diff --git a/library/init/lean/format.lean b/library/init/lean/format.lean
index 18752e9f74..b76d912c9f 100644
--- a/library/init/lean/format.lean
+++ b/library/init/lean/format.lean
@@ -98,6 +98,9 @@ class has_to_format (α : Type u) :=
 
 export lean.has_to_format (to_format)
 
+def to_fmt {α : Type u} [has_to_format α] : α → format :=
+to_format
+
 instance to_string_to_format {α : Type u} [has_to_string α] : has_to_format α :=
 ⟨text ∘ to_string⟩
 
@@ -113,4 +116,10 @@ instance list_has_to_format {α : Type u} [has_to_format α] : has_to_format (li
 instance {α : Type u} {β : Type v} [has_to_format α] [has_to_format β] : has_to_format (prod α β) :=
 ⟨λ ⟨a, b⟩, paren $ to_format a ++ "," ++ line ++ to_format b⟩
 
+instance nat_has_to_format : has_to_format nat :=
+⟨λ n, to_string n⟩
+
+instance format_has_to_string : has_to_string format :=
+⟨pretty⟩
+
 end lean
diff --git a/library/init/lean/parser/macro.lean b/library/init/lean/parser/macro.lean
index 3313a79314..5bd8296aa7 100644
--- a/library/init/lean/parser/macro.lean
+++ b/library/init/lean/parser/macro.lean
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Author: Sebastian Ullrich
 -/
 prelude
-import init.lean.parser.move
-import init.lean.parser.syntax
+import init.data.rbmap init.lean.parser.syntax init.control.combinators
 
-namespace lean.parser
+namespace lean
+namespace parser
 
 local attribute [instance] name.has_lt_quick
 
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ namespace parse_m
 section
 local attribute [reducible] parse_m
 
-instance (r σ) : monad (parse_m r σ) := by apply_instance
+instance (r σ) : monad (parse_m r σ) := infer_instance
 --instance (r σ) : monad_run _ (parse_m r σ) := by apply_instance
-instance (r σ) : monad_except string (parse_m r σ) := by apply_instance
-instance (r σ) : monad_reader r (parse_m r σ) := by apply_instance
-instance (r σ) : monad_state σ (parse_m r σ) := by apply_instance
-instance (r σ σ') : monad_state_adapter σ σ' (parse_m r σ) (parse_m r σ') := by apply_instance
-instance (r r' σ) : monad_reader_adapter r r' (parse_m r σ) (parse_m r' σ) := by apply_instance
+instance (r σ) : monad_except string (parse_m r σ) := infer_instance
+instance (r σ) : monad_reader r (parse_m r σ)      := infer_instance
+instance (r σ) : monad_state σ (parse_m r σ)       := infer_instance
+instance (r σ σ') : monad_state_adapter σ σ' (parse_m r σ) (parse_m r σ')  := infer_instance
+instance (r r' σ) : monad_reader_adapter r r' (parse_m r σ) (parse_m r' σ) := infer_instance
 
 def run {r σ α} (cfg : r) (st : σ) (x : parse_m r σ α) :=
 (x.run.run cfg).run st
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def flip_tag (tag : ℕ) : syntax → syntax
 | (syntax.node node) := syntax.node {node with args := (node.args.map
     -- flip_tag
     (λ s, flip_tag s))}
-| (syntax.list ls) := syntax.list (ls.map
+| (syntax.lst ls) := syntax.lst (ls.map
     -- flip_tag
     (λ s, flip_tag s))
 | (syntax.ident ident@{msc := none, ..}) := syntax.ident {ident with msc := some tag}
@@ -126,4 +126,5 @@ let sc : scope := mk_rbmap _ _ _,
        rsm ← get,
        pure (stx, rsm)
 
-end lean.parser
+end parser
+end lean
diff --git a/library/init/lean/parser/move.lean b/library/init/lean/parser/move.lean
deleted file mode 100644
index a2af48875f..0000000000
--- a/library/init/lean/parser/move.lean
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-/-
-Copyright (c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
-Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
-Author: Sebastian Ullrich
--/
-prelude
-import init.data
-
--- non-meta instance
-instance : decidable_eq name :=
-sorry -- TODO(Leo): define instance after we implement new `decidable` type class
-
-universes u v w
-
-namespace name
-  @[simp] protected def quick_lt : name → name → Prop
-  | anonymous        anonymous          := false
-  | anonymous        _                  := true
-  | (mk_numeral v n) (mk_numeral v' n') := v < v' ∨ v = v' ∧ n.quick_lt n'
-  | (mk_numeral _ _) (mk_string _ _)    := true
-  | (mk_string s n)  (mk_string s' n')  := s < s' ∨ s = s' ∧ n.quick_lt n'
-  | _                _                  := false
-
-  instance decidable_rel_quick_lt : decidable_rel name.quick_lt :=
-  begin
-    intros n n',
-    induction n generalizing n',
-    case anonymous {
-      by_cases n' = anonymous; simp *; apply_instance
-    },
-    all_goals { cases n'; {
-      tactic.unfreeze_local_instances, -- use recursive instance
-      simp; apply_instance } }
-  end
-
-  protected def has_lt_quick : has_lt name := ⟨name.quick_lt⟩
-end name
diff --git a/library/init/lean/parser/syntax.lean b/library/init/lean/parser/syntax.lean
index 91d0a3e50b..2216558bb8 100644
--- a/library/init/lean/parser/syntax.lean
+++ b/library/init/lean/parser/syntax.lean
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@ Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
 Author: Sebastian Ullrich
 -/
 prelude
-import init.data
+import init.lean.name
 
-namespace lean.parser
+namespace lean
+namespace parser
 
 @[reducible] def syntax_id := ℕ
 @[reducible] def macro_scope_id := ℕ
@@ -32,22 +33,29 @@ inductive syntax
 | ident (val : syntax_ident)
 /- any non-ident atom -/
 | atom (val : syntax_atom)
-| list (ls : list syntax)
+| lst  (ls : list syntax)
 | node (val : syntax_node syntax)
 
-protected meta def syntax.to_format : syntax → format :=
-λ s, format.group $ format.nest 2 $ match s with
-| (syntax.ident ident@{msc := none, ..}) := format!"({ident.id}: ident `{ident.name})"
-| (syntax.ident ident@{msc := some sc, ..}) := format!"({ident.id}: ident `{ident.name} from {sc})"
-| (syntax.atom atom) := format!"({atom.id}: atom {atom.val})"
-| (syntax.list ls) := format!"[{format.join $ ls.map syntax.to_format}]"
-| (syntax.node node) :=
-    let args := format.join $ node.args.map (λ arg, format!"\n{arg.to_format}") in
-    format!"({node.id}: node `{node.m} {args})"
-end
+namespace syntax
+open format
 
-meta instance : has_to_format syntax := ⟨syntax.to_format⟩
-meta instance : has_to_string syntax := ⟨to_string ∘ to_fmt⟩
-meta instance : has_repr syntax := ⟨to_string ∘ to_fmt⟩
+protected mutual def to_format, to_format_lst
+with to_format : syntax → format
+| (ident {id := id, name := n, msc := none, ..}) :=
+  paren (to_fmt id ++ ": ident " ++ to_fmt n)
+| (ident {id := id, name := n, msc := some sc, ..}) :=
+  paren (to_fmt id ++ ": ident " ++ to_fmt n  ++ " from " ++ to_fmt sc)
+| (atom a) := paren (to_fmt a.id ++ ": atom " ++ to_fmt a.val)
+| (lst ls) := paren $ join $ to_format_lst ls
+| (node {id := id, m := n, args := args, ..}) :=
+  paren (to_fmt id ++ ": node " ++ to_fmt n ++ join (to_format_lst args))
+with to_format_lst : list syntax → list format
+| []      := []
+| (s::ss) := (line ++ to_format s) :: to_format_lst ss
+end syntax
 
-end lean.parser
+instance : has_to_format syntax := ⟨syntax.to_format⟩
+instance : has_to_string syntax := ⟨to_string ∘ to_fmt⟩
+
+end parser
+end lean