diff --git a/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c b/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
index 0805398e24..25867c8bd5 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/init/postinit.c
@@ -580,57 +580,14 @@ InitializeMaxBackends(void)
 	MaxBackends = MaxConnections + autovacuum_max_workers + 1 +
 		max_worker_processes + max_wal_senders;
 
-	/* internal error because the values were all checked previously */
 	if (MaxBackends > MAX_BACKENDS)
-		elog(ERROR, "too many backends configured");
-}
-
-/*
- * GUC check_hook for max_connections
- */
-bool
-check_max_connections(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
-{
-	if (*newval + autovacuum_max_workers + 1 +
-		max_worker_processes + max_wal_senders > MAX_BACKENDS)
-		return false;
-	return true;
-}
-
-/*
- * GUC check_hook for autovacuum_max_workers
- */
-bool
-check_autovacuum_max_workers(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
-{
-	if (MaxConnections + *newval + 1 +
-		max_worker_processes + max_wal_senders > MAX_BACKENDS)
-		return false;
-	return true;
-}
-
-/*
- * GUC check_hook for max_worker_processes
- */
-bool
-check_max_worker_processes(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
-{
-	if (MaxConnections + autovacuum_max_workers + 1 +
-		*newval + max_wal_senders > MAX_BACKENDS)
-		return false;
-	return true;
-}
-
-/*
- * GUC check_hook for max_wal_senders
- */
-bool
-check_max_wal_senders(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
-{
-	if (MaxConnections + autovacuum_max_workers + 1 +
-		max_worker_processes + *newval > MAX_BACKENDS)
-		return false;
-	return true;
+		ereport(ERROR,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
+				 errmsg("too many server processes configured"),
+				 errdetail("\"max_connections\" (%d) plus \"autovacuum_max_workers\" (%d) plus \"max_worker_processes\" (%d) plus \"max_wal_senders\" (%d) must be less than %d.",
+						   MaxConnections, autovacuum_max_workers,
+						   max_worker_processes, max_wal_senders,
+						   MAX_BACKENDS)));
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
index d28b0bcb40..630ed0f162 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
@@ -2209,7 +2209,7 @@ struct config_int ConfigureNamesInt[] =
 		},
 		&MaxConnections,
 		100, 1, MAX_BACKENDS,
-		check_max_connections, NULL, NULL
+		NULL, NULL, NULL
 	},
 
 	{
@@ -2925,7 +2925,7 @@ struct config_int ConfigureNamesInt[] =
 		},
 		&max_wal_senders,
 		10, 0, MAX_BACKENDS,
-		check_max_wal_senders, NULL, NULL
+		NULL, NULL, NULL
 	},
 
 	{
@@ -3155,7 +3155,7 @@ struct config_int ConfigureNamesInt[] =
 		},
 		&max_worker_processes,
 		8, 0, MAX_BACKENDS,
-		check_max_worker_processes, NULL, NULL
+		NULL, NULL, NULL
 	},
 
 	{
@@ -3389,7 +3389,7 @@ struct config_int ConfigureNamesInt[] =
 		},
 		&autovacuum_max_workers,
 		3, 1, MAX_BACKENDS,
-		check_autovacuum_max_workers, NULL, NULL
+		NULL, NULL, NULL
 	},
 
 	{
diff --git a/src/include/utils/guc_hooks.h b/src/include/utils/guc_hooks.h
index 070d3f2a1a..153c652c93 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/guc_hooks.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/guc_hooks.h
@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@ extern bool check_application_name(char **newval, void **extra,
 								   GucSource source);
 extern void assign_application_name(const char *newval, void *extra);
 extern const char *show_archive_command(void);
-extern bool check_autovacuum_max_workers(int *newval, void **extra,
-										 GucSource source);
 extern bool check_autovacuum_work_mem(int *newval, void **extra,
 									  GucSource source);
 extern bool check_vacuum_buffer_usage_limit(int *newval, void **extra,
@@ -84,13 +82,9 @@ extern const char *show_log_timezone(void);
 extern bool check_maintenance_io_concurrency(int *newval, void **extra,
 											 GucSource source);
 extern void assign_maintenance_io_concurrency(int newval, void *extra);
-extern bool check_max_connections(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source);
-extern bool check_max_wal_senders(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source);
 extern bool check_max_slot_wal_keep_size(int *newval, void **extra,
 										 GucSource source);
 extern void assign_max_wal_size(int newval, void *extra);
-extern bool check_max_worker_processes(int *newval, void **extra,
-									   GucSource source);
 extern bool check_max_stack_depth(int *newval, void **extra, GucSource source);
 extern void assign_max_stack_depth(int newval, void *extra);
 extern bool check_multixact_member_buffers(int *newval, void **extra,