diff --git a/src/lib/internal.h b/src/lib/internal.h
index 1e25f276e..d464c7687 100644
--- a/src/lib/internal.h
+++ b/src/lib/internal.h
@@ -966,7 +966,6 @@ int sprite_init(const tinfo* t, int fd);
 int sprite_clear_all(const tinfo* t, int fd);
 int kitty_shutdown(int fd);
 int sixel_shutdown(int fd);
-sprixel* sprixel_by_id(const ncpile* n, uint32_t id);
 // these three all use absolute coordinates
 void sprixel_invalidate(sprixel* s, int y, int x);
 void sprixel_movefrom(sprixel* s, int y, int x);
diff --git a/src/lib/render.c b/src/lib/render.c
index 7b6ef2885..58d3d01be 100644
--- a/src/lib/render.c
+++ b/src/lib/render.c
@@ -208,10 +208,6 @@ paint_sprixel(ncplane* p, struct crender* rvec, int starty, int startx,
 // the sprixelstack orders sprixels of the plane (so we needn't keep them
 // ordered between renders). each time we meet a sprixel, extract it from
 // the pile's sprixel list, and update the sprixelstack.
-//
-// FIXME lift the cell_sprixel_p() variant out and run it its own way
-// (unless we want to let sprixels live off-origin in ncplanes), eliminating
-// per-cell sprixel_by_id() check
 static void
 paint(ncplane* p, struct crender* rvec, int dstleny, int dstlenx,
       int dstabsy, int dstabsx, sprixel** sprixelstack){
diff --git a/src/lib/sprite.c b/src/lib/sprite.c
index fc16ce425..113622af3 100644
--- a/src/lib/sprite.c
+++ b/src/lib/sprite.c
@@ -115,15 +115,6 @@ void sprixel_invalidate(sprixel* s, int y, int x){
   }
 }
 
-sprixel* sprixel_by_id(const ncpile* n, uint32_t id){
-  for(sprixel* cur = n->sprixelcache ; cur ; cur = cur->next){
-    if(cur->id == id){
-      return cur;
-    }
-  }
-  return NULL;
-}
-
 sprixel* sprixel_alloc(ncplane* n, int dimy, int dimx){
   sprixel* ret = malloc(sizeof(sprixel));
   if(ret){