diff --git a/test/doctool/test-doctool-html.js b/test/doctool/test-doctool-html.js
index 91037bfd6501bc..91a18d536a6992 100644
--- a/test/doctool/test-doctool-html.js
+++ b/test/doctool/test-doctool-html.js
@@ -29,11 +29,11 @@ const testData = [
     file: fixtures.path('order_of_end_tags_5873.md'),
     html: '<h3>ClassMethod: Buffer.from(array) <span> ' +
       '<a class="mark" href="#foo_class_method_buffer_from_array" ' +
-      'id="foo_class_method_buffer_from_array">#</a> </span> </h3><div' +
-      'class="signature"><ul><li><code>array</code><a ' +
+      'id="foo_class_method_buffer_from_array">#</a> </span> </h3>' +
+      '<ul><li><code>array</code><a ' +
       'href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/' +
       'Reference/Global_Objects/Array" class="type">&lt;Array&gt;</a></li>' +
-      '</ul></div>'
+      '</ul>'
   },
   {
     file: fixtures.path('doc_with_yaml.md'),
diff --git a/tools/doc/html.js b/tools/doc/html.js
index 439fc057012ca7..1bb5fa630fa8c2 100644
--- a/tools/doc/html.js
+++ b/tools/doc/html.js
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ function render(opts, cb) {
   filename = path.basename(filename, '.md');
 
   parseText(lexed);
-  lexed = parseLists(lexed);
+  lexed = preprocessElements(lexed);
 
   // Generate the table of contents.
   // This mutates the lexed contents in-place.
@@ -231,25 +231,28 @@ function parseText(lexed) {
   });
 }
 
-// Just update the list item text in-place.
-// Lists that come right after a heading are what we're after.
-function parseLists(input) {
+// Preprocess stability blockquotes and YAML blocks.
+function preprocessElements(input) {
   var state = null;
-  const savedState = [];
-  var depth = 0;
   const output = [];
   let headingIndex = -1;
   let heading = null;
 
   output.links = input.links;
   input.forEach(function(tok, index) {
+    if (tok.type === 'heading') {
+      headingIndex = index;
+      heading = tok;
+    }
+    if (tok.type === 'html' && common.isYAMLBlock(tok.text)) {
+      tok.text = parseYAML(tok.text);
+    }
     if (tok.type === 'blockquote_start') {
-      savedState.push(state);
       state = 'MAYBE_STABILITY_BQ';
       return;
     }
     if (tok.type === 'blockquote_end' && state === 'MAYBE_STABILITY_BQ') {
-      state = savedState.pop();
+      state = null;
       return;
     }
     if ((tok.type === 'paragraph' && state === 'MAYBE_STABILITY_BQ') ||
@@ -271,50 +274,7 @@ function parseLists(input) {
         return;
       } else if (state === 'MAYBE_STABILITY_BQ') {
         output.push({ type: 'blockquote_start' });
-        state = savedState.pop();
-      }
-    }
-    if (state === null ||
-      (state === 'AFTERHEADING' && tok.type === 'heading')) {
-      if (tok.type === 'heading') {
-        headingIndex = index;
-        heading = tok;
-        state = 'AFTERHEADING';
-      }
-      output.push(tok);
-      return;
-    }
-    if (state === 'AFTERHEADING') {
-      if (tok.type === 'list_start') {
-        state = 'LIST';
-        if (depth === 0) {
-          output.push({ type: 'html', text: '<div class="signature">' });
-        }
-        depth++;
-        output.push(tok);
-        return;
-      }
-      if (tok.type === 'html' && common.isYAMLBlock(tok.text)) {
-        tok.text = parseYAML(tok.text);
-      }
-      state = null;
-      output.push(tok);
-      return;
-    }
-    if (state === 'LIST') {
-      if (tok.type === 'list_start') {
-        depth++;
-        output.push(tok);
-        return;
-      }
-      if (tok.type === 'list_end') {
-        depth--;
-        output.push(tok);
-        if (depth === 0) {
-          state = null;
-          output.push({ type: 'html', text: '</div>' });
-        }
-        return;
+        state = null;
       }
     }
     output.push(tok);