diff --git a/lib/gitlab/markdown.rb b/lib/gitlab/markdown.rb
index f230201543..37b250d353 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/markdown.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/markdown.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 require 'html/pipeline'
-require 'html/pipeline/gitlab'
 
 module Gitlab
   # Custom parser for GitLab-flavored Markdown
@@ -61,19 +60,24 @@ module Gitlab
         reference_only_path:  true
       )
 
-      markdown_context = {
+      pipeline = HTML::Pipeline.new(filters)
+
+      context = {
+        # SanitizationFilter
+        whitelist:       sanitization_whitelist,
+
+        # EmojiFilter
         asset_root:      Gitlab.config.gitlab.url,
         asset_host:      Gitlab::Application.config.asset_host,
-        whitelist:       sanitization_whitelist,
-        reference_class: html_options[:class],
-        only_path:       options[:reference_only_path],
+
+        # ReferenceFilter
         current_user:    current_user,
-        project:         project
+        only_path:       options[:reference_only_path],
+        project:         project,
+        reference_class: html_options[:class]
       }
 
-      markdown_pipeline = HTML::Pipeline::Gitlab.new(filters).pipeline
-
-      result = markdown_pipeline.call(text, markdown_context)
+      result = pipeline.call(text, context)
 
       save_options = 0
       if options[:xhtml]
@@ -91,7 +95,7 @@ module Gitlab
 
     private
 
-    # Custom filters for html-pipeline:
+    # Filters used in our pipeline
     #
     # SanitizationFilter should come first so that all generated reference HTML
     # goes through untouched.
@@ -101,6 +105,8 @@ module Gitlab
       [
         HTML::Pipeline::SanitizationFilter,
 
+        Gitlab::Markdown::EmojiFilter,
+
         Gitlab::Markdown::UserReferenceFilter,
         Gitlab::Markdown::IssueReferenceFilter,
         Gitlab::Markdown::ExternalIssueReferenceFilter,
@@ -109,8 +115,6 @@ module Gitlab
         Gitlab::Markdown::CommitRangeReferenceFilter,
         Gitlab::Markdown::CommitReferenceFilter,
         Gitlab::Markdown::LabelReferenceFilter,
-
-        HTML::Pipeline::Gitlab::GitlabEmojiFilter
       ]
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/helpers/gitlab_markdown_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/gitlab_markdown_helper_spec.rb
index 315e91d4f3..60e000b4dd 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/gitlab_markdown_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/gitlab_markdown_helper_spec.rb
@@ -10,15 +10,12 @@ describe GitlabMarkdownHelper do
   end
 
   let!(:project) { create(:project) }
-  let(:empty_project) { create(:empty_project) }
 
   let(:user)          { create(:user, username: 'gfm') }
   let(:commit)        { project.repository.commit }
-  let(:earlier_commit){ project.repository.commit("HEAD~2") }
   let(:issue)         { create(:issue, project: project) }
   let(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, source_project: project, target_project: project) }
   let(:snippet)       { create(:project_snippet, project: project) }
-  let(:member)        { project.project_members.where(user_id: user).first }
 
   # Helper expects a current_user method.
   let(:current_user) { user }
@@ -60,53 +57,6 @@ describe GitlabMarkdownHelper do
       end
     end
 
-    # TODO (rspeicher): These tests belong in the emoji filter spec
-    describe "emoji" do
-      it "matches at the start of a string" do
-        expect(gfm(":+1:")).to match(/<img/)
-      end
-
-      it "matches at the end of a string" do
-        expect(gfm("This gets a :-1:")).to match(/<img/)
-      end
-
-      it "matches with adjacent text" do
-        expect(gfm("+1 (:+1:)")).to match(/<img/)
-      end
-
-      it "has a title attribute" do
-        expect(gfm(":-1:")).to match(/title=":-1:"/)
-      end
-
-      it "has an alt attribute" do
-        expect(gfm(":-1:")).to match(/alt=":-1:"/)
-      end
-
-      it "has an emoji class" do
-        expect(gfm(":+1:")).to match('class="emoji"')
-      end
-
-      it "sets height and width" do
-        actual = gfm(":+1:")
-        expect(actual).to match(/width="20"/)
-        expect(actual).to match(/height="20"/)
-      end
-
-      it "keeps whitespace intact" do
-        expect(gfm('This deserves a :+1: big time.')).
-          to match(/deserves a <img.+> big time/)
-      end
-
-      it "ignores invalid emoji" do
-        expect(gfm(":invalid-emoji:")).not_to match(/<img/)
-      end
-
-      it "should work independent of reference links (i.e. without @project being set)" do
-        @project = nil
-        expect(gfm(":+1:")).to match(/<img/)
-      end
-    end
-
     context 'parse_tasks: true' do
       before(:all) do
         @source_text_asterisk = <<-EOT.strip_heredoc
@@ -339,28 +289,6 @@ describe GitlabMarkdownHelper do
       expect(markdown("##{issue.iid}")).to include(namespace_project_issue_path(project.namespace, project, issue))
     end
 
-    # EMOJI -------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-    it "should generate absolute urls for emoji" do
-      # TODO (rspeicher): Why isn't this with the emoji tests?
-      expect(markdown(':smile:')).to(
-        include(%(src="#{Gitlab.config.gitlab.url}/assets/emoji/#{Emoji.emoji_filename('smile')}.png))
-      )
-    end
-
-    it "should generate absolute urls for emoji if relative url is present" do
-      # TODO (rspeicher): Why isn't this with the emoji tests?
-      allow(Gitlab.config.gitlab).to receive(:url).and_return('http://localhost/gitlab/root')
-      expect(markdown(":smile:")).to include("src=\"http://localhost/gitlab/root/assets/emoji/#{Emoji.emoji_filename('smile')}.png")
-    end
-
-    it "should generate absolute urls for emoji if asset_host is present" do
-      # TODO (rspeicher): Why isn't this with the emoji tests?
-      allow(Gitlab::Application.config).to receive(:asset_host).and_return("https://cdn.example.com")
-      ActionView::Base.any_instance.stub_chain(:config, :asset_host).and_return("https://cdn.example.com")
-      expect(markdown(":smile:")).to include("src=\"https://cdn.example.com/assets/emoji/#{Emoji.emoji_filename('smile')}.png")
-    end
-
     # RELATIVE URLS -----------------------------------------------------------
     # TODO (rspeicher): These belong in a relative link filter spec
 
@@ -448,8 +376,8 @@ describe GitlabMarkdownHelper do
   # TODO (rspeicher): This should be a context of relative link specs, not its own thing
   describe 'markdown for empty repository' do
     before do
-      @project = empty_project
-      @repository = empty_project.repository
+      @project = create(:empty_project)
+      @repository = @project.repository
     end
 
     it "should not touch relative urls" do