diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 75cf453eb3d2..f92911c88c9c 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -670,6 +670,7 @@ jobs:
   linux-x64-publish:
     <<: *machine-linux-2xlarge
     environment:
+      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True'
       <<: *env-release-build
     <<: *steps-electron-build-for-publish
 
@@ -716,6 +717,7 @@ jobs:
   linux-ia32-publish:
     <<: *machine-linux-2xlarge
     environment:
+      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True'
       <<: *env-ia32
       <<: *env-release-build
     <<: *steps-electron-build-for-publish
@@ -766,7 +768,7 @@ jobs:
     environment:
       <<: *env-arm
       <<: *env-release-build
-      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_arm=True'
+      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_arm=True --custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True'
     <<: *steps-electron-build-for-publish
 
   linux-arm-native-mksnapshot:
@@ -822,7 +824,7 @@ jobs:
     environment:
       <<: *env-arm64
       <<: *env-release-build
-      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_arm64=True'
+      GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS: '--custom-var=checkout_arm64=True --custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True'
     <<: *steps-electron-build-for-publish
 
   linux-arm64-native-mksnapshot:
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
deleted file mode 100644
index f6b899f682ac..000000000000
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-[submodule "vendor/requests"]
-	path = vendor/requests
-	url = https://github.com/kennethreitz/requests
-[submodule "vendor/boto"]
-	path = vendor/boto
-	url = https://github.com/boto/boto.git
diff --git a/DEPS b/DEPS
index 4d354d2fd743..20392dc82405 100644
--- a/DEPS
+++ b/DEPS
@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@ vars = {
   'node_version':
     '18a9880b70039f5d41ee860a95fe84e5ef928973',
 
+  'boto_version': 'f7574aa6cc2c819430c1f05e9a1a1a666ef8169b',
+  'requests_version': 'e4d59bedfd3c7f4f254f4f5d036587bcd8152458',
+
   'pyyaml_version':
     '3.12',
 
+  'boto_git': 'https://github.com/boto',
+
   'chromium_git':
     'https://chromium.googlesource.com',
 
@@ -16,12 +21,20 @@ vars = {
   'yaml_git':
     'https://github.com/yaml',
 
+  'requests_git': 'https://github.com/kennethreitz',
+
+  # Python interface to Amazon Web Services. Is used for releases only.
+  'checkout_boto': False,
+
   'checkout_nacl':
     False,
   'checkout_libaom':
     True,
   'checkout_oculus_sdk':
     False,
+
+  # Python "requests" module is used for releases only.
+  'checkout_requests': False,
 }
 
 deps = {
@@ -31,6 +44,14 @@ deps = {
     (Var("electron_git")) + '/node.git@' + (Var("node_version")),
   'src/electron/vendor/pyyaml':
     (Var("yaml_git")) + '/pyyaml.git@' + (Var("pyyaml_version")),
+  'src/electron/vendor/boto': {
+    'url': Var('boto_git') + '/boto.git' + '@' +  Var('boto_version'),
+    'condition': 'checkout_boto',
+  },
+  'src/electron/vendor/requests': {
+    'url': Var('requests_git') + '/requests.git' + '@' +  Var('requests_version'),
+    'condition': 'checkout_requests',
+  },
 }
 
 hooks = [
@@ -66,31 +87,24 @@ hooks = [
     'name': 'electron_npm_deps'
   },
   {
-    'action': [
-      'python',
-      '-c',
-      'import os; os.chdir("src"); os.chdir("electron"); os.system("git submodule update --init --recursive");',
-    ],
-    'pattern': 'src/electron',
-    'name': 'electron_submodules'
-  },
-  {
+    'name': 'setup_boto',
+    'condition': 'checkout_boto',
     'action': [
       'python',
       '-c',
       'import os; os.chdir("src"); os.chdir("electron"); os.chdir("vendor"); os.chdir("boto"); os.system("python setup.py build");',
     ],
     'pattern': 'src/electron',
-    'name': 'setup_boto',
   },
   {
+    'name': 'setup_requests',
+    'condition': 'checkout_requests',
     'action': [
       'python',
       '-c',
       'import os; os.chdir("src"); os.chdir("electron"); os.chdir("vendor"); os.chdir("requests"); os.system("python setup.py build");',
     ],
     'pattern': 'src/electron',
-    'name': 'setup_requests',
   }
 ]
 
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 19cd84ccf893..d42c16098aab 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -17,10 +17,15 @@ build_script:
   - ps: Move-Item $env:APPVEYOR_BUILD_FOLDER -Destination src\electron
   - ps: $env:CHROMIUM_BUILDTOOLS_PATH="$pwd\src\buildtools"
   - ps: $env:SCCACHE_PATH="$pwd\src\electron\external_binaries\sccache.exe"
+  - ps: >-
+      if ($env:GN_CONFIG -eq 'release') {
+        $env:GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS="--custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True"
+      }
   - >-
       gclient config
       --name "src\electron"
       --unmanaged
+      %GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS%
       "https://github.com/electron/electron"
   - gclient sync --with_branch_heads --with_tags
   - cd src
@@ -34,7 +39,6 @@ build_script:
   - ninja -C out/Default third_party/electron_node:headers
   - appveyor PushArtifact out/Default/dist.zip
   - appveyor PushArtifact out/Default/chromedriver.zip
-
   - appveyor PushArtifact out/ffmpeg/ffmpeg.zip
   - ps: >-
       if ($env:GN_CONFIG -eq 'release') {
diff --git a/vendor/boto b/vendor/boto
deleted file mode 160000
index f7574aa6cc2c..000000000000
--- a/vendor/boto
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit f7574aa6cc2c819430c1f05e9a1a1a666ef8169b
diff --git a/vendor/requests b/vendor/requests
deleted file mode 160000
index e4d59bedfd3c..000000000000
--- a/vendor/requests
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit e4d59bedfd3c7f4f254f4f5d036587bcd8152458
diff --git a/vsts.yml b/vsts.yml
index c4910afb4c58..6cb0eb39124c 100644
--- a/vsts.yml
+++ b/vsts.yml
@@ -13,10 +13,15 @@ jobs:
       export PATH="$PATH:/Users/electron/depot_tools"
       echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=PATH]$PATH"
       export GIT_CACHE_PATH="/Users/electron/libcc_cache"
+      if [ "$ELECTRON_RELEASE" == "1" ]; then
+        GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS='--custom-var=checkout_boto=True --custom-var=checkout_requests=True'
+      fi
+
       set -ex
       gclient config \
         --name "src/electron" \
         --unmanaged \
+        $GCLIENT_EXTRA_ARGS \
         "https://github.com/electron/electron"
       gclient sync --with_branch_heads --with_tags
       cd src