diff --git a/taskfile/node.go b/taskfile/node.go
index 4aa22fa6..be20d13f 100644
--- a/taskfile/node.go
+++ b/taskfile/node.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ type Node interface {
 	Parent() Node
 	Location() string
 	Dir() string
-	Optional() bool
 	Remote() bool
 	ResolveEntrypoint(entrypoint string) (string, error)
 	ResolveDir(dir string) (string, error)
diff --git a/taskfile/node_base.go b/taskfile/node_base.go
index 355b25c2..8dd60f83 100644
--- a/taskfile/node_base.go
+++ b/taskfile/node_base.go
@@ -2,22 +2,20 @@ package taskfile
 
 type (
 	NodeOption func(*BaseNode)
-	// BaseNode is a generic node that implements the Parent() and Optional()
-	// methods of the NodeReader interface. It does not implement the Read() method
-	// and it designed to be embedded in other node types so that this boilerplate
-	// code does not need to be repeated.
+	// BaseNode is a generic node that implements the Parent() methods of the
+	// NodeReader interface. It does not implement the Read() method and it
+	// designed to be embedded in other node types so that this boilerplate code
+	// does not need to be repeated.
 	BaseNode struct {
-		parent   Node
-		optional bool
-		dir      string
+		parent Node
+		dir    string
 	}
 )
 
 func NewBaseNode(dir string, opts ...NodeOption) *BaseNode {
 	node := &BaseNode{
-		parent:   nil,
-		optional: false,
-		dir:      dir,
+		parent: nil,
+		dir:    dir,
 	}
 
 	// Apply options
@@ -38,16 +36,6 @@ func (node *BaseNode) Parent() Node {
 	return node.parent
 }
 
-func WithOptional(optional bool) NodeOption {
-	return func(node *BaseNode) {
-		node.optional = optional
-	}
-}
-
-func (node *BaseNode) Optional() bool {
-	return node.optional
-}
-
 func (node *BaseNode) Dir() string {
 	return node.dir
 }
diff --git a/taskfile/reader.go b/taskfile/reader.go
index 707c6562..724b269a 100644
--- a/taskfile/reader.go
+++ b/taskfile/reader.go
@@ -89,9 +89,6 @@ func (r *Reader) include(node Node) error {
 	var err error
 	vertex.Taskfile, err = r.readNode(node)
 	if err != nil {
-		if node.Optional() {
-			return nil
-		}
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -129,9 +126,11 @@ func (r *Reader) include(node Node) error {
 
 			includeNode, err := NewNode(r.logger, entrypoint, dir, r.insecure, r.timeout,
 				WithParent(node),
-				WithOptional(include.Optional),
 			)
 			if err != nil {
+				if include.Optional {
+					return nil
+				}
 				return err
 			}