--- a/browser/extensions/shield-recipe-client/lib/ShieldRecipeClient.jsm
+++ b/browser/extensions/shield-recipe-client/lib/ShieldRecipeClient.jsm
@@ -37,17 +37,16 @@ const DEFAULT_PREFS = {
   enabled: true,
   startup_delay_seconds: 300,
   "logging.level": Log.Level.Warn,
   user_id: "",
   run_interval_seconds: 86400, // 24 hours
   first_run: true,
 };
 const PREF_DEV_MODE = "extensions.shield-recipe-client.dev_mode";
-const PREF_SELF_SUPPORT_ENABLED = "browser.selfsupport.enabled";
 const PREF_LOGGING_LEVEL = PREF_BRANCH + "logging.level";
 
 let log = null;
 
 /**
  * Handles startup and shutdown of the entire add-on. Bootsrap.js defers to this
  * module for most tasks so that we can more easily test startup and shutdown
  * (bootstrap.js is difficult to import in tests).
@@ -59,44 +58,29 @@ this.ShieldRecipeClient = {
     // Setup logging and listen for changes to logging prefs
     LogManager.configure(Services.prefs.getIntPref(PREF_LOGGING_LEVEL));
     Preferences.observe(PREF_LOGGING_LEVEL, LogManager.configure);
     CleanupManager.addCleanupHandler(
       () => Preferences.ignore(PREF_LOGGING_LEVEL, LogManager.configure),
     );
     log = LogManager.getLogger("bootstrap");
 
-    // Disable self-support, since we replace its behavior.
-    // Self-support only checks its pref on start, so if we disable it, wait
-    // until next startup to run, unless the dev_mode preference is set.
-    if (Preferences.get(PREF_SELF_SUPPORT_ENABLED, true)) {
-      Preferences.set(PREF_SELF_SUPPORT_ENABLED, false);
-      if (!Preferences.get(PREF_DEV_MODE, false)) {
-        return;
-      }
-    }
-
     // Initialize experiments first to avoid a race between initializing prefs
     // and recipes rolling back pref changes when experiments end.
     try {
       await PreferenceExperiments.init();
     } catch (err) {
       log.error("Failed to initialize preference experiments:", err);
     }
 
     await RecipeRunner.init();
   },
 
   shutdown(reason) {
     CleanupManager.cleanup();
-
-    // Re-enable self-support if we're being disabled.
-    if (reason === REASONS.ADDON_DISABLE || reason === REASONS.ADDON_UNINSTALL) {
-      Services.prefs.setBoolPref(PREF_SELF_SUPPORT_ENABLED, true);
-    }
   },
 
   setDefaultPrefs() {
     for (const [key, val] of Object.entries(DEFAULT_PREFS)) {
       const fullKey = PREF_BRANCH + key;
       // If someone beat us to setting a default, don't overwrite it.
       if (!Preferences.isSet(fullKey)) {
         Preferences.set(fullKey, val);

--- a/browser/extensions/shield-recipe-client/test/browser/browser_ClientEnvironment.js
+++ b/browser/extensions/shield-recipe-client/test/browser/browser_ClientEnvironment.js
@@ -111,14 +111,17 @@ add_task(async function testExperiments(
   );
 
   getAll.restore();
 });
 
 add_task(async function isFirstRun() {
   let environment = ClientEnvironment.getEnvironment();
 
+  // isFirstRun is initially set to true
+  ok(environment.isFirstRun, "isFirstRun has a default value");
+
   // isFirstRun is read from a preference
   await SpecialPowers.pushPrefEnv({set: [["extensions.shield-recipe-client.first_run", true]]});
   environment = ClientEnvironment.getEnvironment();
   ok(environment.isFirstRun, "isFirstRun is read from preferences");
 });
 

--- a/testing/profiles/prefs_general.js
+++ b/testing/profiles/prefs_general.js
@@ -300,17 +300,17 @@ user_pref("browser.uitour.url", "http://
 // Tell the search service we are running in the US.  This also has the desired
 // side-effect of preventing our geoip lookup.
 user_pref("browser.search.isUS", true);
 user_pref("browser.search.countryCode", "US");
 // This will prevent HTTP requests for region defaults.
 user_pref("browser.search.geoSpecificDefaults", false);
 
 // Make sure Shield doesn't hit the network.
-user_pref("extensions.shield-recipe-client.api_url", "https://example.com/selfsupport-dummy/");
+user_pref("extensions.shield-recipe-client.api_url", "");
 
 user_pref("media.eme.enabled", true);
 
 // Set the number of shmems the PChromiumCDM protocol pre-allocates to 0,
 // so that we test the case where we under-estimate how many shmems we need
 // to send decoded video frames from the CDM to Gecko.
 user_pref("media.eme.chromium-api.video-shmems", 0);