diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ demandload(globals(), "os revlog time ut
 class localrepository(repo.repository):
     capabilities = ('lookup', 'changegroupsubset')
     supported = ('revlogv1', 'store')
-    branchcache_features = ('default',)
 
     def __del__(self):
         self.transhandle = None
@@ -374,25 +373,9 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
     def _readbranchcache(self):
         partial = {}
         try:
-            f = self.opener("branches.cache")
+            f = self.opener("branch.cache")
             lines = f.read().split('\n')
             f.close()
-            features = lines.pop(0).strip()
-            if not features.startswith('features: '):
-                raise ValueError(_('branch cache: no features specified'))
-            features = features.split(' ', 1)[1].split()
-            missing_features = []
-            for feature in self.branchcache_features:
-                try:
-                    features.remove(feature)
-                except ValueError, inst:
-                    missing_features.append(feature)
-            if missing_features:
-                raise ValueError(_('branch cache: missing features: %s')
-                                 % ', '.join(missing_features))
-            if features:
-                raise ValueError(_('branch cache: unknown features: %s')
-                                 % ', '.join(features))
             last, lrev = lines.pop(0).split(" ", 1)
             last, lrev = bin(last), int(lrev)
             if not (lrev < self.changelog.count() and
@@ -413,8 +396,7 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
 
     def _writebranchcache(self, branches, tip, tiprev):
         try:
-            f = self.opener("branches.cache", "w")
-            f.write(" features: %s\n" % ' '.join(self.branchcache_features))
+            f = self.opener("branch.cache", "w")
             f.write("%s %s\n" % (hex(tip), tiprev))
             for label, node in branches.iteritems():
                 f.write("%s %s\n" % (hex(node), label))