diff --git a/extra/ctags/etags/etags-docs.factor b/extra/ctags/etags/etags-docs.factor
index a21ec232cc..5cd96d0c9f 100644
--- a/extra/ctags/etags/etags-docs.factor
+++ b/extra/ctags/etags/etags-docs.factor
@@ -5,12 +5,10 @@ ARTICLE: "etags" "Etags file"
 { $emphasis "Etags" } " generates a index file of every factor word in etags format as supported by emacs and other editors. More information can be found at " { $url "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctags#Etags_2" } "."
 { $subsections
     etags
-    etags-write
-    etag-strings
-    etag-header
+    write-etags
 }
 
-HELP: etags
+HELP: write-etags
 { $values { "path" string } }
 { $description "Generates a index file in etags format and stores in " { $snippet "path" } "." }
 { $examples
@@ -21,21 +19,4 @@ HELP: etags
   }
 } ;
 
-HELP: etags-write
-{ $values { "alist" sequence }
-          { "path" string } }
-{ $description "Stores a " { $snippet "alist" } " in " { $snippet "path" } ". " { $snippet "alist" } " must be an association list with etags format: its key must be a resource path and its value a vector, containing pairs of words and lines" }
-{ $examples
-  { $unchecked-example
-    "USING: kernel etags.ctags ;"
-    "{ { \"resource:extra/unix/unix.factor\" V{ { dup2 91 } } } } \"ETAGS\" etags-write"
-    ""
-  }
-} ;
-
-HELP: etag-strings
-{ $values { "alist" sequence }
-          { "seq" sequence } }
-{ $description "Converts an " { $snippet "alist" } " with etag format (a path as key and a vector containing word/line pairs) in a " { $snippet "seq" } " of strings." } ;
-
 ABOUT: "etags" ;
diff --git a/extra/ctags/etags/etags-tests.factor b/extra/ctags/etags/etags-tests.factor
index 01dd19a018..d0eeb499a7 100644
--- a/extra/ctags/etags/etags-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/ctags/etags/etags-tests.factor
@@ -1,48 +1,6 @@
-USING: kernel ctags ctags.etags tools.test io.backend sequences arrays prettyprint hashtables assocs ;
+USING: ctags.etags.private kernel tools.test ;
 IN: ctags.etags.tests
 
-! etag-at
-{ t }
-[
-  V{ }
-  "path" H{ } clone etag-at =
-] unit-test
-
-{ t }
-[
-  V{ if { "path" 1 } }
-  "path" H{ { "path" V{ if { "path" 1 } } } } etag-at =
-] unit-test
-
-! etag-vector
-{ t }
-[
-  V{ }
-  { if { "path" 1 } } H{ } clone etag-vector =
-] unit-test
-
-{ t }
-[
-  V{ if { "path" 1 } }
-  { if { "path" 1 } }
-  { { "path" V{ if { "path" 1 } } } } >hashtable
-  etag-vector =
-] unit-test
-
-! etag-pair
-{ t }
-[
-  { if 28 }
-  { if { "resource:core/kernel/kernel.factor" 28 } } etag-pair =
-] unit-test
-
-! etag-add
-{ t }
-[
-  H{ { "path" V{ { if  1 } } } }
-  { if { "path" 1 } } H{ } clone [ etag-add ] keep =
-] unit-test
-
 ! etag-hash
 { t }
 [
@@ -50,16 +8,9 @@ IN: ctags.etags.tests
   { { if { "path" 1 } } } etag-hash =
 ] unit-test
 
-! line-bytes (note that for each line implicit \n is counted)
-{ t }
-[
-  17
-  { "1234567890" "12345" } 2 lines>bytes =
-] unit-test
-
 ! etag
 { t }
 [
   "if2,11"
-  { "1234567890" "12345" } { if 2 } etag =
+  { 0 11 } { if 2 } etag =
 ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/ctags/etags/etags.factor b/extra/ctags/etags/etags.factor
index 90e3615ba3..2024467831 100644
--- a/extra/ctags/etags/etags.factor
+++ b/extra/ctags/etags/etags.factor
@@ -3,70 +3,49 @@
 
 ! Emacs Etags generator
 ! Alfredo Beaumont <alfredo.beaumont@gmail.com>
-USING: kernel sequences sorting assocs words prettyprint ctags
-io.encodings.ascii io.files math math.parser namespaces make
-strings shuffle io.backend arrays present ;
+USING: arrays assocs ctags.private fry io.backend
+io.encodings.ascii io.files kernel make math math.parser present
+sequences sorting strings vocabs ;
 IN: ctags.etags
 
-: etag-at ( key hash -- vector )
-  at [ V{ } clone ] unless* ;
+<PRIVATE
 
-: etag-vector ( alist hash -- vector )
-  [ ctag-path ] dip etag-at ;
+: etag-hash ( alist -- hash )
+    H{ } clone [
+        '[ first2 swap [ 2array ] dip _ push-at ] assoc-each
+    ] keep ;
 
-: etag-pair ( ctag -- seq )
-  dup [
-    first ,
-    second second ,
-  ] { } make ;
+: lines>bytes ( lines -- bytes )
+    0 [ length 1 + + ] accumulate nip ;
 
-: etag-add ( ctag hash -- )
-  [ etag-vector ] 2keep [
-    [ etag-pair ] [ ctag-path ] bi [ suffix ] dip
-  ] dip set-at ;
-
-: etag-hash ( seq -- hash )
-  H{ } clone swap [ swap [ etag-add ] keep ] each ;
-
-: lines>bytes ( seq n -- bytes )
-  head 0 [ length 1 + + ] reduce ;
-
-: file>lines ( path -- lines )
-  ascii file-lines ;
-
-: etag ( lines seq -- str )
-  [
-    dup first present %
-    1 0x7f <string> %
-    second dup number>string %
-    1 CHAR: , <string> %
-    1 - lines>bytes number>string %
-  ] "" make ;
-
-: (etag-header) ( n path -- str )
-  [
-    %
-    1 CHAR: , <string> %
-    number>string %
-  ] "" make ;
-
-: etag-header ( vec1 n resource -- vec2 )
-  normalize-path (etag-header) prefix
-  1 0x0c <string> prefix ;
-
-: etag-strings ( alist -- seq )
-  { } swap [
+: etag ( bytes seq -- str )
     [
-      [ first file>lines ]
-      [ second ] bi
-      [ etag ] with map
-      dup sum-lengths
-    ] keep first
-    etag-header append
-  ] each ;
+        dup first present %
+        0x7f ,
+        second dup number>string %
+        "," %
+        1 - swap nth number>string %
+    ] "" make ;
 
-: etags-write ( alist path -- )
-  [ etag-strings ] dip ascii set-file-lines ;
+: etag-header ( vec1 resource -- vec2 )
+    [
+        normalize-path %
+        "," %
+        dup sum-lengths number>string %
+    ] "" make prefix "\f" prefix ;
 
-: etags ( path -- )
-  [ (ctags) sort-values etag-hash >alist ] dip etags-write ;
+: make-etags ( alist -- seq )
+    V{ } clone swap [
+        over [
+            [ ascii file-lines lines>bytes ] dip
+            [ etag ] with map
+        ] dip etag-header append!
+    ] assoc-each ;
+
+PRIVATE>
+
+: etags ( -- etags )
+    all-words locations etag-hash sort-keys make-etags ;
+
+: write-etags ( path -- )
+    [ etags ] dip ascii set-file-lines ;