diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 6ee64a2af..267553e2f 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -10,8 +10,40 @@ var sort = require('./lib/sort'),
   polyglot = require('./lib/parsers/polyglot'),
   github = require('./lib/github'),
   hierarchy = require('./lib/hierarchy'),
+  inferName = require('./lib/infer/name'),
+  inferKind = require('./lib/infer/kind'),
+  inferParams = require('./lib/infer/params'),
+  inferMembership = require('./lib/infer/membership'),
+  inferReturn = require('./lib/infer/return'),
   lint = require('./lib/lint');
 
+/**
+ * Build a pipeline of comment handlers.
+ * @param {...Function} args - Pipeline elements. Each is a function that accepts
+ *  a comment and can return a comment or undefined (to drop that comment).
+ * @returns {Function} pipeline
+ * @private
+ */
+function pipeline() {
+  var elements = arguments;
+  return function (comment) {
+    for (var i = 0; comment && i < elements.length; i++) {
+      comment = elements[i](comment);
+    }
+    return comment;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * A comment handler that returns the comment unchanged.
+ * @param {Object} comment parsed comment
+ * @returns {Object} comment
+ * @private
+ */
+function noop(comment) {
+  return comment;
+}
+
 /**
  * Generate JavaScript documentation as a list of parsed JSDoc
  * comments, given a root file as a path.
@@ -55,26 +87,17 @@ module.exports = function (indexes, options, callback) {
         .reduce(function (memo, file) {
           return memo.concat(parseFn(file));
         }, [])
-        .map(function (comment) {
-          var inferName = require('./lib/infer/name')();
-          var inferKind = require('./lib/infer/kind')();
-          var inferParams = require('./lib/infer/params')();
-          var inferMembership = require('./lib/infer/membership')();
-          var inferReturn = require('./lib/infer/return')();
-
-          // compose nesting & membership to avoid intermediate arrays
-          comment = nestParams(
-            inferMembership(
-              inferReturn(
-                inferParams(
-                  inferKind(
-                    inferName(
-                      lint(comment)))))));
-          if (options.github) {
-            comment = github(comment);
-          }
-          return comment;
-        })
+        .map(pipeline(
+          lint,
+          inferName(),
+          inferKind(),
+          inferParams(),
+          inferReturn(),
+          inferMembership(),
+          nestParams,
+          options.github ? github : noop
+        ))
+        .filter(Boolean)
         .sort(sort.bind(undefined, options.order))
         .filter(filterAccess.bind(undefined, options.private ? [] : undefined))
       callback(null, options.hierarchy !== false ? hierarchy(flat) : flat);
diff --git a/lib/infer/membership.js b/lib/infer/membership.js
index 16c2bfcf2..9b87698cc 100644
--- a/lib/infer/membership.js
+++ b/lib/infer/membership.js
@@ -113,11 +113,11 @@ module.exports = function () {
       currentModule = comment;
     }
 
-    if (comment.memberof) {
-      return comment;
+    if (comment.lends) {
+      return;
     }
 
-    if (comment.lends) {
+    if (comment.memberof) {
       return comment;
     }
 
diff --git a/test/lib/infer/membership.js b/test/lib/infer/membership.js
index 3df0fc4fd..e9c1afc51 100644
--- a/test/lib/infer/membership.js
+++ b/test/lib/infer/membership.js
@@ -136,12 +136,6 @@ test('inferMembership - explicit', function (t) {
     scope: 'static'
   }, 'lends, static');
 
-  t.end();
-});
-
-
-
-test('inferMembership', function (t) {
   t.deepEqual(_.pick(evaluate(function () {
     lend(/** @lends Foo */{
       /**
@@ -182,7 +176,11 @@ test('inferMembership', function (t) {
     lend(/** @lends Foo */{});
     /** Test */
     return 0;
-  })[0].memberof, undefined, 'inferMembership - lends applies only to following object');
+  })[1].memberof, undefined, 'inferMembership - lends applies only to following object');
+
+  t.equal(evaluate(function () {
+    lend(/** @lends Foo */{});
+  })[0], undefined, 'inferMembership - drops lends');
 
   t.end();
 });