diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index c0ffd5e..41eb622 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -12,23 +12,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install pre-commit
         run: pip3 install pre-commit
 
-      - name: Run pre-commit
-        run: pre-commit run --all-files
-
       - name: install luarocks
         run: sudo apt-get install -qq luarocks
 
       - name: install luacheck via luarocks
         run: luarocks install --local luacheck
 
-      - name: luacheck invsaw
-        run: $HOME/.luarocks/bin/luacheck --config ./invsaw/.luacheckrc -q ./invsaw
-
-      - name: luacheck moreblocks
-        run: $HOME/.luarocks/bin/luacheck --config ./moreblocks/.luacheckrc -q ./moreblocks
-
-      - name: luacheck stairsplus
-        run: $HOME/.luarocks/bin/luacheck --config ./stairsplus/.luacheckrc  -q ./stairsplus
-
-      - name: luacheck stairsplus_legacy
-        run: $HOME/.luarocks/bin/luacheck --config ./stairsplus_legacy/.luacheckrc  -q ./stairsplus_legacy
+      - name: Run pre-commit
+        run: pre-commit run --all-files
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 5935809..41dbf63 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -8,3 +8,36 @@ repos:
 
       - id: mixed-line-ending
         args: [ --fix=lf ]
+
+  - repo: local
+    hooks:
+      - id: luacheck_invsaw
+        name: luacheck_invsaw
+        language: system
+        entry: luacheck
+        pass_filenames: false
+        args: [--config,./invsaw/.luacheckrc,-q,./invsaw]
+      - id: luacheck_moreblocks
+        name: luacheck_moreblocks
+        language: system
+        entry: luacheck
+        pass_filenames: false
+        args: [--config,./moreblocks/.luacheckrc,-q,./moreblocks]
+      - id: luacheck_moreblocks_legacy_recipes
+        name: luacheck_moreblocks_legacy_recipes
+        language: system
+        entry: luacheck
+        pass_filenames: false
+        args: [--config,./moreblocks_legacy_recipes/.luacheckrc,-q,./moreblocks_legacy_recipes]
+      - id: luacheck_stairsplus
+        name: luacheck_stairsplus
+        language: system
+        entry: luacheck
+        pass_filenames: false
+        args: [--config,./stairsplus/.luacheckrc,-q,./stairsplus]
+      - id: luacheck_stairsplus_legacy
+        name: luacheck_stairsplus_legacy
+        language: system
+        entry: luacheck
+        pass_filenames: false
+        args: [--config,./stairsplus_legacy/.luacheckrc,-q,./stairsplus_legacy]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e2c2c44..2b81a08 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ The 3.0.0 release of moreblocks introduces a "legacy" mode, which is on by defau
 allow new servers to not commit to creating as many nodes as older versions, while not breaking anything
 on existing servers. See `settingtypes.txt` for available settings.
 
+By defaulthe 3.0.0 release disables certain recipe overrides that were part of moreblocks 2.*. To re-enable
+them, set `moreblocks_legacy_recipes.enabled = true`.
+
 ### Settings
 
 See `settingtypes.txt` for available settings.
diff --git a/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/.luacheckrc b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/.luacheckrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d50310
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/.luacheckrc
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+std = "lua51+luajit+minetest+moreblocks_legacy_recipes"
+unused_args = false
+max_line_length = 120
+
+stds.minetest = {
+	read_globals = {
+		"DIR_DELIM",
+		"minetest",
+		"core",
+		"dump",
+		"vector",
+		"nodeupdate",
+		"VoxelManip",
+		"VoxelArea",
+		"PseudoRandom",
+		"ItemStack",
+		"default",
+		"table",
+		"math",
+		"string",
+	}
+}
+
+stds.moreblocks_legacy_recipes = {
+	globals = {
+	},
+	read_globals = {
+	},
+}
diff --git a/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/LICENSE.md b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/LICENSE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67f5f7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/LICENSE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# zlib license
+
+Copyright © 2011-2020 Hugo Locurcio and contributors
+
+**This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.**
+
+Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:
+
+1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
+
+2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software.
+
+3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
diff --git a/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/README.md b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8525c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+
+code to increase the productivity of some recipes which was originally part of
+[moreblocks](https://github.com/minetest-mods/moreblocks/) but has since been removed.
+
+copied directly from
+https://github.com/minetest-mods/moreblocks/blob/1a03b041dd49cf52e8d5d84e72206718055b1455/redefinitions.lua
+
+## License
+
+Copyright © 2011-2020 Hugo Locurcio and contributors
+
+- More Blocks code is licensed under the zlib license, see
+  [`LICENSE.md`](LICENSE.md) for details.
+- Unless otherwise specified, More Blocks textures are licensed under
+  [CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
+
+`moreblocks_copperpatina.png` was created by pithydon, and is licensed under
+[CC0 1.0 Universal](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).
diff --git a/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/init.lua b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/init.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b50570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/init.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+-- disabled by default
+if not minetest.settings:get_bool("moreblocks_legacy_recipes.enabled", false) then
+	return
+end
+
+--[[
+More Blocks: redefinitions of default stuff
+
+Copyright © 2011-2020 Hugo Locurcio and contributors.
+Licensed under the zlib license. See LICENSE.md for more information.
+--]]
+
+local modname = minetest.get_current_modname()
+
+-- Redefine some of the default crafting recipes to be more productive
+
+-- Auxiliary function: take a recipe as returned by get_all_craft_recipes
+-- and turn it into a table that can be used to clear a craft or declare a new one
+local reconstruct_internal_craft = function(recipe)
+	local recp = {
+		{ "", "", "" },
+		{ "", "", "" },
+		{ "", "", "" },
+	}
+	local width = recipe.width
+	for idx, item in pairs(recipe.items) do
+		local row = math.ceil(idx / width)
+		local col = idx - (row-1)*width
+		recp[row][col] = item
+	end
+	return recp
+end
+
+-- Change the amount produced by recipe by apply func to the old amount
+local change_recipe_amount = function(product, recipe, func)
+	-- if width == 0, this is a shapeless recipe, for which the
+	-- internal and Lua API recipe table is the same.
+	-- Otherwise we need to reconstruct the table for the shaped recipe.
+	local shapeless = (recipe.width == 0)
+	local recp = shapeless and recipe.items or reconstruct_internal_craft(recipe)
+
+	local oldamount = tonumber(recipe.output:match(" [0-9]+$") or "1")
+
+	local newamount = func(oldamount)
+
+	-- remove old crafting recipe
+	local redo = { recipe = recp }
+	-- preserve shapelessness
+	if shapeless then
+		redo.type = "shapeless"
+	end
+	minetest.clear_craft(redo)
+
+	-- new output
+	redo.output = ("%s %d"):format(product, newamount)
+	minetest.register_craft(redo)
+
+	minetest.log("action", ("[MOD]%s: recipe for %s production: %d => %d"):format(
+		modname, product, oldamount, newamount
+	))
+end
+
+local increase_craft_production = function(product, func)
+	local recipes = minetest.get_all_craft_recipes(product)
+	for _, r in pairs(recipes) do
+		if r.type == "normal" or r.method == "normal" then
+			change_recipe_amount(product, r, func)
+		end
+	end
+end
+
+-- Increase the crafting production according to the rules from the table, which is in the form:
+-- {
+--   { detector, amount changing function }
+--   { detector, amount changing function }
+-- }
+-- TODO: consider exporting this function to other mods
+local increase_craft_production_table = function(map_table)
+	for product, _ in pairs(minetest.registered_items) do
+		for _, tab in pairs(map_table) do
+			local detector = tab[1]
+			local func = tab[2]
+			if detector(product) then
+				increase_craft_production(product, func)
+				-- only apply one boost
+				break
+			end
+		end
+	end
+end
+
+increase_craft_production_table({
+	{ function(n) return n:match('^default:sign_wall') end, function(old) return old + 1 end },
+	{ function(n) return n == 'default:paper' end, function(old) return old*4 end },
+	{ function(n) return n:match('^carts:.*rail$') or n:match('^default:.*rail$') end,
+	  function(old) return old + old/2 end },
+})
+
+minetest.register_craft({
+	type = "toolrepair",
+	additional_wear = -0.10, -- Tool repair buff (10% bonus instead of 2%).
+})
diff --git a/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/mod.conf b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/mod.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37cdbcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moreblocks_legacy_recipes/mod.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+name = moreblocks_legacy_recipes
+description = adds back recipe changes that used to be part of moreblocks
+optional_depends = carts, default
diff --git a/settingtypes.txt b/settingtypes.txt
index a8e71ba..bb3d102 100644
--- a/settingtypes.txt
+++ b/settingtypes.txt
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ invsaw.creative_priv (Priv to use the inventory saw w/out a saw item) string cre
 # The item that a normal player has to have to use the saw in inventory
 invsaw.saw_item (Saw item) string stairsplus:circular_saw
 
+# whether to increase the yield of certain crafting recipes as in moreblocks 2.*
+moreblocks_legacy_recipes.enabled (Enable legacy recipes) bool false
+
 # Add a yellow outline around trap nodes, to make them visibly distinct
 moreblocks.outline_trap_nodes (Outline trap nodes) bool true