diff --git a/lm-core/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakPools.scala b/lm-core/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakPools.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..91108dc53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lm-core/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakPools.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * sbt
+ * Copyright 2023, Scala center
+ * Copyright 2011 - 2022, Lightbend, Inc.
+ * Copyright 2008 - 2010, Mark Harrah
+ * Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (see LICENSE)
+ */
+
+package sbt.internal.librarymanagement
+
+import java.lang.ref.{ ReferenceQueue, WeakReference }
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap
+
+import scala.annotation.tailrec
+
+/**
+ * Canonicalizing pool: `intern` returns one instance per distinct value, held weakly.
+ *
+ * Ported from zinc's `sbt.internal.inc.WeakInterner` to avoid a new dependency, plus `internWith`.
+ */
+private[librarymanagement] final class WeakInterner[A <: AnyRef] {
+  private val stale = new ReferenceQueue[A]
+  private val pool = new ConcurrentHashMap[WeakValue[A], WeakValue[A]]
+
+  def intern(a: A): A = internWith(a)(identity)
+
+  /** Like `intern`, but applies `canonicalize` only on a miss, since equality is structural. */
+  def internWith(a: A)(canonicalize: A => A): A = {
+    expunge()
+    lookup(a) match {
+      case null => publish(canonicalize(a))
+      case hit  => hit
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** The pooled instance value-equal to `a`, or null if there is none. */
+  private def lookup(a: A): A = {
+    val probe = new WeakValue(a, stale)
+    try
+      pool.get(probe) match {
+        case null     => null.asInstanceOf[A]
+        case existing => existing.get // null if it was collected since it matched
+      }
+    finally probe.clear() // never enqueue a reference that was not pooled
+  }
+
+  private def publish(a: A): A = {
+    val candidate = new WeakValue(a, stale)
+    @tailrec def attempt(): A = pool.putIfAbsent(candidate, candidate) match {
+      case null     => a
+      case existing =>
+        existing.get match {
+          case null => // collected since it matched: drop the dead entry and retry
+            pool.remove(existing, existing)
+            attempt()
+          case canonical =>
+            candidate.clear()
+            canonical
+        }
+    }
+    attempt()
+  }
+
+  @tailrec private def expunge(): Unit = stale.poll() match {
+    case null => ()
+    case dead =>
+      pool.remove(dead, dead)
+      expunge()
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Weak reference that hashes and compares by its referent's value.
+ *
+ * The hash is captured eagerly: it must stay stable after the referent is cleared, or the dead entry
+ * could never be found and removed.
+ */
+private final class WeakValue[A <: AnyRef](a: A, stale: ReferenceQueue[A])
+    extends WeakReference[A](a, stale) {
+  private val hash: Int = a.hashCode
+
+  override def hashCode(): Int = hash
+  override def equals(other: Any): Boolean = other match {
+    case that: WeakValue[?] =>
+      (this `eq` that) || {
+        val value = get
+        value != null && value == that.get
+      }
+    case _ => false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lm-core/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakInternerSpec.scala b/lm-core/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakInternerSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7c307c704
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lm-core/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/librarymanagement/WeakInternerSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+/*
+ * sbt
+ * Copyright 2023, Scala center
+ * Copyright 2011 - 2022, Lightbend, Inc.
+ * Copyright 2008 - 2010, Mark Harrah
+ * Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (see LICENSE)
+ */
+
+package sbt.internal.librarymanagement
+
+import java.lang.ref.WeakReference
+import java.util.IdentityHashMap
+import java.util.concurrent.{ ConcurrentLinkedQueue, CountDownLatch }
+
+object WeakInternerSpec extends verify.BasicTestSuite:
+
+  test("intern returns one instance per distinct value"):
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val first = Key("shared")
+    assert(pool.intern(first) eq first, "the first instance interned is the canonical one")
+    val second = Key("shared")
+    assert(first ne second)
+    assert(pool.intern(second) eq first, "a value-equal input must return the canonical instance")
+
+  test("interning preserves value equality"):
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val k = Key("preserved")
+    assert(pool.intern(k) == k)
+
+  test("distinct values get distinct instances"):
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val a = pool.intern(Key("a"))
+    val b = pool.intern(Key("b"))
+    assert(a ne b)
+    assert(a == Key("a") && b == Key("b"))
+
+  test("an interned value is released once nothing else references it"):
+    // Only a weak reference to the canonical instance is kept, so a strong pool would pin it for the
+    // classloader's life. The pool must let the GC reclaim it.
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val weak = new WeakReference(pool.intern(Key("released")))
+    assert(awaitCleared(weak), "the pool must not pin a value no caller references")
+
+  test("a collected entry does not block re-interning the same value"):
+    // Exercises the retry path: putIfAbsent matches a dead entry, which has to be dropped and the
+    // fresh candidate published in its place.
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val weak = new WeakReference(pool.intern(Key("recycled")))
+    assert(awaitCleared(weak))
+    val fresh = Key("recycled")
+    assert(pool.intern(fresh) eq fresh, "a dead entry must be replaced, not returned")
+
+  test("internWith derives the pooled instance only when the value is not pooled yet"):
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    var derived = 0
+    val canonicalize: Key => Key = k =>
+      derived += 1
+      k
+    val first = pool.internWith(Key("derived"))(canonicalize)
+    assert(derived == 1, "the first intern has to derive what it pools")
+    val second = pool.internWith(Key("derived"))(canonicalize)
+    assert(second eq first)
+    assert(derived == 1, "a hit must not derive a value it would only discard")
+
+  test("internWith pools what canonicalize returns, not what it was given"):
+    // Deriving is only worth having because the pooled instance differs from the argument -- for a
+    // module report, by holding interned children. Probing by value still has to find it.
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val canonical = Key("canonical")
+    val pooled = pool.internWith(Key("canonical"))(_ => canonical)
+    assert(pooled eq canonical)
+    val later = pool.intern(Key("canonical"))
+    assert(later eq canonical, "what canonicalize returned is the canonical instance from then on")
+
+  test("an entry survives the collection of a value that probed for it"):
+    // A miss probes with one instance and pools another, value-equal one, so the two hash to the same
+    // bucket. Once the probe is collected, expunging it must not take the live entry with it.
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val pooled = pool.internWith(Key("probed"))(_ => Key("probed"))
+    // The probe is already unreachable; this waits for a GC to have run, which is what would enqueue
+    // it. The canary is built outside the assert because the assert macro records -- and so retains --
+    // every intermediate value it evaluates.
+    val canary = new WeakReference(Key("collectable"))
+    assert(awaitCleared(canary))
+    val again = pool.intern(Key("probed"))
+    assert(again eq pooled, "expunge must not evict a live entry a dead probe hashes to")
+
+  test("concurrent interning of one value converges on a single instance"):
+    // The parallel per-project update tasks hit these pools at once, so publication has to be atomic.
+    val pool = new WeakInterner[Key]
+    val results = new ConcurrentLinkedQueue[Key]
+    val start = new CountDownLatch(1)
+    val workers = (1 to 8).map: _ =>
+      val t = new Thread(() =>
+        start.await()
+        var i = 0
+        while i < 200 do
+          results.add(pool.intern(Key("contended")))
+          i += 1
+      )
+      t.start()
+      t
+    start.countDown()
+    workers.foreach(_.join())
+    val distinct = new IdentityHashMap[Key, Boolean]
+    results.forEach(k => distinct.put(k, true))
+    assert(distinct.size == 1, s"expected one canonical instance, got ${distinct.size}")
+
+  private case class Key(name: String)
+
+  // Weak references are cleared by the GC, which is only advisory, so retry a bounded number of times
+  // rather than relying on a single System.gc().
+  private def awaitCleared(ref: WeakReference[?]): Boolean =
+    var i = 0
+    while i < 50 && ref.get != null do
+      System.gc()
+      Thread.sleep(20)
+      i += 1
+    ref.get == null