diff --git a/docs/metadata.rst b/docs/metadata.rst
--- a/docs/metadata.rst
+++ b/docs/metadata.rst
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@
            xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"
            xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0">
         <title>Awesome Compiler</title>
-        <client>hal</client>
         <id>urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a</id>
         <dcterms:identifier>hal-01587361</dcterms:identifier>
         <dcterms:identifier>doi:10.5281/zenodo.438684</dcterms:identifier>
diff --git a/docs/specs/spec-loading.rst b/docs/specs/spec-loading.rst
--- a/docs/specs/spec-loading.rst
+++ b/docs/specs/spec-loading.rst
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@
 +-------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------------+----------------+
 | date              | release date = publication date   | datePublished   | deposit_date   |
 +-------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------------+----------------+
-| author            | deposit client                    | author          | client         |
+| author            | deposit client                    | author          | X              |
 +-------------------+-----------------------------------+-----------------+----------------+
 
 
@@ -308,7 +308,6 @@
                     "email": "hal@ccsd.cnrs.fr",
                     "name": "HAL"
                 },
-                "client": "hal",
                 "codemeta:applicationCategory": "info",
                 "codemeta:author": {
                     "codemeta:name": "Morane Gruenpeter"
diff --git a/docs/specs/spec-meta-deposit.rst b/docs/specs/spec-meta-deposit.rst
--- a/docs/specs/spec-meta-deposit.rst
+++ b/docs/specs/spec-meta-deposit.rst
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@
         <name>HAL</name>
         <email>hal@ccsd.cnrs.fr</email>
       </author>
-      <client>hal</client>
       <codemeta:name>The assignment problem</codemeta:name>
       <codemeta:url>https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243573</codemeta:url>
       <codemeta:identifier>other identifier, DOI, ARK</codemeta:identifier>
diff --git a/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst b/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst
--- a/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst
+++ b/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
           <name>HAL</name>it mandatory to have a trailing "/",
           <email>hal@ccsd.cnrs.fr</email>
         </author>
-        <client>hal</client>
         <codemeta:name>The assignment problem</codemeta:name>
         <codemeta:url>https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243573</codemeta:url>
         <codemeta:identifier>other identifier, DOI, ARK</codemeta:identifier>
diff --git a/docs/user-manual.rst b/docs/user-manual.rst
--- a/docs/user-manual.rst
+++ b/docs/user-manual.rst
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@
    <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
    xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0">
      <title>Verifiable online voting system</title>
-     <client>belenios</client>
      <id>belenios-01243065</id>
      <codemeta:url>https://gitlab.inria.fr/belenios/belenios</codemeta:url>
      <codemeta:applicationCategory>test</codemeta:applicationCategory>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data-fail-metadata-functional-checks.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data-fail-metadata-functional-checks.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data-fail-metadata-functional-checks.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data-fail-metadata-functional-checks.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
     <!-- no author nor title nor name -->
-    <client>hal</client>
     <id>urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a</id>
     <updated>2017-10-07T15:17:08Z</updated>
 </entry>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data0.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data0.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data0.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data0.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
     <title>Awesome Compiler</title>
-    <client>hal</client>
     <id>urn:uuid:1225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a</id>
     <updated>2017-10-07T15:17:08Z</updated>
     <author>some awesome author</author>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data1.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data1.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data1.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/entry-data1.xml
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
-    <client>hal</client>
     <id>urn:uuid:2225c695-cfb8-4ebb-aaaa-80da344efa6a</id>
     <updated>2017-10-07T15:17:08Z</updated>
     <author>some awesome author</author>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-decimal.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-decimal.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-decimal.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-decimal.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0">
   <title>Composing a Web of Audio Applications</title>
-  <client>hal</client>
   <id>hal-01243065</id>
   <codemeta:url>https://hal-test.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243065</codemeta:url>
   <codemeta:applicationCategory>test</codemeta:applicationCategory>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-external-identifier.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-external-identifier.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-external-identifier.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/error-with-external-identifier.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0">
   <title>Composing a Web of Audio Applications</title>
-  <client>hal</client>
   <id>hal-01243065</id>
   <external_identifier>hal-01243065</external_identifier>
 </entry>
diff --git a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/metadata.xml b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/metadata.xml
--- a/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/metadata.xml
+++ b/swh/deposit/tests/data/atom/metadata.xml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
 xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0">
   <title>Composing a Web of Audio Applications</title>
-  <client>hal</client>
   <id>hal-01243065</id>
   <codemeta:url>https://hal-test.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243065</codemeta:url>
   <codemeta:applicationCategory>test</codemeta:applicationCategory>