diff --git a/lsp/nls/Cargo.toml b/lsp/nls/Cargo.toml
index 62a7bafdbb..4813216eb8 100644
--- a/lsp/nls/Cargo.toml
+++ b/lsp/nls/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,10 +14,6 @@ version.workspace = true
 name = "nls"
 path = "src/main.rs"
 
-[features]
-default = ["format"]
-format = ["nickel-lang-core/format"]
-
 [[bench]]
 name = "main"
 harness = false
@@ -45,7 +41,7 @@ lsp-types.workspace = true
 # contract they should follow, e.g. with an environment variable or just the
 # filesystem layout, in which case we will be able to show Nickel diagnostics
 # directly inside a TOML or a YAML file. It's not used as of yet, though.
-nickel-lang-core = {workspace = true, default-features = false, features = ["spanned-deser"]}
+nickel-lang-core = {workspace = true, default-features = false, features = ["spanned-deser", "format"]}
 regex.workspace = true
 scopeguard.workspace = true
 serde = { workspace = true, features = ["derive"] }
diff --git a/lsp/nls/src/requests/formatting_external.rs b/lsp/nls/src/requests/formatting_external.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 9295f02ab7..0000000000
--- a/lsp/nls/src/requests/formatting_external.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
-use std::process;
-
-use lsp_server::{RequestId, Response, ResponseError};
-use lsp_types::{DocumentFormattingParams, Position, Range, TextEdit};
-use nickel_lang_core::cache::SourcePath;
-
-use crate::{error::Error, files::uri_to_path, server::Server};
-
-pub const FORMATTING_COMMAND: [&str; 4] = ["topiary", "fmt", "--language", "nickel"];
-
-/// Handle the LSP formatting request from a client using an external binary as a formatter.
-/// If this succeds, it sends a reponse to the server and returns `Ok(..)`, otherwise,
-/// it only returns an `Err(..)`.
-pub fn handle_format_document(
-    params: DocumentFormattingParams,
-    id: RequestId,
-    server: &mut Server,
-) -> Result<(), ResponseError> {
-    let path = uri_to_path(&params.text_document.uri)?;
-    let file_id = server.world.cache.id_of(&SourcePath::Path(path)).unwrap();
-    let text = server.world.cache.files().source(file_id).clone();
-    let document_length = text.lines().count() as u32;
-
-    let Ok(mut topiary) = process::Command::new(FORMATTING_COMMAND[0])
-        .args(&FORMATTING_COMMAND[1..])
-        .stdin(process::Stdio::piped())
-        .stdout(process::Stdio::piped())
-        .stderr(process::Stdio::piped())
-        .spawn()
-    else {
-        return Err(Error::FormattingFailed {
-            details: "Executing topiary failed".to_owned(),
-            file: params.text_document.uri.clone(),
-        }
-        .into());
-    };
-
-    let mut stdin = topiary.stdin.take().unwrap();
-
-    std::thread::spawn(move || {
-        let mut text_bytes = text.as_bytes();
-        std::io::copy(&mut text_bytes, &mut stdin).unwrap();
-    });
-
-    let output = topiary.wait_with_output().unwrap();
-
-    if !output.status.success() {
-        let error = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
-        return Err(Error::FormattingFailed {
-            details: error.into(),
-            file: params.text_document.uri.clone(),
-        }
-        .into());
-    }
-
-    let new_text = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap();
-
-    let result = Some(vec![TextEdit {
-        range: Range {
-            start: Position {
-                line: 0,
-                character: 0,
-            },
-            // The end position is exclusive. Since we want to replace the
-            // entire document, we specify the beginning of the line after the
-            // last line in the document.
-            end: Position {
-                line: document_length,
-                character: 0,
-            },
-        },
-        new_text,
-    }]);
-    server.reply(Response::new_ok(id, result));
-
-    Ok(())
-}
diff --git a/lsp/nls/src/requests/mod.rs b/lsp/nls/src/requests/mod.rs
index 552619fc3a..681617103b 100644
--- a/lsp/nls/src/requests/mod.rs
+++ b/lsp/nls/src/requests/mod.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,6 @@
 pub mod completion;
+pub mod formatting;
 pub mod goto;
 pub mod hover;
 pub mod rename;
 pub mod symbols;
-
-#[cfg(feature = "format")]
-pub mod formatting;
-
-#[cfg(not(feature = "format"))]
-#[path = "formatting_external.rs"]
-pub mod formatting;