diff --git a/guix/download.scm b/guix/download.scm
index 192c47f113..b251e1f6c0 100644
--- a/guix/download.scm
+++ b/guix/download.scm
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ (define-module (guix download)
   #:use-module (guix monads)
   #:use-module (guix gexp)
   #:autoload   (guix build utils) (call-with-temporary-output-file)
-  #:use-module (web uri)
+  #:autoload   (web uri) (string->uri uri-scheme uri-path)
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
   #:use-module (srfi srfi-26)
   #:export (%download-methods
diff --git a/guix/scripts/describe.scm b/guix/scripts/describe.scm
index 449ab4b252..70ae84e9f6 100644
--- a/guix/scripts/describe.scm
+++ b/guix/scripts/describe.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
-;;; Copyright © 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2018 Oleg Pykhalov <go.wigust@gmail.com>
 ;;; Copyright © 2020 Ekaitz Zarraga <ekaitz@elenq.tech>
 ;;; Copyright © 2021 Simon Tournier <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com>
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ (define-module (guix scripts describe)
   #:use-module (ice-9 match)
   #:use-module (ice-9 format)
   #:autoload   (ice-9 pretty-print) (pretty-print)
-  #:use-module (web uri)
+  #:autoload   (web uri) (string->uri uri-host)
   #:export (display-profile-content
             channel-commit-hyperlink
 
diff --git a/guix/store.scm b/guix/store.scm
index 1229198b09..5e398743cb 100644
--- a/guix/store.scm
+++ b/guix/store.scm
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ;;; GNU Guix --- Functional package management for GNU
-;;; Copyright © 2012-2023 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
+;;; Copyright © 2012-2024 Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2018 Jan Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
 ;;; Copyright © 2019, 2020 Mathieu Othacehe <m.othacehe@gmail.com>
 ;;; Copyright © 2020 Florian Pelz <pelzflorian@pelzflorian.de>
@@ -49,7 +49,12 @@ (define-module (guix store)
   #:use-module (ice-9 popen)
   #:autoload   (ice-9 threads) (current-processor-count)
   #:use-module (ice-9 format)
-  #:use-module (web uri)
+  #:autoload   (web uri) (uri?
+                          string->uri
+                          uri-scheme
+                          uri-host
+                          uri-port
+                          uri-path)
   #:export (%daemon-socket-uri
             %gc-roots-directory
             %default-substitute-urls
@@ -764,11 +769,8 @@ (define %default-substitute-urls
   ;; Default list of substituters.  This is *not* the list baked in
   ;; 'guix-daemon', but it is used by 'guix-service-type' and and a couple of
   ;; clients ('guix build --log-file' uses it.)
-  (map (if (false-if-exception (resolve-interface '(gnutls)))
-           (cut string-append "https://" <>)
-           (cut string-append "http://" <>))
-       '("bordeaux.guix.gnu.org"
-         "ci.guix.gnu.org")))
+  '("https://bordeaux.guix.gnu.org"
+    "https://ci.guix.gnu.org"))
 
 (define (current-user-name)
   "Return the name of the calling user."