diff --git a/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++ b/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
index 345f4d9..cf6b06e 100644
--- a/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
+++ b/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
@@ -1151,8 +1151,7 @@ private:
         kj::strTree(
           spaces(indent), "  public static final org.capnproto.StructSize STRUCT_SIZE =\n",
           spaces(indent), "    new org.capnproto.StructSize((short)", structNode.getDataWordCount(),
-          ",(short)", structNode.getPointerCount(),
-          ", org.capnproto.ElementSize.", FIELD_SIZE_NAMES[(int)structNode.getPreferredListEncoding()], ");\n"),
+          ",(short)", structNode.getPointerCount(), ");\n"),
 
         spaces(indent), "  public static final class Factory extends org.capnproto.StructFactory<Builder, Reader> {\n",
         spaces(indent),
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/StructSize.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/StructSize.java
index 54b6174..764c0a0 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/StructSize.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/StructSize.java
@@ -24,12 +24,10 @@ package org.capnproto;
 public final class StructSize {
     public final short data;      // number of words in data section
     public final short pointers;  // number of words in pointer section
-    public final byte preferredListEncoding; // a FieldSize
 
-    public StructSize(short data, short pointers, byte preferredListEncoding) {
+    public StructSize(short data, short pointers) {
         this.data = data;
         this.pointers = pointers;
-        this.preferredListEncoding = preferredListEncoding;
     }
 
     public final int total() {
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
index 6cbcf78..f23f24b 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
@@ -237,12 +237,6 @@ final class WireHelpers {
                                        SegmentBuilder segment,
                                        int elementCount,
                                        StructSize elementSize) {
-        if (elementSize.preferredListEncoding != ElementSize.INLINE_COMPOSITE) {
-            //# Small data-only struct. Allocate a list of primitives instead.
-            return initListPointer(factory, refOffset, segment, elementCount,
-                                   elementSize.preferredListEncoding);
-        }
-
         int wordsPerElement = elementSize.total();
 
         //# Allocate the list, prefixed by a single WirePointer.
@@ -278,7 +272,7 @@ final class WireHelpers {
         }
 
         //# We must verify that the pointer has the right size. Unlike
-        //# in getWritableStructListReference(), we never need to
+        //# in getWritableStructListPointer(), we never need to
         //# "upgrade" the data, because this method is called only for
         //# non-struct lists, and there is no allowed upgrade path *to*
         //# a non-struct list, only *from* them.
@@ -326,6 +320,28 @@ final class WireHelpers {
                                               StructSize elementSize,
                                               SegmentReader defaultSegment,
                                               int defaultOffset) {
+        long origRef = WirePointer.get(origSegment.buffer, origRefOffset);
+        int origRefTarget = WirePointer.target(origRefOffset, origRef);
+
+        if (WirePointer.isNull(origRef)) {
+            throw new Error("unimplemented");
+        }
+
+        //# We must verify that the pointer has the right size and potentially upgrade it if not.
+
+        FollowBuilderFarsResult resolved = followBuilderFars(origRef, origRefTarget, origSegment);
+        if (WirePointer.kind(resolved.ref) != WirePointer.LIST) {
+            throw new DecodeException("Called getList{Field,Element}() but existing pointer is not a list");
+        }
+
+        byte oldSize = ListPointer.elementSize(resolved.ref);
+
+        if (oldSize == ElementSize.INLINE_COMPOSITE) {
+            // ...
+        } else {
+            // ...
+        }
+
         throw new Error("getWritableStructListPointer is unimplemented");
     }
 
diff --git a/runtime/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/LayoutTest.scala b/runtime/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/LayoutTest.scala
index b5593c7..5040d8c 100644
--- a/runtime/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/LayoutTest.scala
+++ b/runtime/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/LayoutTest.scala
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ class LayoutSuite extends FunSuite {
 
     val segment = new SegmentBuilder(buffer, new BuilderArena(BuilderArena.SUGGESTED_FIRST_SEGMENT_WORDS,
                                                               BuilderArena.SUGGESTED_ALLOCATION_STRATEGY))
-    val factory = new BareStructBuilder(new StructSize(2, 4, ElementSize.INLINE_COMPOSITE));
+    val factory = new BareStructBuilder(new StructSize(2, 4));
     val builder =  WireHelpers.initStructPointer(factory, 0, segment, factory.structSize());
     setupStruct(builder);
     checkStruct(builder);