diff --git a/fdroidserver/deploy.py b/fdroidserver/deploy.py
index ab0f5394..d6a448d6 100644
--- a/fdroidserver/deploy.py
+++ b/fdroidserver/deploy.py
@@ -391,19 +391,14 @@ def sync_from_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir):
     push to all the servers that are configured.
 
     """
-    logging.info('Syncing from local_copy_dir to this repo.')
     if options.index_only:
-        rsyncargs = ['--include', "*/"] + _get_index_includes(repo_section) + ['--exclude', '*']
-        common.local_rsync(options,
-                           os.path.join(local_copy_dir, repo_section).rstrip('/') + '/',
-                           repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/',
-                           args=rsyncargs)
-    else:
-        # trailing slashes have a meaning in rsync which is not needed here, so
-        # make sure both paths have exactly one trailing slash
-        common.local_rsync(options,
-                           os.path.join(local_copy_dir, repo_section).rstrip('/') + '/',
-                           repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/')
+        raise FDroidException(_('The index only mode cannot be used when syncing to the local copy filesystem'))
+
+    # trailing slashes have a meaning in rsync which is not needed here, so
+    # make sure both paths have exactly one trailing slash
+    common.local_rsync(options,
+                       os.path.join(local_copy_dir, repo_section).rstrip('/') + '/',
+                       repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/')
 
     offline_copy = os.path.join(local_copy_dir, BINARY_TRANSPARENCY_DIR)
     if os.path.exists(os.path.join(offline_copy, '.git')):
@@ -420,14 +415,10 @@ def update_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir):
 
     """
     if options.index_only:
-        rsyncargs = ['--include', "*/"] + _get_index_includes(repo_section) + ['--exclude', '*']
-        common.local_rsync(options,
-                           repo_section,
-                           local_copy_dir,
-                           args=rsyncargs)
-    else:
-        # local_copy_dir is guaranteed to have a trailing slash in main() below
-        common.local_rsync(options, repo_section, local_copy_dir)
+        raise FDroidException(_('The index only mode cannot be used when syncing to the local copy filesystem'))
+
+    # local_copy_dir is guaranteed to have a trailing slash in main() below
+    common.local_rsync(options, repo_section, local_copy_dir)
 
     offline_copy = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), BINARY_TRANSPARENCY_DIR)
     if os.path.isdir(os.path.join(offline_copy, '.git')):
diff --git a/tests/deploy.TestCase b/tests/deploy.TestCase
index 19a82c7d..aee55ec1 100755
--- a/tests/deploy.TestCase
+++ b/tests/deploy.TestCase
@@ -507,72 +507,6 @@ class DeployTest(unittest.TestCase):
             fdroidserver.deploy.update_serverwebroot({'url': url}, repo_section)
         self.assertEqual(call_iteration, 1, 'expected 1 invocations of subprocess.call')
 
-    def test_update_localcopy_in_index_only_mode(self):
-        # setup parameters for this test run
-        fdroidserver.deploy.options.no_chcksum = False
-        fdroidserver.deploy.options.verbose = True
-        fdroidserver.deploy.options.quiet = False
-        fdroidserver.deploy.options.identity_file = None
-        fdroidserver.deploy.options.index_only = True
-        repo_section = 'repo'
-
-        # setup function for asserting subprocess.call invocations
-        call_iteration = 0
-
-        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as local_copy_dir:
-
-            def update_localcopy_call(cmd):
-                nonlocal call_iteration
-                if call_iteration == 0:
-                    self.assertListEqual(
-                        cmd,
-                        [
-                            'rsync',
-                            '--recursive',
-                            '--safe-links',
-                            '--times',
-                            '--perms',
-                            '--one-file-system',
-                            '--delete',
-                            '--chmod=Da+rx,Fa-x,a+r,u+w',
-                            '--verbose',
-                            '--include',
-                            "*/",
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/entry.jar',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/entry.json',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/entry.json.asc',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index-v1.jar',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index-v1.json',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index-v1.json.asc',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index-v2.json',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index-v2.json.asc',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index.jar',
-                            '--include',
-                            'repo/index.xml',
-                            '--exclude',
-                            "*",
-                            'repo',
-                            local_copy_dir,
-                        ],
-                    )
-                else:
-                    self.fail('unexpected subprocess.call invocation')
-                call_iteration += 1
-                return 0
-
-            with mock.patch('subprocess.call', side_effect=update_localcopy_call):
-                fdroidserver.deploy.update_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir)
-        self.assertEqual(call_iteration, 1, 'expected 1 invocations of subprocess.call')
-
     @unittest.skipIf(
         not os.getenv('VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY'), 'VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY is not set'
     )