diff --git a/content/better-bibtex.ts b/content/better-bibtex.ts
index 965a782722..094b7689f9 100644
--- a/content/better-bibtex.ts
+++ b/content/better-bibtex.ts
@@ -357,28 +357,9 @@ Zotero.Translate.Import.prototype.Sandbox.BetterBibTeX = {
 
 $patch$(Zotero.Utilities.Internal, 'itemToExportFormat', original => function Zotero_Utilities_Internal_itemToExportFormat(zoteroItem, legacy, skipChildItems) {
   const start = Date.now()
-  try {
-    let serialized = Serializer.fetch(zoteroItem, !!legacy, !!skipChildItems)
-    if (serialized) {
-      log.debug('fetched serialized')
-      return serialized
-    }
-
-    serialized = original.apply(this, arguments)
-    log.debug('native serialized')
-
-    serialized = Serializer.store(zoteroItem, serialized, !!legacy, !!skipChildItems)
-    log.debug('stored serialized')
-
-    return serialized
-
-  } catch (err) { // fallback for safety for non-BBT
-    log.error('Zotero.Utilities.Internal.itemToExportFormat', err)
-  } finally {
-    log.debug('patched serialize took', Date.now() - start)
-  }
-
-  return original.apply(this, arguments)
+  const serialized = original.apply(this, arguments)
+  log.debug('Zotero.Utilities.Internal.itemToExportFormat took', Date.now() - start)
+  return Serializer.enrich(serialized, zoteroItem)
 })
 
 $patch$(Zotero.Translate.Export.prototype, 'translate', original => function Zotero_Translate_Export_prototype_translate() {
diff --git a/content/db/cache.ts b/content/db/cache.ts
index dde10e0afd..70ae5869c5 100644
--- a/content/db/cache.ts
+++ b/content/db/cache.ts
@@ -45,26 +45,27 @@ class Cache extends Loki {
     await this.loadDatabaseAsync()
 
     let coll = this.schemaCollection('itemToExportFormat', {
-      indices: [ 'itemID', 'legacy', 'skipChildItems' ],
+      indices: [ 'itemID' ],
       logging: false,
       cloneObjects: false,
       schema: {
         type: 'object',
         properties: {
           itemID: { type: 'integer' },
-          legacy: { type: 'boolean' },
-          skipChildItems: { type: 'boolean' },
           item: { type: 'object' },
 
           // LokiJS
           meta: { type: 'object' },
           $loki: { type: 'integer' },
         },
-        required: [ 'itemID', 'legacy', 'skipChildItems', 'item' ],
+        required: [ 'itemID', 'item' ],
         additionalProperties: false,
       },
     })
 
+    // old cache, drop
+    if (coll.where(o => typeof o.legacy === 'boolean').length) coll.removeDataOnly()
+
     clearOnUpgrade(coll, 'Zotero', Zotero.version)
 
     // this reaps unused cache entries -- make sure that cacheFetchs updates the object
diff --git a/content/serializer.ts b/content/serializer.ts
index 9cfd9f410e..228f67780c 100644
--- a/content/serializer.ts
+++ b/content/serializer.ts
@@ -16,23 +16,22 @@ export let Serializer = new class { // tslint:disable-line:variable-name
     this.cache = this.enabled && Cache.getCollection('itemToExportFormat')
   }
 
-  public fetch(item, legacy, skipChildItems) {
+  public fetch(item) {
     if (!this.cache) return null
 
-    const query = { itemID: item.id, legacy: !!legacy, skipChildItems: !!skipChildItems}
-    const cached = this.cache.findOne(query)
+    const cached = this.cache.findOne({ itemID: item.id })
     if (!cached) return null
 
     return this.enrich(cached.item, item)
   }
 
-  public store(item, serialized, legacy, skipChildItems) {
+  public store(item, serialized) {
     // come on -- these are used in the collections export but not provided on the items?!
     serialized.itemID = item.id
     serialized.key = item.key
 
     if (this.cache) {
-      this.cache.insert({itemID: item.id, legacy: !!legacy, skipChildItems: !!skipChildItems, item: serialized})
+      this.cache.insert({ itemID: item.id, item: serialized })
     } else {
       if (this.enabled) Zotero.debug('Serializer.store ignored, DB not yet loaded')
     }
@@ -43,30 +42,36 @@ export let Serializer = new class { // tslint:disable-line:variable-name
   public serialize(item) { return Zotero.Utilities.Internal.itemToExportFormat(item, false, true) }
 
   public fast(item) {
-    let serialized = item.toJSON()
-    serialized.uri = Zotero.URI.getItemURI(item)
-    serialized.itemID = item.id
-
-    switch (serialized.itemType) {
-      case 'note':
-        break
-
-      case 'attachment':
-        serialized = this.fastAttachment(serialized, item)
-        break
-
-      default:
-        serialized.attachments = item.getAttachments().map(id => {
-          const att = Zotero.Items.get(id)
-          return this.fastAttachment({ ...att.toJSON(), uri: Zotero.URI.getItemURI(att) }, att)
-        })
-
-        serialized.notes = item.getNotes().map(id => {
-          const note = Zotero.Items.get(id)
-          return { ...note.toJSON(), uri: Zotero.URI.getItemURI(note) }
-        })
+    let serialized = this.fetch(item)
+
+    if (!serialized) {
+      serialized = item.toJSON()
+      serialized.uri = Zotero.URI.getItemURI(item)
+      serialized.itemID = item.id
+
+      switch (serialized.itemType) {
+        case 'note':
+          break
+
+        case 'attachment':
+          serialized = this.fastAttachment(serialized, item)
+          break
+
+        default:
+          serialized.attachments = item.getAttachments().map(id => {
+            const att = Zotero.Items.get(id)
+            return this.fastAttachment({ ...att.toJSON(), uri: Zotero.URI.getItemURI(att) }, att)
+          })
+
+          serialized.notes = item.getNotes().map(id => {
+            const note = Zotero.Items.get(id)
+            return { ...note.toJSON(), uri: Zotero.URI.getItemURI(note) }
+          })
+      }
+      this.store(item, serialized)
     }
 
+    // since the cache doesn't clone, these will be written into the cache, but since we override them always anyways, that's OK
     return this.enrich(serialized, item)
   }
 
@@ -78,7 +83,7 @@ export let Serializer = new class { // tslint:disable-line:variable-name
     return serialized
   }
 
-  private enrich(serialized, item) {
+  public enrich(serialized, item) {
     switch (serialized.itemType) {
       case 'note':
       case 'attachment':
@@ -88,9 +93,10 @@ export let Serializer = new class { // tslint:disable-line:variable-name
         serialized.citekey = KeyManager.get(item.id).citekey
         serialized.citationKey = serialized.citationKey || serialized.citekey // prepare for https://github.com/zotero/translators/pull/1810#issuecomment-456219750
         serialized.journalAbbreviation = JournalAbbrev.get(serialized)
-        serialized.libraryID = item.libraryID
         break
     }
+
+    serialized.libraryID = item.libraryID
     return serialized
   }
 }
diff --git a/content/translators.ts b/content/translators.ts
index dc1805c066..5944f918f7 100644
--- a/content/translators.ts
+++ b/content/translators.ts
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ export let Translators = new class { // tslint:disable-line:variable-name
     prep.exported = (Object.keys(config.cache).length * 100) / config.items.length // tslint:disable-line:no-magic-numbers
 
     try {
-      worker.postMessage(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(config, (name, val) => typeof val === 'function' ? undefined : val)))
+      worker.postMessage(JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(config)))
     } catch (err) {
       worker.terminate()
       this.workers.running.delete(id)