diff --git a/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/HListFormats.scala b/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/HListFormats.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6abae921c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/HListFormats.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package sbt
+package internal
+package util
+
+import sjsonnew._
+import Types.:+:
+
+trait HListFormats {
+  implicit val lnilFormat1: JsonFormat[HNil] = forHNil(HNil)
+  implicit val lnilFormat2: JsonFormat[HNil.type] = forHNil(HNil)
+
+  private def forHNil[A <: HNil](hnil: A): JsonFormat[A] = new JsonFormat[A] {
+    def write[J](x: A, builder: Builder[J]): Unit = {
+      builder.beginArray()
+      builder.endArray()
+    }
+
+    def read[J](jsOpt: Option[J], unbuilder: Unbuilder[J]): A = jsOpt match {
+      case None     => hnil
+      case Some(js) => unbuilder.beginArray(js); unbuilder.endArray(); hnil
+    }
+  }
+
+  implicit def hconsFormat[H, T <: HList](implicit hf: JsonFormat[H], tf: HListJF[T]): JsonFormat[H :+: T] =
+    new JsonFormat[H :+: T] {
+      def write[J](hcons: H :+: T, builder: Builder[J]) = {
+        builder.beginArray()
+        hf.write(hcons.head, builder)
+        tf.write(hcons.tail, builder)
+        builder.endArray()
+      }
+
+      def read[J](jsOpt: Option[J], unbuilder: Unbuilder[J]) = jsOpt match {
+        case None => HCons(hf.read(None, unbuilder), tf.read(None, unbuilder))
+        case Some(js) =>
+          unbuilder.beginArray(js)
+          val hcons = HCons(hf.read(Some(unbuilder.nextElement), unbuilder), tf.read(Some(js), unbuilder))
+          unbuilder.endArray()
+          hcons
+      }
+    }
+
+  trait HListJF[A <: HList] {
+    def read[J](jsOpt: Option[J], unbuilder: Unbuilder[J]): A
+    def write[J](obj: A, builder: Builder[J]): Unit
+  }
+
+  implicit def hconsHListJF[H, T <: HList](implicit hf: JsonFormat[H], tf: HListJF[T]): HListJF[H :+: T] =
+    new HListJF[H :+: T] {
+      def write[J](hcons: H :+: T, builder: Builder[J]) = {
+        hf.write(hcons.head, builder)
+        tf.write(hcons.tail, builder)
+      }
+
+      def read[J](jsOpt: Option[J], unbuilder: Unbuilder[J]) = jsOpt match {
+        case None     => HCons(hf.read(None, unbuilder), tf.read(None, unbuilder))
+        case Some(js) => HCons(hf.read(Some(unbuilder.nextElement), unbuilder), tf.read(Some(js), unbuilder))
+      }
+    }
+
+  implicit val lnilHListJF1: HListJF[HNil] = hnilHListJF(HNil)
+  implicit val lnilHListJF2: HListJF[HNil.type] = hnilHListJF(HNil)
+
+  implicit def hnilHListJF[A <: HNil](hnil: A): HListJF[A] = new HListJF[A] {
+    def write[J](hcons: A, builder: Builder[J]) = ()
+    def read[J](jsOpt: Option[J], unbuilder: Unbuilder[J]) = hnil
+  }
+}
+
+object HListFormats extends HListFormats
diff --git a/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/Positions.scala b/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/Positions.scala
deleted file mode 100644
index a11ae9c24..000000000
--- a/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/util/Positions.scala
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-package sbt.internal.util
-
-sealed trait SourcePosition
-
-sealed trait FilePosition extends SourcePosition {
-  def path: String
-  def startLine: Int
-}
-
-case object NoPosition extends SourcePosition
-
-final case class LinePosition(path: String, startLine: Int) extends FilePosition
-
-final case class LineRange(start: Int, end: Int) {
-  def shift(n: Int) = new LineRange(start + n, end + n)
-}
-
-final case class RangePosition(path: String, range: LineRange) extends FilePosition {
-  def startLine = range.start
-}
diff --git a/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/util/ShowLines.scala b/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/util/ShowLines.scala
deleted file mode 100644
index 65729d747..000000000
--- a/internal/util-collection/src/main/scala/sbt/util/ShowLines.scala
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-package sbt.util
-
-trait ShowLines[A] {
-  def showLines(a: A): Seq[String]
-}
-object ShowLines {
-  def apply[A](f: A => Seq[String]): ShowLines[A] =
-    new ShowLines[A] {
-      def showLines(a: A): Seq[String] = f(a)
-    }
-
-  implicit class ShowLinesOp[A: ShowLines](a: A) {
-    def lines: Seq[String] = implicitly[ShowLines[A]].showLines(a)
-  }
-}
diff --git a/internal/util-collection/src/test/scala/HListFormatSpec.scala b/internal/util-collection/src/test/scala/HListFormatSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8f6e9a73b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/util-collection/src/test/scala/HListFormatSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package sbt
+package internal
+package util
+
+import scalajson.ast.unsafe._
+import sjsonnew._, BasicJsonProtocol._, support.scalajson.unsafe._
+import HListFormats._
+
+class HListFormatSpec extends UnitSpec {
+  val quux = 23 :+: "quux" :+: true :+: HNil
+
+  it should "round trip quux" in assertRoundTrip(quux)
+  it should "round trip hnil" in assertRoundTrip(HNil)
+
+  it should "have a flat structure for quux" in assertJsonString(quux, """[23,"quux",true]""")
+  it should "have a flat structure for hnil" in assertJsonString(HNil, "[]")
+
+  def assertRoundTrip[A: JsonWriter: JsonReader](x: A) = {
+    val jsonString: String = toJsonString(x)
+    val jValue: JValue = Parser.parseUnsafe(jsonString)
+    val y: A = Converter.fromJson[A](jValue).get
+    assert(x === y)
+  }
+
+  def assertJsonString[A: JsonWriter](x: A, s: String) = assert(toJsonString(x) === s)
+
+  def toJsonString[A: JsonWriter](x: A): String = CompactPrinter(Converter.toJson(x).get)
+}