diff --git a/boards/nrf52840-mdk/Makefile.include b/boards/nrf52840-mdk/Makefile.include
index 8c032416452ee24cb93cc84c1fa5c5bbb22646eb..34c3a015c3697ef4f21518697903220bbc736c8b 100644
--- a/boards/nrf52840-mdk/Makefile.include
+++ b/boards/nrf52840-mdk/Makefile.include
@@ -10,9 +10,6 @@ ifeq (pyocd,$(PROGRAMMER))
   # option is passed explicitly
   export FLASH_TARGET_TYPE ?= -t $(CPU)
   include $(RIOTMAKE)/tools/pyocd.inc.mk
-else ifeq (openocd,$(PROGRAMMER))
-  export DEBUG_ADAPTER ?= dap
-  include $(RIOTMAKE)/tools/openocd.inc.mk
 endif
 
 include $(RIOTBOARD)/common/nrf52/Makefile.include
diff --git a/boards/nrf52840-mdk/dist/openocd.cfg b/boards/nrf52840-mdk/dist/openocd.cfg
deleted file mode 100644
index 60f0681d520ba3351e7f7ef69671ae6ff79c6f67..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/boards/nrf52840-mdk/dist/openocd.cfg
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-transport select swd
-source [find target/nrf52.cfg]