diff --git a/tools/gn/build_settings.cc b/tools/gn/build_settings.cc
index 14f1aa8..3fac976 100644
--- a/tools/gn/build_settings.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/build_settings.cc
@@ -9,8 +9,7 @@
 #include "base/files/file_util.h"
 #include "tools/gn/filesystem_utils.h"
 
-BuildSettings::BuildSettings()
-    : check_for_bad_items_(true) {
+BuildSettings::BuildSettings() {
 }
 
 BuildSettings::BuildSettings(const BuildSettings& other)
@@ -20,8 +19,7 @@
       python_path_(other.python_path_),
       build_config_file_(other.build_config_file_),
       build_dir_(other.build_dir_),
-      build_args_(other.build_args_),
-      check_for_bad_items_(true) {
+      build_args_(other.build_args_) {
 }
 
 BuildSettings::~BuildSettings() {
diff --git a/tools/gn/build_settings.h b/tools/gn/build_settings.h
index 5424cf9..0b986cd 100644
--- a/tools/gn/build_settings.h
+++ b/tools/gn/build_settings.h
@@ -95,18 +95,6 @@
     exec_script_whitelist_ = std::move(list);
   }
 
-  // When set (the default), code should perform normal validation of inputs
-  // and structures, like undefined or possibly incorrectly used things. For
-  // some interrogation commands, we don't care about this and actually want
-  // to allow the user to check the structure of the build to solve their
-  // problem, and these checks are undesirable.
-  bool check_for_bad_items() const {
-    return check_for_bad_items_;
-  }
-  void set_check_for_bad_items(bool c) {
-    check_for_bad_items_ = c;
-  }
-
  private:
   base::FilePath root_path_;
   std::string root_path_utf8_;
@@ -122,8 +110,6 @@
 
   std::unique_ptr<std::set<SourceFile>> exec_script_whitelist_;
 
-  bool check_for_bad_items_;
-
   BuildSettings& operator=(const BuildSettings& other);  // Disallow.
 };
 
diff --git a/tools/gn/command_analyze.cc b/tools/gn/command_analyze.cc
index ee3774c..6fd5823 100644
--- a/tools/gn/command_analyze.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/command_analyze.cc
@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@
   }
 
   Setup* setup = new Setup;
-  setup->build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
   if (!setup->DoSetup(args[0], false) || !setup->Run())
     return 1;
 
diff --git a/tools/gn/command_args.cc b/tools/gn/command_args.cc
index 374a274..1b81135 100644
--- a/tools/gn/command_args.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/command_args.cc
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@
 
 int ListArgs(const std::string& build_dir) {
   Setup* setup = new Setup;
-  setup->build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
   if (!setup->DoSetup(build_dir, false) || !setup->Run())
     return 1;
 
@@ -231,7 +230,6 @@
     // Scope the setup. We only use it for some basic state. We'll do the
     // "real" build below in the gen command.
     Setup setup;
-    setup.build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
     // Don't fill build arguments. We're about to edit the file which supplies
     // these in the first place.
     setup.set_fill_arguments(false);
diff --git a/tools/gn/command_desc.cc b/tools/gn/command_desc.cc
index 2257221..9f7f903 100644
--- a/tools/gn/command_desc.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/command_desc.cc
@@ -430,7 +430,6 @@
 
   // Deliberately leaked to avoid expensive process teardown.
   Setup* setup = new Setup;
-  setup->build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
   if (!setup->DoSetup(args[0], false))
     return 1;
   if (!setup->Run())
diff --git a/tools/gn/command_ls.cc b/tools/gn/command_ls.cc
index 676ff57..58b9c87 100644
--- a/tools/gn/command_ls.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/command_ls.cc
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@
   }
 
   Setup* setup = new Setup;
-  setup->build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
   if (!setup->DoSetup(args[0], false) || !setup->Run())
     return 1;
 
diff --git a/tools/gn/command_refs.cc b/tools/gn/command_refs.cc
index 6fa0146..4d7ad7b 100644
--- a/tools/gn/command_refs.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/command_refs.cc
@@ -403,7 +403,6 @@
   bool all_toolchains = cmdline->HasSwitch(switches::kAllToolchains);
 
   Setup* setup = new Setup;
-  setup->build_settings().set_check_for_bad_items(false);
   if (!setup->DoSetup(args[0], false) || !setup->Run())
     return 1;
 
diff --git a/tools/gn/setup.cc b/tools/gn/setup.cc
index c5eace2..8a433bc 100644
--- a/tools/gn/setup.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/setup.cc
@@ -330,22 +330,20 @@
 
 bool Setup::RunPostMessageLoop() {
   Err err;
-  if (build_settings_.check_for_bad_items()) {
-    if (!builder_.CheckForBadItems(&err)) {
-      err.PrintToStdout();
-      return false;
-    }
+  if (!builder_.CheckForBadItems(&err)) {
+    err.PrintToStdout();
+    return false;
+  }
 
-    if (!build_settings_.build_args().VerifyAllOverridesUsed(&err)) {
-      // TODO(brettw) implement a system to have a different marker for
-      // warnings. Until we have a better system, print the error but don't
-      // return failure unless requested on the command line.
-      err.PrintToStdout();
-      if (base::CommandLine::ForCurrentProcess()->HasSwitch(
-              switches::kFailOnUnusedArgs))
-        return false;
-      return true;
-    }
+  if (!build_settings_.build_args().VerifyAllOverridesUsed(&err)) {
+    // TODO(brettw) implement a system to have a different marker for
+    // warnings. Until we have a better system, print the error but don't
+    // return failure unless requested on the command line.
+    err.PrintToStdout();
+    if (base::CommandLine::ForCurrentProcess()->HasSwitch(
+            switches::kFailOnUnusedArgs))
+      return false;
+    return true;
   }
 
   if (check_public_headers_) {
diff --git a/tools/gn/target.cc b/tools/gn/target.cc
index aafdc4f..49de35d 100644
--- a/tools/gn/target.cc
+++ b/tools/gn/target.cc
@@ -300,15 +300,13 @@
 
   FillOutputFiles();
 
-  if (settings()->build_settings()->check_for_bad_items()) {
-    if (!CheckVisibility(err))
-      return false;
-    if (!CheckTestonly(err))
-      return false;
-    if (!CheckAssertNoDeps(err))
-      return false;
-    CheckSourcesGenerated();
-  }
+  if (!CheckVisibility(err))
+    return false;
+  if (!CheckTestonly(err))
+    return false;
+  if (!CheckAssertNoDeps(err))
+    return false;
+  CheckSourcesGenerated();
 
   if (!write_runtime_deps_output_.value().empty())
     g_scheduler->AddWriteRuntimeDepsTarget(this);