diff --git a/src/env/mod.rs b/src/env/mod.rs
index 03aa4eadc..a27beba93 100644
--- a/src/env/mod.rs
+++ b/src/env/mod.rs
@@ -18,9 +18,6 @@
 /// with `$fish_read_limit`.
 pub static READ_BYTE_LIMIT: AtomicUsize = AtomicUsize::new(DEFAULT_READ_BYTE_LIMIT);
 
-/// The curses `cur_term` TERMINAL pointer has been set up.
-pub static CURSES_INITIALIZED: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
-
 /// Does the terminal have the "eat new line" glitch.
 pub static TERM_HAS_XN: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
 
diff --git a/src/env_dispatch.rs b/src/env_dispatch.rs
index ec9515cce..255f9554f 100644
--- a/src/env_dispatch.rs
+++ b/src/env_dispatch.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 use crate::complete::complete_invalidate_path;
 use crate::curses::{self, Term};
 use crate::env::{setenv_lock, unsetenv_lock, EnvMode, EnvStack, Environment};
-use crate::env::{CURSES_INITIALIZED, DEFAULT_READ_BYTE_LIMIT, READ_BYTE_LIMIT, TERM_HAS_XN};
+use crate::env::{DEFAULT_READ_BYTE_LIMIT, READ_BYTE_LIMIT, TERM_HAS_XN};
 use crate::flog::FLOG;
 use crate::function;
 use crate::input_common::{update_wait_on_escape_ms, update_wait_on_sequence_key_ms};
@@ -583,7 +583,6 @@ fn init_curses(vars: &EnvStack) {
     update_fish_color_support(vars);
     // Invalidate the cached escape sequences since they may no longer be valid.
     LAYOUT_CACHE_SHARED.lock().unwrap().clear();
-    CURSES_INITIALIZED.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
 }
 
 /// Initialize the locale subsystem
diff --git a/src/input.rs b/src/input.rs
index eddd9eace..38636f09e 100644
--- a/src/input.rs
+++ b/src/input.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::common::{escape, get_by_sorted_name, str2wcstring, Named};
 use crate::curses;
-use crate::env::{Environment, CURSES_INITIALIZED};
+use crate::env::Environment;
 use crate::event;
 use crate::flog::FLOG;
 // Polyfill for Option::is_none_or(), stabilized in 1.82.0
@@ -1022,7 +1022,6 @@ pub fn get<'a>(
 
 /// Create a list of terminfo mappings.
 fn create_input_terminfo() -> Box<[TerminfoMapping]> {
-    assert!(CURSES_INITIALIZED.load(Ordering::Relaxed));
     let Some(term) = curses::term() else {
         // setupterm() failed so we can't reference any key definitions.
         return Box::new([]);