diff --git a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Def.scala b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Def.scala
index 726a4eda8..e0222d7b2 100644
--- a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Def.scala
+++ b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Def.scala
@@ -495,4 +495,15 @@ sealed trait InitializeImplicits { self: Def.type =>
 
   implicit def initTaskOps[T](x: Def.Initialize[Task[T]]): Def.InitTaskOps[T] =
     new Def.InitTaskOps(x)
+
+  /**
+   * Flattens a sequence of task initializations into one task producing the sequence of results.
+   *
+   * This is an extension method rather than an implicit conversion so that it is selected ahead of
+   * the generic `Initialize.joinInitialize` conversion (which would otherwise yield
+   * `Initialize[Seq[Task[A]]]`) regardless of whether `sbt.Scoped` is in scope, and without becoming
+   * a second, ambiguous conversion candidate for `TaskKey`/`SettingKey` seqs. See issue #899.
+   */
+  extension [A](in: Seq[Def.Initialize[Task[A]]])
+    def join: Def.Initialize[Task[Seq[A]]] = Scoped.richTaskSeq(in).join
 }
diff --git a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Structure.scala b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Structure.scala
index ce80527ca..6e5c3c904 100644
--- a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Structure.scala
+++ b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/Structure.scala
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ object Scoped:
 
       // Task-specific extensions
       def dependsOn(tasks: Initialize[? <: Task[?]]*): Initialize[Task[A1]] =
-        init.zipWith(tasks.asInstanceOf[Seq[Initialize[Task[?]]]].join)(_.dependsOn(_*))
+        dependsOnSeq(tasks.asInstanceOf[Seq[AnyInitTask]])
       def dependsOnTask[A2](task1: Initialize[Task[A2]]): Initialize[Task[A1]] =
         dependsOnSeq(Seq[AnyInitTask](task1.asInstanceOf[AnyInitTask]))
       def dependsOnSeq(tasks: Seq[AnyInitTask]): Initialize[Task[A1]] =
@@ -412,9 +412,7 @@ object Scoped:
       // InputTask specific extensions
       @targetName("dependsOnInitializeInputTask")
       def dependsOn(tasks: Initialize[? <: Task[?]]*): Initialize[InputTask[A1]] =
-        init.zipWith(tasks.asInstanceOf[Seq[Initialize[Task[?]]]].join)((thisTask, deps) =>
-          thisTask.mapTask(_.dependsOn(deps*))
-        )
+        dependsOnSeq(tasks.asInstanceOf[Seq[AnyInitTask]])
       @targetName("dependsOnTaskInitializeInputTask")
       def dependsOnTask[B1](task1: Initialize[Task[B1]]): Initialize[InputTask[A1]] =
         dependsOnSeq(Seq[AnyInitTask](task1.asInstanceOf[AnyInitTask]))
diff --git a/main-settings/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/join/JoinResolutionTest.scala b/main-settings/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/join/JoinResolutionTest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..04df7d110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/main-settings/src/test/scala/sbt/internal/join/JoinResolutionTest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * 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.join
+
+import sbt.{ Def, Task, TaskKey }
+
+object JoinResolutionTest:
+  // `.join` on a seq of task initializes must resolve to Initialize[Task[Seq[Int]]] (task-flattening),
+  // not the generic Initialize[Seq[Task[Int]]]. Each result is inferred with NO expected type first
+  // (`val joined = ...`) and only then checked against the declared return type, so the test fails if
+  // resolution depends on an expected type to pick the right form. This package does not import
+  // `sbt.Scoped`, so it pins that the resolution holds via implicit scope alone. Guards issue #899.
+
+  // The originally reported shape: a plain `Seq[Initialize[Task[A]]]` (no `Scoped` base type).
+  def check(in: Seq[Def.Initialize[Task[Int]]]): Def.Initialize[Task[Seq[Int]]] =
+    val joined = in.join
+    joined
+
+  // `TaskKey` extends `Scoped`, so this also pins that the task join wins without becoming ambiguous
+  // with the `Scoped.richTaskSeq` conversion that is in implicit scope here.
+  def checkTaskKey(in: Seq[TaskKey[Int]]): Def.Initialize[Task[Seq[Int]]] =
+    val joined = in.join
+    joined
+end JoinResolutionTest
diff --git a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/ScopeFilter.scala b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/ScopeFilter.scala
index 3828f822b..28f9c4e80 100644
--- a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/ScopeFilter.scala
+++ b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/ScopeFilter.scala
@@ -117,13 +117,10 @@ object ScopeFilter {
      * static inspections will not show them.
      */
     def all(sfilter: => ScopeFilter): Initialize[Task[Seq[A]]] = Def.flatMap(getData) { data =>
-      import std.TaskExtra.*
       val filter = sfilter
       orderedScopes(filter(data), filter.scopeOrdering(data))
         .map(s => Project.inScope(s, i))
-        .join(
-          _.join
-        )
+        .join
     }
 
   private type ScopeAxisOrderingKey = (Int, String)
diff --git a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/server/BuildServerProtocol.scala b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/server/BuildServerProtocol.scala
index 24d43b197..1786f8156 100644
--- a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/server/BuildServerProtocol.scala
+++ b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/internal/server/BuildServerProtocol.scala
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import sbt.Def.*
 import sbt.Keys.*
 import sbt.ProjectExtra.*
 import sbt.ScopeFilter.Make.*
-import sbt.Scoped.richTaskSeq
 import sbt.SlashSyntax0.*
 import sbt.StandardMain.exchange
 import sbt.internal.bsp.*