@@ -539,7 +539,6 @@ The updated files are placed under `./test/fixtures/wpt` by default. In addition
 to the assets, this also updates:
 
 - `./test/fixtures/wpt/versions.json`
-- `./test/fixtures/wpt/README.md`
 - `./test/fixtures/wpt/LICENSE.md`
 
 ```
 
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 import path from 'node:path';
 
-import _ from 'lodash';
-
 import GitHubTree from '../github/tree.js';
 import {
-  writeFile, readJson, writeJson, readFile, removeDirectory
+  writeFile, readJson, writeJson, removeDirectory
 } from '../file.js';
 import {
   shortSha
@@ -28,11 +26,6 @@ export class WPTUpdater {
     this.assets = [];
   }
 
-  templates(...args) {
-    const file = path.posix.join('templates', ...args);
-    return _.template(readFile(new URL(file, import.meta.url)));
-  }
-
   fixtures(...args) {
     return path.join(this.nodedir, 'test', 'fixtures', 'wpt', ...args);
   }
@@ -41,10 +34,6 @@ export class WPTUpdater {
     return this.fixtures('versions.json');
   }
 
-  get readmePath() {
-    return this.fixtures('README.md');
-  }
-
   getLocalVersions() {
     return readJson(this.versionsPath);
   }
@@ -98,12 +87,10 @@ export class WPTUpdater {
   }
 
   /**
-   * @param {string} nodedir
    * @param {Object<string, {commit: string, path: string}>} updated
    */
   async updateVersions(updated) {
     const versionsPath = this.versionsPath;
-    const readmePath = this.readmePath;
     let versions = this.getLocalVersions();
 
     this.cli.startSpinner('Updating versions.json ...');
@@ -116,15 +103,6 @@ export class WPTUpdater {
     );
     writeJson(versionsPath, versions);
     this.cli.stopSpinner(`Updated ${versionsPath}`);
-
-    const urlMap = Object.keys(versions).map(
-      (key) => [key, this.getTreeUrl(versions[key].path, versions[key].commit)]
-    );
-
-    this.cli.startSpinner('Updating README ...');
-    const readme = this.templates('README.md')({ map: urlMap });
-    writeFile(readmePath, readme);
-    this.cli.stopSpinner(`Updated ${readmePath}`);
   }
 
   async updateLicense() {
 
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 /* eslint-disable import/no-named-as-default-member */
 import { describe, it, before, after } from 'node:test';
 import assert from 'node:assert';
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import nodePath from 'node:path';
 import TestCLI from '../fixtures/test_cli.js';
 import sinon from 'sinon';
 
@@ -26,6 +29,7 @@ describe('WPTUpdater', function() {
       gql: sinon.stub()
     };
     nodedir = '.';
+    path = UNKNOWN_PATH;
     request.gql.withArgs(
       'LastCommit',
       {
@@ -42,7 +46,6 @@ describe('WPTUpdater', function() {
   });
 
   it('exits with meaningful error when WPT name not found', async() => {
-    path = UNKNOWN_PATH;
     wptUpdater = new WPTUpdater(path, cli, request, nodedir);
     let thrown;
     try {
@@ -62,4 +65,46 @@ describe('WPTUpdater', function() {
         ]]
       }, { ignore: ['startSpinner', 'separator', 'log', 'updateSpinner'] });
   });
+
+  it('updates versions.json without rewriting README.md', async() => {
+    cli.clearCalls();
+    const tempDir = fs.mkdtempSync(nodePath.join(os.tmpdir(), 'ncu-wpt-'));
+    try {
+      const fixtures = nodePath.join(tempDir, 'test', 'fixtures', 'wpt');
+      fs.mkdirSync(fixtures, { recursive: true });
+
+      const versionsPath = nodePath.join(fixtures, 'versions.json');
+      const readmePath = nodePath.join(fixtures, 'README.md');
+      const readme = 'stable README\n';
+      fs.writeFileSync(readmePath, readme);
+      fs.writeFileSync(versionsPath, JSON.stringify({
+        url: {
+          commit: 'e4a4672e9e607fc2b28e7173b83ce4e38ef53071',
+          path: 'url'
+        }
+      }, null, 2) + '\n');
+
+      wptUpdater = new WPTUpdater('url', cli, request, tempDir);
+      await wptUpdater.updateVersions({
+        url: {
+          commit: 'd4598eba0959249d8715818a402b432c513f9492',
+          path: 'url'
+        }
+      });
+
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync(readmePath, 'utf8'), readme);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(versionsPath, 'utf8')), {
+        url: {
+          commit: 'd4598eba0959249d8715818a402b432c513f9492',
+          path: 'url'
+        }
+      });
+      cli.assertCalledWith({
+        startSpinner: [['Updating versions.json ...']],
+        stopSpinner: [[`Updated ${versionsPath}`]]
+      });
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
 });