diff --git a/docs/specs/index.rst b/docs/specs/index.rst
--- a/docs/specs/index.rst
+++ b/docs/specs/index.rst
@@ -10,5 +10,4 @@
    blueprint.rst
    spec-loading.rst
    spec-technical.rst
-   spec-sparse-deposit.rst
    spec-meta-deposit.rst
diff --git a/docs/specs/metadata_example.xml b/docs/specs/metadata_example.xml
--- a/docs/specs/metadata_example.xml
+++ b/docs/specs/metadata_example.xml
@@ -26,8 +26,5 @@
           <swh:create_origin>
             <swh:origin url="http://has.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243573" />
           </swh:create_origin>
-          <swh:bindings>
-          <swh:binding source="path/to/file.txt" destination="aaaaaaaaaaa..."/>
-        </swh:bindings>
         </swh:deposit>
     </entry>
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
@@ -131,4 +131,3 @@
 
 In this case, the metadata-deposit will be injected as a metadata entry of
 the relevant object, with the information about the contributor of the deposit.
-Contrary to the complete and sparse deposit, there will be no object creation.
diff --git a/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst b/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst
deleted file mode 100644
--- a/docs/specs/spec-sparse-deposit.rst
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,100 +0,0 @@
-The sparse-deposit
-==================
-
-Goal
-----
-A client wishes to transfer a tarball for which part of the content is
-already in the SWH archive.
-
-Requirements
-------------
-To do so, a list of paths with targets must be provided in the metadata and
-the paths to the missing directories/content should not be included
-in the tarball. The list will be referred to
-as the manifest list using the entry name 'bindings' in the metadata.
-
-+----------------------+-------------------------------------+
-| path                 | swh-id                              |
-+======================+=====================================+
-| path/to/file.txt     |  swh:1:cnt:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... |
-+----------------------+-------------------------------------+
-| path/to/dir/         |  swh:1:dir:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... |
-+----------------------+-------------------------------------+
-
-Note: the *name* of the file or the directory is given by the path and is not
-part of the identified object.
-
-TODO: see if a trailing "/" is mandatory for implementation.
-
-A concrete example
-------------------
-The manifest list is included in the metadata xml atomEntry under the
-swh namespace:
-
-TODO: publish schema at https://www.softwareheritage.org/schema/2018/deposit
-
-.. code:: xml
-
-  <?xml version="1.0"?>
-    <entry xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
-             xmlns:codemeta="https://doi.org/10.5063/SCHEMA/CODEMETA-2.0"
-             xmlns:swh="https://www.softwareheritage.org/schema/2018/deposit">
-        <author>
-          <name>HAL</name>it mandatory to have a trailing "/",
-          <email>hal@ccsd.cnrs.fr</email>
-        </author>
-        <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>
-        <codemeta:applicationCategory>Domain</codemeta:applicationCategory>
-        <codemeta:description>description</codemeta:description>
-        <codemeta:author>
-            <codemeta:name> author1 </codemeta:name>
-            <codemeta:affiliation> Inria </codemeta:affiliation>
-            <codemeta:affiliation> UPMC </codemeta:affiliation>
-        </codemeta:author>
-        <codemeta:author>
-            <codemeta:name> author2 </codemeta:name>
-            <codemeta:affiliation> Inria </codemeta:affiliation>
-            <codemeta:affiliation> UPMC </codemeta:affiliation>
-        </codemeta:author>
-        <swh:deposit>
-          <swh:bindings>
-          <swh:binding source="path/to/file.txt" destination="swh:1:cnt:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"/>
-          <swh:binding source="path/to/second_file.txt destination="swh:1:cnt:bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb"/>
-          <swh:binding source="path/to/dir/destination="swh:1:dir:ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd"/>
-
-        </swh:bindings>
-        </swh:deposit>
-    </entry>
-
-
-Deposit verification
---------------------
-
-After checking the integrity of the deposit content and
-metadata, the following checks should be added:
-
-1. validate the manifest list structure with a correct swh-id for each path  (syntax check on the swh-id format)
-2. verify that the path name corresponds to the object type
-3. locate the identifiers in the SWH archive
-
-Each failing check should return a different error with the deposit
-and result in a 'rejected' deposit.
-
-Loading procedure
-------------------
-The injection procedure should include:
-
-- load the tarball new data
-- create new objects using the path name and create links from the path to the
-  SWH object using the identifier
-- calculate identifier of the new objects at each level
-- return final swh-id of the new revision
-
-Invariant: the same content should yield the same swh-id,
-that's why a complete deposit with all the content and
-a sparse-deposit with the correct links will result
-with the same root directory swh-id.
-The same is expected with the revision swh-id if the metadata provided is
-identical.
diff --git a/docs/specs/swh.xsd b/docs/specs/swh.xsd
--- a/docs/specs/swh.xsd
+++ b/docs/specs/swh.xsd
@@ -31,20 +31,6 @@
           </xsd:complexType>
         </xsd:element>
 
-        <!-- sparse deposit -->
-        <xsd:element name="bindings">
-          <xsd:complexType>
-            <xsd:sequence>
-              <xsd:element name="binding" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
-                <xsd:complexType>
-                    <xsd:attribute type="xsd:string" name="source"/>
-                    <xsd:attribute type="xsd:string" name="destination"/>
-                </xsd:complexType>
-              </xsd:element>
-            </xsd:sequence>
-          </xsd:complexType>
-        </xsd:element>
-
       </xsd:choice>
     </xsd:complexType>
   </xsd:element>