diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 702195ae..e5e9fe75 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -64,8 +64,10 @@ Users may have to change how they access the system
 
 ### Minor features
 
+* [prevent clixon-restconf@2021-05-20.yang module from loading](https://github.com/clicon/clixon/issues/318)
+  * Instead of always loading it, load it to datastore YANGs only if `CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS` is `true`
 * YANG unique: added single descendant node ids as special case
-c  * This means that two variants are supported:
+  * This means that two variants are supported:
     * unique "a b c", ie multiple direct children
     * unique "a/b/c", ie single descendants
   * RFC 7950 Sec 7.8.3 is somewhat unclear
diff --git a/lib/clixon/clixon_options.h b/lib/clixon/clixon_options.h
index b451c61c..991da5aa 100644
--- a/lib/clixon/clixon_options.h
+++ b/lib/clixon/clixon_options.h
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
  */
 #define CLIXON_CONF_NS     "http://clicon.org/config"
 #define CLIXON_LIB_NS      "http://clicon.org/lib"
-#define CLIXON_AUTOCLI_NS   "http://clicon.org/autocli"
+#define CLIXON_AUTOCLI_NS  "http://clicon.org/autocli"
 #define CLIXON_RESTCONF_NS "http://clicon.org/restconf"
 
 /*
diff --git a/lib/src/clixon_netconf_lib.c b/lib/src/clixon_netconf_lib.c
index decd8e93..7957ad33 100644
--- a/lib/src/clixon_netconf_lib.c
+++ b/lib/src/clixon_netconf_lib.c
@@ -1483,7 +1483,6 @@ netconf_module_features(clicon_handle h)
     return retval;
 }
 
-
 /*! Load generic yang specs, ie ietf netconf yang module and set enabled features
  * @param[in] h  Clixon handle
  * @retval    0  OK
@@ -1512,9 +1511,10 @@ netconf_module_load(clicon_handle h)
     if (clicon_option_bool(h, "CLICON_XML_CHANGELOG"))
 	if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, "clixon-xml-changelog", NULL, yspec)< 0)
 	    goto done;
-    /* Load restconf yang. Note this is also a part of clixon-config */
-    if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, "clixon-restconf", NULL, yspec)< 0)
-	goto done;
+    /* Load restconf yang to data. Note clixon-restconf.yang is always part of clixon-config */
+    if (clicon_option_bool(h, "CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS"))
+	if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, "clixon-restconf", NULL, yspec)< 0)
+	    goto done;
     /* XXX: Both the following settings are because clicon-handle is not part of all API
      * functions
      * Treat unknown XML as anydata */
diff --git a/test/test_debug.sh b/test/test_debug.sh
index 0ace72bf..07ac0987 100755
--- a/test/test_debug.sh
+++ b/test/test_debug.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Turn on debug on backend/cli/restconf/netconf
+# Turn on debug on backend/cli/netconf
+# Note, restconf debug used to be tested but is no longer tested here,
+# maybe in test_restconf_internal?
 
 # Magic line must be first in script (see README.md)
 s="$_" ; . ./lib.sh || if [ "$s" = $0 ]; then exit 0; else return 0; fi
@@ -79,30 +81,15 @@ wait_restconf
 new "Set backend debug using netconf"
 expecteof_netconf "$clixon_netconf -qf $cfg" 0 "$DEFAULTHELLO" "<rpc $DEFAULTNS><debug $LIBNS><level>1</level></debug></rpc>" "" "<rpc-reply $DEFAULTNS><ok/></rpc-reply>"
 
-new "Set backend debug using restconf"
-expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/yang-data+json' $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/operations/clixon-lib:debug -d '{"clixon-lib:input":{"level":1}}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 204"
-
-new "Set restconf debug using netconf"
-expecteof_netconf "$clixon_netconf -qf $cfg" 0 "$DEFAULTHELLO" "<rpc $DEFAULTNS><edit-config><target><candidate/></target><config><restconf $RESTCONFNS><debug>1</debug></restconf></config></edit-config></rpc>" "" "<rpc-reply $DEFAULTNS><ok/></rpc-reply>"
-
-new "netconf commit"
-expecteof_netconf "$clixon_netconf -qf $cfg" 0 "$DEFAULTHELLO" "<rpc $DEFAULTNS><commit/></rpc>" "" "<rpc-reply $DEFAULTNS><ok/></rpc-reply>"
-
-new "Set restconf debug using restconf"
-expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -X PUT -H 'Content-Type: application/yang-data+json' $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data/clixon-restconf:restconf/debug -d '{"clixon-restconf:debug":1}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 204"
-
 new "Set cli debug using cli"
 expectpart "$($clixon_cli -1 -f $cfg -l o debug cli 1)" 0 "^$"
 
 new "Set backend debug using cli"
 expectpart "$($clixon_cli -1 -f $cfg -l o debug backend 1)" 0 "^$"
 
-new "Set restconf debug using cli"
-expectpart "$($clixon_cli -1 -f $cfg -l o debug restconf 1)" 0 "^$"
-
 # Exercise debug code
 new "get and put config using restconf"
-expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -H "Accept: application/yang-data+xml" -X GET $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data?content=config --next $CURLOPTS -H "Content-Type: application/yang-data+json" -X POST $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data -d '{"example:table":{"parameter":{"name":"local0","value":"foo"}}}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 200" '<data>' "HTTP/$HVER 201"
+expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -H "Accept: application/yang-data+xml" -X GET $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data?content=config --next $CURLOPTS -H "Content-Type: application/yang-data+json" -X POST $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data -d '{"example:table":{"parameter":{"name":"local0","value":"foo"}}}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 200" '<data/>' "HTTP/$HVER 201"
 
 # In freebsd, backend dies in stop_restconf below unless sleep
 sleep $DEMSLEEP 
diff --git a/test/test_restconf.sh b/test/test_restconf.sh
index d2d04137..d550b07d 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf.sh
@@ -110,7 +110,6 @@ cat <<EOF > $cfg
   <CLICON_SOCK>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.sock</CLICON_SOCK>
   <CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.pidfile</CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>
   <CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME</CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>
-  <CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>false</CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>
   $RESTCONFIG <!-- only fcgi -->
 </clixon-config>
 EOF
diff --git a/test/test_restconf_http_upgrade.sh b/test/test_restconf_http_upgrade.sh
index bb6d7904..20e16d86 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf_http_upgrade.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf_http_upgrade.sh
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ cat <<EOF > $cfg
   <CLICON_SOCK>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.sock</CLICON_SOCK>
   <CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.pidfile</CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>
   <CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME</CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>
-  <CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>false</CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>
   <CLICON_RESTCONF_HTTP2_PLAIN>true</CLICON_RESTCONF_HTTP2_PLAIN>
   $RESTCONFIG <!-- only fcgi -->
 </clixon-config>
diff --git a/test/test_restconf_internal.sh b/test/test_restconf_internal.sh
index 5b2147ad..fb283f80 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf_internal.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf_internal.sh
@@ -217,6 +217,12 @@ wait_restconf
 new "try restconf rpc status"
 expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/yang-data+json" $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/operations/clixon-lib:process-control -d '{"clixon-lib:input":{"name":"restconf","operation":"status"}}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 200" '{"clixon-lib:output":' '"active":' '"pid":'
 
+new "Set backend debug using restconf"
+expectpart "$(curl $CURLOPTS -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/yang-data+json' $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/operations/clixon-lib:debug -d '{"clixon-lib:input":{"level":1}}')" 0 "HTTP/$HVER 204"
+
+new "Set restconf debug using netconf"
+expecteof_netconf "$clixon_netconf -qf $cfg" 0 "$DEFAULTHELLO" "<rpc $DEFAULTNS><edit-config><target><candidate/></target><config><restconf $RESTCONFNS><debug>1</debug></restconf></config></edit-config></rpc>" "" "<rpc-reply $DEFAULTNS><ok/></rpc-reply>"
+
 new "2. Get status"
 rpcstatus true running
 pid1=$pid
diff --git a/test/test_restconf_nmap.sh b/test/test_restconf_nmap.sh
index 7f94c237..dc11ddca 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf_nmap.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf_nmap.sh
@@ -96,7 +96,6 @@ cat <<EOF > $cfg
   <CLICON_SOCK>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.sock</CLICON_SOCK>
   <CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME/$APPNAME.pidfile</CLICON_BACKEND_PIDFILE>
   <CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>/usr/local/var/$APPNAME</CLICON_XMLDB_DIR>
-  <CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>false</CLICON_BACKEND_RESTCONF_PROCESS>
   $RESTCONFIG
 </clixon-config>
 EOF