diff --git a/src/dask_awkward/lib/core.py b/src/dask_awkward/lib/core.py
index 017b705d..0babd032 100644
--- a/src/dask_awkward/lib/core.py
+++ b/src/dask_awkward/lib/core.py
@@ -1568,7 +1568,6 @@ def partitionwise_layer(
     func: Callable,
     name: str,
     *args: Any,
-    opt_touch_all: bool = False,
     **kwargs: Any,
 ) -> AwkwardBlockwiseLayer:
     """Create a partitionwise graph layer.
@@ -1623,8 +1622,6 @@ def partitionwise_layer(
         **kwargs,
     )
     layer = AwkwardBlockwiseLayer.from_blockwise(layer)
-    if opt_touch_all:
-        layer._opt_touch_all = True
     return layer
 
 
@@ -1669,7 +1666,6 @@ def map_partitions(
     token: str | None = None,
     meta: Any | None = None,
     output_divisions: int | None = None,
-    opt_touch_all: bool = False,
     traverse: bool = True,
     **kwargs: Any,
 ) -> Array:
@@ -1707,9 +1703,6 @@ def map_partitions(
         value greater than 1 means the divisions were expanded by some
         operation. This argument is mainly for internal library
         function implementations.
-    opt_touch_all : bool
-        Touch all layers in this graph during typetracer based
-        optimization.
     traverse : bool
         Unpack basic python containers to find dask collections.
     **kwargs : Any
@@ -1747,6 +1740,14 @@ def map_partitions(
     This is effectively the same as `d = c * a`
 
     """
+    opt_touch_all = kwargs.pop("opt_touch_all", None)
+    if opt_touch_all is not None:
+        warnings.warn(
+            "The opt_touch_all argument does nothing.\n"
+            "This warning will be removed in a future version of dask-awkward "
+            "and the function call will likely fail."
+        )
+
     token = token or tokenize(base_fn, *args, meta, **kwargs)
     label = hyphenize(label or funcname(base_fn))
     name = f"{label}-{token}"
@@ -1791,7 +1792,6 @@ def map_partitions(
         name,
         *arg_flat_deps_expanded,
         *kwarg_flat_deps,
-        opt_touch_all=opt_touch_all,
     )
 
     if meta is None:
diff --git a/src/dask_awkward/lib/optimize.py b/src/dask_awkward/lib/optimize.py
index d4d3c619..2f971873 100644
--- a/src/dask_awkward/lib/optimize.py
+++ b/src/dask_awkward/lib/optimize.py
@@ -115,9 +115,6 @@ def _prepare_buffer_projection(
     for name in _ak_output_layer_names(dsk):
         projection_layers[name] = _mock_output(projection_layers[name])
 
-    for name in _opt_touch_all_layer_names(dsk):
-        projection_layers[name] = _touch_and_call(projection_layers[name])
-
     hlg = HighLevelGraph(projection_layers, dsk.dependencies)
 
     # this loop builds up what are the possible final leaf nodes by
@@ -235,11 +232,6 @@ def _ak_output_layer_names(dsk: HighLevelGraph) -> list[str]:
     return _layers_with_annotation(dsk, "ak_output")
 
 
-def _opt_touch_all_layer_names(dsk: HighLevelGraph) -> list[str]:
-    return [n for n, v in dsk.layers.items() if hasattr(v, "_opt_touch_all")]
-    # return _layers_with_annotation(dsk, "ak_touch_all")
-
-
 def _has_projectable_awkward_io_layer(dsk: HighLevelGraph) -> bool:
     """Check if a graph at least one AwkwardInputLayer that is project-able."""
     for _, v in dsk.layers.items():
@@ -266,22 +258,6 @@ def _mock_output(layer):
     return new_layer
 
 
-def _touch_and_call_fn(fn, *args, **kwargs):
-    _touch_all_data(*args, **kwargs)
-    return fn(*args, **kwargs)
-
-
-def _touch_and_call(layer):
-    assert len(layer.dsk) == 1
-
-    new_layer = copy.deepcopy(layer)
-    mp = new_layer.dsk.copy()
-    for k in iter(mp.keys()):
-        mp[k] = (_touch_and_call_fn,) + mp[k]
-    new_layer.dsk = mp
-    return new_layer
-
-
 def rewrite_layer_chains(dsk: HighLevelGraph, keys: Any) -> HighLevelGraph:
     """Smush chains of blockwise layers into a single layer.
 
diff --git a/src/dask_awkward/lib/structure.py b/src/dask_awkward/lib/structure.py
index 0ceebf32..025b9375 100644
--- a/src/dask_awkward/lib/structure.py
+++ b/src/dask_awkward/lib/structure.py
@@ -1261,7 +1261,6 @@ def zip(
             *colls,
             label="zip",
             meta=meta,
-            opt_touch_all=True,
         )
 
     elif isinstance(arrays, Sequence):