diff --git a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/init.rs b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/init.rs
index 4f69d13db0..2c6c4fd83f 100644
--- a/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/init.rs
+++ b/cmd/soroban-cli/src/commands/init.rs
@@ -170,6 +170,8 @@ fn edit_cargo_file(contract_path: &Path) -> Result<(), Error> {
     doc["dev_dependencies"]["soroban-sdk"] =
         toml_edit::Item::Value(Value::InlineTable(workspace_table));
 
+    doc.remove("profile");
+
     std::fs::write(&cargo_path, doc.to_string())?;
 
     Ok(())