diff --git a/arkindex/documents/management/commands/bootstrap.py b/arkindex/documents/management/commands/bootstrap.py
index 3ca2dacd4a0fbdfc5e63450c7c7c5e2d4664dbd2..a5024cc46239ed76f36d7a4725f06a0c1e64d616 100644
--- a/arkindex/documents/management/commands/bootstrap.py
+++ b/arkindex/documents/management/commands/bootstrap.py
@@ -6,12 +6,10 @@ from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.models import Q
 from django.db.utils import IntegrityError
-from rest_framework.authtoken.models import Token
 
 from arkindex.images.models import ImageServer
 from arkindex.ponos.models import Farm
 from arkindex.process.models import FeatureUsage, Repository, Worker, WorkerType, WorkerVersion, WorkerVersionState
-from arkindex.users.models import User
 
 # Constants used in architecture project
 UPLOADS_IMAGE_SERVER_ID = 12345
@@ -30,7 +28,6 @@ IMPORT_WORKER_SLUG = "file_import"
 IMPORT_WORKER_REPO = "https://gitlab.teklia.com/arkindex/tasks"
 IMPORT_WORKER_REVISION_MESSAGE = "File import worker bootstrap"
 IMPORT_WORKER_REVISION_AUTHOR = "Dev Bootstrap"
-ADMIN_API_TOKEN = "deadbeefTestToken"
 
 
 class Command(BaseCommand):
@@ -48,15 +45,6 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
         """Helper to display error messages"""
         self.stdout.write(self.style.ERROR(f"❌ {msg}"))
 
-    def check_user(self, user):
-        """Ensure a user is admin"""
-        if user.is_admin:
-            self.success(f"Admin user for legacy worker API tokens {user} is valid")
-        else:
-            user.is_admin = True
-            user.save()
-            self.warn(f"Updated user {user} to admin")
-
     def create_image_server(self, id, url, bucket, region, display_name):
         try:
             server = ImageServer.objects.get(Q(id=id) | Q(url=url))
@@ -129,29 +117,6 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
             )
             self.success("Ponos farm created")
 
-        # An admin API user with a specific token
-        try:
-            token = Token.objects.get(key=ADMIN_API_TOKEN)
-            self.check_user(token.user)
-        except Token.DoesNotExist:
-            # Create a new internal user
-            user, _ = User.objects.get_or_create(
-                email="internal+bootstrap@teklia.com",
-                defaults={
-                    "display_name": "Bootstrap Admin user",
-                    "is_admin": True,
-                }
-            )
-            self.success("Created internal user")
-            self.check_user(user)
-
-            # Finally create a specific token for that user
-            if hasattr(user, "auth_token"):
-                # Support One-To-One relation
-                user.auth_token.delete()
-            Token.objects.create(key=ADMIN_API_TOKEN, user=user)
-            self.success(f"Created token {ADMIN_API_TOKEN}")
-
         # an image server for local cantaloupe https://ark.localhost/iiif/2
         uploads_server = self.create_image_server(UPLOADS_IMAGE_SERVER_ID , UPLOADS_IMAGE_SERVER_URL, UPLOADS_IMAGE_SERVER_BUCKET , UPLOADS_IMAGE_SERVER_REGION , "Local IIIF server for user uploaded files through frontend")
         if uploads_server is None:
diff --git a/arkindex/project/checks.py b/arkindex/project/checks.py
index 4e9845fcb7e19005e75f3c48d2da7f3f7e9febfe..956d7da0de2307054ab0bafc8ac42625ad2017d9 100644
--- a/arkindex/project/checks.py
+++ b/arkindex/project/checks.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def ponos_env_check(*args, **kwargs):
     errors = []
 
     env = settings.PONOS_DEFAULT_ENV.copy()
-    for variable in ("ARKINDEX_API_URL", "ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN", "ARKINDEX_API_CSRF_COOKIE"):
+    for variable in ("ARKINDEX_API_URL", "ARKINDEX_API_CSRF_COOKIE"):
         if variable not in env:
             errors.append(Warning(
                 f"The {variable} environment variable should be defined "
@@ -96,6 +96,14 @@ def ponos_env_check(*args, **kwargs):
                 id="arkindex.W006",
             ))
 
+    if "ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN" in env:
+        errors.append(Warning(
+            "Defining a default value for the ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN variable may introduce a security issue "
+            "by allowing Ponos tasks to bypass the Ponos task authentication. Consider removing it.",
+            hint=f"`ponos.default_env.ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN` in {settings.CONFIG_PATH}",
+            id="arkindex.W013",
+        ))
+
     return errors
 
 
diff --git a/arkindex/project/settings.py b/arkindex/project/settings.py
index 238fd4906b9b39338291b4c573b9a9109425dc13..b3c25f74170d7ee09e6c2920950135926f4d544b 100644
--- a/arkindex/project/settings.py
+++ b/arkindex/project/settings.py
@@ -492,7 +492,6 @@ if DEBUG:
     # In dev, include overridable API info
     _ponos_env.update({
         "ARKINDEX_API_URL": "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/",
-        "ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN": "deadbeefTestToken",
     })
 _ponos_env.update(conf["ponos"]["default_env"])
 PONOS_DEFAULT_ENV = _ponos_env
diff --git a/arkindex/project/tests/test_checks.py b/arkindex/project/tests/test_checks.py
index ecac2f6810813a55a045eb4f6546af6084bd44c5..d5089af5a45c1c0d9ca21a8c2cadaab38f5d1df8 100644
--- a/arkindex/project/tests/test_checks.py
+++ b/arkindex/project/tests/test_checks.py
@@ -66,7 +66,9 @@ class ChecksTestCase(TestCase):
         self.assertListEqual(ponos_env_check(), [])
 
         settings.CONFIG_PATH = Path("/somewhere/config.yml")
-        settings.PONOS_DEFAULT_ENV = {}
+        settings.PONOS_DEFAULT_ENV = {
+            "ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN": "oh no",
+        }
         self.assertListEqual(ponos_env_check(), [
             Warning(
                 "The ARKINDEX_API_URL environment variable should be defined "
@@ -75,16 +77,16 @@ class ChecksTestCase(TestCase):
                 id="arkindex.W006",
             ),
             Warning(
-                "The ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN environment variable should be defined "
+                "The ARKINDEX_API_CSRF_COOKIE environment variable should be defined "
                 "to allow API client autoconfiguration in Ponos tasks",
                 hint="`ponos.default_env` in /somewhere/config.yml",
                 id="arkindex.W006",
             ),
             Warning(
-                "The ARKINDEX_API_CSRF_COOKIE environment variable should be defined "
-                "to allow API client autoconfiguration in Ponos tasks",
-                hint="`ponos.default_env` in /somewhere/config.yml",
-                id="arkindex.W006",
+                "Defining a default value for the ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN variable may introduce a security issue "
+                "by allowing Ponos tasks to bypass the Ponos task authentication. Consider removing it.",
+                hint="`ponos.default_env.ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN` in /somewhere/config.yml",
+                id="arkindex.W013",
             ),
         ])
 
diff --git a/config.yml.sample b/config.yml.sample
index 539c78314dd191721d662aa4dad56088111b1bef..5f902f82ec50a78227f2a99e28e8548474809df0 100644
--- a/config.yml.sample
+++ b/config.yml.sample
@@ -10,10 +10,6 @@ s3:
   endpoint: https://minio.ark.localhost
   region: localdev
 
-ponos:
-  default_env:
-    ARKINDEX_API_TOKEN: deadbeefTestToken
-
 features:
   signup: yes
   search: yes