diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/BUILD b/src/python/pants/bin/BUILD
index d4aafe033cdf..a94cfcd5dbd2 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/BUILD
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/BUILD
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 python_library(
   dependencies=[
     '3rdparty/python/twitter/commons:twitter.common.collections',
+    '3rdparty/python:future',
     '3rdparty/python:setproctitle',
     'src/python/pants/backend/jvm/tasks:nailgun_task',
     'src/python/pants/base:build_environment',
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/daemon_pants_runner.py b/src/python/pants/bin/daemon_pants_runner.py
index a507891ed8da..effd21f3d2b8 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/daemon_pants_runner.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/daemon_pants_runner.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import sys
 import termios
 import time
+from builtins import str, zip
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 
 from setproctitle import setproctitle as set_process_title
@@ -285,7 +286,8 @@ def post_fork_child(self):
 
     # Broadcast our process group ID (in PID form - i.e. negated) to the remote client so
     # they can send signals (e.g. SIGINT) to all processes in the runners process group.
-    NailgunProtocol.send_pid(self._socket, bytes(os.getpgrp() * -1))
+    pid = str(os.getpgrp() * -1).encode('ascii')
+    NailgunProtocol.send_pid(self._socket, pid)
 
     # Invoke a Pants run with stdio redirected and a proxied environment.
     with self.nailgunned_stdio(self._socket, self._env) as finalizer,\
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/goal_runner.py b/src/python/pants/bin/goal_runner.py
index 5ab241e812f2..3a389fd65877 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/goal_runner.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/goal_runner.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 import logging
 import sys
+from builtins import object
 
 from pants.base.cmd_line_spec_parser import CmdLineSpecParser
 from pants.base.workunit import WorkUnit, WorkUnitLabel
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/local_pants_runner.py b/src/python/pants/bin/local_pants_runner.py
index eb693a251b83..ce4283b2ca18 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/local_pants_runner.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/local_pants_runner.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function, unicode_literals
 
 import logging
+from builtins import object
 
 from pants.base.build_environment import get_buildroot
 from pants.bin.goal_runner import GoalRunner
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/pants_loader.py b/src/python/pants/bin/pants_loader.py
index cb480a4291d0..26403736cb95 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/pants_loader.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/pants_loader.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 import locale
 import os
 import warnings
+from builtins import object
 
 
 class PantsLoader(object):
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/pants_runner.py b/src/python/pants/bin/pants_runner.py
index 33ef40f9d9b1..c9daf098ad39 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/pants_runner.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/pants_runner.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import logging
 import os
 import sys
+from builtins import object
 
 from pants.bin.remote_pants_runner import RemotePantsRunner
 from pants.option.options_bootstrapper import OptionsBootstrapper
diff --git a/src/python/pants/bin/remote_pants_runner.py b/src/python/pants/bin/remote_pants_runner.py
index eac98eb4e82b..1a7f190385b5 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/bin/remote_pants_runner.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/bin/remote_pants_runner.py
@@ -8,8 +8,11 @@
 import signal
 import sys
 import time
+from builtins import object, str
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 
+from future.utils import raise_with_traceback
+
 from pants.console.stty_utils import STTYSettings
 from pants.java.nailgun_client import NailgunClient
 from pants.java.nailgun_protocol import NailgunProtocol
@@ -122,9 +125,10 @@ def _run_pants_with_retry(self, port, retries=3):
         # Ensure a newline.
         logger.fatal('')
         logger.fatal('lost active connection to pantsd!')
-        raise self.Terminated, (
+        raise_with_traceback(
+          self.Terminated,
           'abruptly lost active connection to pantsd runner: {!r}'.format(e)
-        ), e.traceback
+        )
 
   def _connect_and_execute(self, port):
     # Merge the nailgun TTY capability environment variables with the passed environment dict.
diff --git a/src/python/pants/java/nailgun_protocol.py b/src/python/pants/java/nailgun_protocol.py
index 2220e82c145b..3ad96e32a124 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/java/nailgun_protocol.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/java/nailgun_protocol.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import os
 import struct
-from builtins import object, str, zip
+from builtins import bytes, object, str, zip
 
 import six
 from future.utils import binary_type
@@ -87,7 +87,10 @@ class TruncatedPayloadError(TruncatedRead):
   @classmethod
   def _decode_unicode_seq(cls, seq):
     for item in seq:
-      yield item.decode('utf-8')
+      if isinstance(item, bytes):
+        yield item.decode('utf-8')
+      else:
+        yield item
 
   @classmethod
   def send_request(cls, sock, working_dir, command, *arguments, **environment):