diff --git a/scripts/projects.py b/scripts/projects.py
index db0b9281..12aa916e 100644
--- a/scripts/projects.py
+++ b/scripts/projects.py
@@ -69,26 +69,31 @@ class Build(object):
 
     def read_deps(self, cur, prereq_type):
         # dep cache doesn't make a difference at all
-        projects_py="/usr/bin/python2 " + my_dir + "/projects.py --prefix " + projs_root + " " + os.getenv('PROJECTS_PY_EXTRA_ARGS', "")
         if prereq_type in dep_cache:
             if cur in dep_cache[prereq_type]:
                 return dep_cache[prereq_type][cur]
         else:
             dep_cache[prereq_type] = {}
-        cmd = projects_py + " prereq " + prereq_type + " " + cur
-        debug('running', cmd)
-        p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
-        p.wait()
-        if p.returncode:
-            raise Exception("failed to get " + prereq_type + " prerequisites for " + cur + ": " + cmd)
-        r = Set()
-        pattern = re.compile(r'.*') # might be useful at a later point, currently pointless
-        for line in iter(p.stdout.readline,''):
-            debug(cmd + ' returned: ', line)
-            if not pattern.match(line):
-                continue
-            for d in line.split():
-                r.add(d)
+
+        if True:
+            r = get_modules_from_project_txt(cur, 'pkg.requires.jw',
+                prereq_type, scope = 2, add_self=False, names_only=True)
+        else: # legacy
+            projects_py="/usr/bin/python2 " + my_dir + "/projects.py --prefix " + projs_root + " " + os.getenv('PROJECTS_PY_EXTRA_ARGS', "")
+            cmd = projects_py + " prereq " + prereq_type + " " + cur
+            debug('running', cmd)
+            p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
+            p.wait()
+            if p.returncode:
+                raise Exception("failed to get " + prereq_type + " prerequisites for " + cur + ": " + cmd)
+            r = Set()
+            pattern = re.compile(r'.*') # might be useful at a later point, currently pointless
+            for line in iter(p.stdout.readline,''):
+                debug(cmd + ' returned: ', line)
+                if not pattern.match(line):
+                    continue
+                for d in line.split():
+                    r.add(d)
         if cur in r:
             r.remove(cur)
         debug('inserting', prereq_type, "prerequisites of", cur, ":", ' '.join(r))