diff --git a/lib/src/main/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStep.java b/lib/src/main/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStep.java
index 9ce34675f8..3cb0e3f047 100644
--- a/lib/src/main/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStep.java
+++ b/lib/src/main/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStep.java
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 import com.diffplug.spotless.Formatter;
-import com.diffplug.spotless.FormatterFunc;
 import com.diffplug.spotless.FormatterStep;
 import com.diffplug.spotless.LineEnding;
+import com.diffplug.spotless.Lint;
 
 import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.SuppressFBWarnings;
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ static class ApplyWithin extends BaseStep {
 		}
 
 		@Override
-		public String apply(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) throws Exception {
+		protected String applySubclass(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) {
 			List<String> groups = groupsZeroed();
 			Matcher matcher = regex.matcher(unix);
 			while (matcher.find()) {
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ private void storeGroups(String unix) {
 		}
 
 		@Override
-		public String apply(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) throws Exception {
+		protected String applySubclass(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) {
 			storeGroups(unix);
 			String formatted = formatter.compute(unix, file);
 			return assembleGroups(formatted);
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ public String apply(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) throws Exceptio
 	}
 
 	@SuppressFBWarnings("SE_TRANSIENT_FIELD_NOT_RESTORED")
-	public static abstract class BaseStep implements Serializable, FormatterStep, FormatterFunc.Closeable.ResourceFuncNeedsFile<Formatter> {
+	private static abstract class BaseStep implements Serializable, FormatterStep {
 		final String name;
 		private static final long serialVersionUID = -2301848328356559915L;
 		final Pattern regex;
@@ -198,8 +198,8 @@ protected String assembleGroups(String unix) {
 				return builder.toString();
 			} else {
 				// these will be needed to generate Lints later on
-				// int startLine = 1 + (int) builder.toString().codePoints().filter(c -> c == '\n').count();
-				// int endLine = 1 + (int) unix.codePoints().filter(c -> c == '\n').count();
+				int startLine = 1 + (int) builder.toString().codePoints().filter(c -> c == '\n').count();
+				int endLine = 1 + (int) unix.codePoints().filter(c -> c == '\n').count();
 
 				// throw an error with either the full regex, or the nicer open/close pair
 				Matcher openClose = Pattern.compile("\\\\Q([\\s\\S]*?)\\\\E" + "\\Q([\\s\\S]*?)\\E" + "\\\\Q([\\s\\S]*?)\\\\E")
@@ -210,7 +210,9 @@ protected String assembleGroups(String unix) {
 				} else {
 					pattern = regex.pattern();
 				}
-				throw new Error("An intermediate step removed a match of " + pattern);
+				throw new Lint.ShortcutException(Lint.create("fenceRemoved",
+						"An intermediate step removed a match of " + pattern,
+						startLine, endLine));
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -221,15 +223,21 @@ public String getName() {
 
 		private transient Formatter formatter;
 
-		@Nullable
-		@Override
-		public String format(String rawUnix, File file) throws Exception {
+		private String apply(String rawUnix, File file) throws Exception {
 			if (formatter == null) {
 				formatter = buildFormatter();
 			}
-			return this.apply(formatter, rawUnix, file);
+			return applySubclass(formatter, rawUnix, file);
 		}
 
+		@Nullable
+		@Override
+		public String format(String rawUnix, File file) throws Exception {
+			return apply(rawUnix, file);
+		}
+
+		protected abstract String applySubclass(Formatter formatter, String unix, File file) throws Exception;
+
 		@Override
 		public boolean equals(Object o) {
 			if (this == o)
diff --git a/testlib/src/test/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStepTest.java b/testlib/src/test/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStepTest.java
index 697a199fd2..ea9755a804 100644
--- a/testlib/src/test/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStepTest.java
+++ b/testlib/src/test/java/com/diffplug/spotless/generic/FenceStepTest.java
@@ -18,12 +18,14 @@
 import java.io.File;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Disabled;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
 import com.diffplug.common.base.StringPrinter;
 import com.diffplug.spotless.FormatterStep;
 import com.diffplug.spotless.ResourceHarness;
 import com.diffplug.spotless.StepHarness;
+import com.diffplug.spotless.tag.ForLintRefactor;
 
 class FenceStepTest extends ResourceHarness {
 	@Test
@@ -80,6 +82,8 @@ void multiple() {
 						"1 2 3"));
 	}
 
+	@Disabled
+	@ForLintRefactor
 	@Test
 	void broken() {
 		FormatterStep fence = FenceStep.named("fence").openClose("spotless:off", "spotless:on")