diff --git a/std/encoding.d b/std/encoding.d
index efc033933c9..9231e79c3e4 100644
--- a/std/encoding.d
+++ b/std/encoding.d
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ module std.encoding;
 import std.traits;
 import std.typecons;
 import std.range.primitives;
+import std.internal.phobosinit;
 
 @system unittest
 {
@@ -2373,7 +2374,10 @@ abstract class EncodingScheme
      */
     static void register(string className)
     {
-        auto scheme = cast(EncodingScheme)ClassInfo.find(className).create();
+        auto info = ClassInfo.find(className);
+        if (info is null)
+            throw new EncodingException("Unable to find class info for class "~className);
+        auto scheme = cast(EncodingScheme)info.create();
         if (scheme is null)
             throw new EncodingException("Unable to create class "~className);
         foreach (encodingName;scheme.names())
@@ -3297,6 +3301,28 @@ class EncodingSchemeUtf32Native : EncodingScheme
     assert(ub.length == 8);
 }
 
+// this hack allows us to register all the classes without having dependencies
+// on other modules. The function is eterned, and then called from phobosinit.
+// Note that EncodingScheme.register uses the default constructor of each of
+// these classes via the Object.factory method, and then calls the names()
+// function. None of these functions above depend on external modules, so we
+// are safe to call this from an external module without risk of creating
+// cycles.
+extern(C) void std_encoding_shared_static_this()
+{
+    // BUG: this is needed or all the classinfo from this file will not be
+    // included in phobos!
+    scope ascii = new EncodingSchemeASCII;
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeASCII");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeLatin1");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeLatin2");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeWindows1250");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeWindows1252");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf8");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf16Native");
+    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf32Native");
+}
+
 //=============================================================================
 
 
diff --git a/std/internal/phobosinit.d b/std/internal/phobosinit.d
index 961da9d0c96..ab557e5188e 100644
--- a/std/internal/phobosinit.d
+++ b/std/internal/phobosinit.d
@@ -21,15 +21,9 @@ version(OSX)
     }
 }
 
+extern(C) void std_encoding_shared_static_this();
+
 shared static this()
 {
-    import std.encoding : EncodingScheme;
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeASCII");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeLatin1");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeLatin2");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeWindows1250");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeWindows1252");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf8");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf16Native");
-    EncodingScheme.register("std.encoding.EncodingSchemeUtf32Native");
+    std_encoding_shared_static_this();
 }
diff --git a/std/process.d b/std/process.d
index eedd587a33f..8b04f4f662c 100644
--- a/std/process.d
+++ b/std/process.d
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ version (Posix)
 {
     version (OSX)
     {
+        import std.internal.phobosinit; // needed to make sure the function gets called
         extern(C) char*** _NSGetEnviron() nothrow;
         private __gshared const(char**)* environPtr;
         extern(C) void std_process_shared_static_this() { environPtr = _NSGetEnviron(); }