git a/packages/file/0.0.1/environment b/packages/file/0.0.1/environment
deleted file mode 100644
index d5a7803..0000000
--- a/packages/file/0.0.1/environment
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-export PATH=$PWD:$PATH
diff --git a/packages/file/0.0.1/metadata.json b/packages/file/0.0.1/metadata.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae34ae9..0000000
--- a/packages/file/0.0.1/metadata.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-{
-    "language": "file",
-    "version": "0.0.1",
-    "aliases": ["executable", "elf", "binary"]
-}
diff --git a/packages/file/0.0.1/run b/packages/file/0.0.1/run
deleted file mode 100644
index 77ed0a6..0000000
--- a/packages/file/0.0.1/run
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-filename="$1"
-chmod +x "$filename"
-shift
-./"$filename" "$@"
diff --git a/packages/file/0.0.1/test.file b/packages/file/0.0.1/test.file
deleted file mode 100755
index 8c7a67d..0000000
Binary files a/packages/file/0.0.1/test.file and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 1679568..d2f2e75 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -341,7 +341,6 @@ Content-Type: application/json
 `elixir`,
 `emacs`,
 `erlang`,
-`file`,
 `forte`,
 `fortran`,
 `freebasic`,