diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
index 56422102c8..edad3bea4f 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/docs.test.ts
@@ -12,9 +12,8 @@ import {
   createSlugger,
   posixPath,
   DEFAULT_PLUGIN_ID,
-  LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK,
   getLocaleConfig,
-} from '@docusaurus/utils';
+VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO} from '@docusaurus/utils';
 import {getTagsFile} from '@docusaurus/utils-validation';
 import {createSidebarsUtils} from '../sidebars/utils';
 import {
@@ -529,8 +528,8 @@ describe('simple site', () => {
         custom_edit_url: 'https://github.com/customUrl/docs/lorem.md',
         unrelated_front_matter: "won't be part of metadata",
       },
-      lastUpdatedAt: LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedAt,
-      lastUpdatedBy: LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedBy,
+      lastUpdatedAt: VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.timestamp,
+      lastUpdatedBy: VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.author,
       tags: [],
       unlisted: false,
     });
@@ -664,7 +663,7 @@ describe('simple site', () => {
         },
         title: 'Last Update Author Only',
       },
-      lastUpdatedAt: LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedAt,
+      lastUpdatedAt: VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.timestamp,
       lastUpdatedBy: 'Custom Author (processed by parseFrontMatter)',
       sidebarPosition: undefined,
       tags: [],
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/__tests__/lastUpdateUtils.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/__tests__/lastUpdateUtils.test.ts
index b913fb7335..8d61ef60cf 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/__tests__/lastUpdateUtils.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/__tests__/lastUpdateUtils.test.ts
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ import path from 'path';
 import {createTempRepo} from '@testing-utils/git';
 import execa from 'execa';
 
+import {getGitLastUpdate, readLastUpdateData} from '../lastUpdateUtils';
 import {
-  getGitLastUpdate,
-  LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK,
-  LAST_UPDATE_UNTRACKED_GIT_FILEPATH,
-  readLastUpdateData,
-} from '../lastUpdateUtils';
-import {DEFAULT_TEST_VCS_CONFIG} from '../vcs/vcs';
+  VcsHardcoded,
+  VCS_HARDCODED_UNTRACKED_FILE_PATH,
+  VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO,
+} from '../vcs/vcsHardcoded';
+
 import type {FrontMatterLastUpdate} from '../lastUpdateUtils';
 
 describe('getGitLastUpdate', () => {
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       filePath,
       options,
       lastUpdateFrontMatter,
-      DEFAULT_TEST_VCS_CONFIG,
+      VcsHardcoded,
     );
   }
 
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       lastUpdateFrontMatter: FrontMatterLastUpdate | undefined,
     ) {
       return readData(
-        LAST_UPDATE_UNTRACKED_GIT_FILEPATH,
+        VCS_HARDCODED_UNTRACKED_FILE_PATH,
         {showLastUpdateAuthor: true, showLastUpdateTime: true},
         lastUpdateFrontMatter,
       );
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       {date: testDate},
     );
     expect(lastUpdatedAt).toEqual(testTimestamp);
-    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedBy);
+    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.author);
   });
 
   it('read last author show author time', async () => {
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       {author: testAuthor},
     );
     expect(lastUpdatedBy).toEqual(testAuthor);
-    expect(lastUpdatedAt).toBe(LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedAt);
+    expect(lastUpdatedAt).toBe(VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.timestamp);
   });
 
   it('read last all show author time', async () => {
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       {showLastUpdateAuthor: true, showLastUpdateTime: false},
       {date: testDate},
     );
-    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedBy);
+    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.author);
     expect(lastUpdatedAt).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       {showLastUpdateAuthor: true, showLastUpdateTime: false},
       {},
     );
-    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedBy);
+    expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBe(VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.author);
     expect(lastUpdatedAt).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ describe('readLastUpdateData', () => {
       {author: testAuthor},
     );
     expect(lastUpdatedBy).toBeUndefined();
-    expect(lastUpdatedAt).toEqual(LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK.lastUpdatedAt);
+    expect(lastUpdatedAt).toEqual(VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO.timestamp);
   });
 
   it('read last author show time only - both front matter', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/index.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/index.ts
index 493b6359b5..63da81e33c 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/index.ts
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ export {
   getGitLastUpdate,
   getLastUpdate,
   readLastUpdateData,
-  LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK,
   type LastUpdateData,
   type FrontMatterLastUpdate,
 } from './lastUpdateUtils';
@@ -138,4 +137,7 @@ export {
   DEFAULT_TEST_VCS_CONFIG,
 } from './vcs/vcs';
 
+// Annoying to have to expose that for tests :/
+export {VCS_HARDCODED_LAST_UPDATE_INFO} from './vcs/vcsHardcoded';
+
 export {normalizeTags, reportInlineTags} from './tags';
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/lastUpdateUtils.ts b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/lastUpdateUtils.ts
index 1409769bed..6d8b6d562e 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/lastUpdateUtils.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-utils/src/lastUpdateUtils.ts
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@ import {
   GitNotFoundError,
   getFileCommitDate,
 } from './vcs/gitUtils';
-import {DEFAULT_VCS_CONFIG} from './vcs/vcs';
-import {VCS_HARDCODED_UNTRACKED_FILE_PATH} from './vcs/vcsHardcoded';
+import {getDefaultVcsConfig} from './vcs/vcs';
 import type {PluginOptions, VcsConfig} from '@docusaurus/types';
 
 export type LastUpdateData = {
@@ -73,31 +72,9 @@ export async function getGitLastUpdate(
   }
 }
 
-// TODO Docusaurus v4: remove this legacy fallback data
-//  we now have a Vcs API that does the same for dev/test envs
-export const LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK: LastUpdateData = {
-  lastUpdatedAt: 1539502055000,
-  lastUpdatedBy: 'Author',
-};
-
-// TODO Docusaurus v4
-//  should be removed in favor of using the hardcoded VSC impl/constant directly
-export const LAST_UPDATE_UNTRACKED_GIT_FILEPATH =
-  VCS_HARDCODED_UNTRACKED_FILE_PATH;
-
 export async function getLastUpdate(
   filePath: string,
 ): Promise<LastUpdateData | null> {
-  if (filePath === LAST_UPDATE_UNTRACKED_GIT_FILEPATH) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  if (
-    process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' ||
-    process.env.DOCUSAURUS_DISABLE_LAST_UPDATE === 'true'
-  ) {
-    // Use fake data in dev/test for faster development.
-    return LAST_UPDATE_FALLBACK;
-  }
   return getGitLastUpdate(filePath);
 }
 
@@ -128,7 +105,7 @@ export async function readLastUpdateData(
   // This also ensures unit tests keep working without extra setup
   // We still want to ensure type safety by requiring the VCS param
   // TODO Docusaurus v4: refactor all these Git read APIs
-  const vcs = vcsParam ?? DEFAULT_VCS_CONFIG;
+  const vcs = vcsParam ?? getDefaultVcsConfig();
 
   const {showLastUpdateAuthor, showLastUpdateTime} = options;