diff --git a/platformio/builder/tools/pioide.py b/platformio/builder/tools/pioide.py
index 311b0203..c6d8fbc0 100644
--- a/platformio/builder/tools/pioide.py
+++ b/platformio/builder/tools/pioide.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ from os.path import abspath, isfile, join
 from SCons.Defaults import processDefines  # pylint: disable=import-error
 
 from platformio import util
+from platformio.compat import glob_escape
 from platformio.managers.core import get_core_package_dir
 from platformio.proc import exec_command
 
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ def _dump_includes(env):
     for name in p.get_installed_packages():
         if p.get_package_type(name) != "toolchain":
             continue
-        toolchain_dir = util.glob_escape(p.get_package_dir(name))
+        toolchain_dir = glob_escape(p.get_package_dir(name))
         toolchain_incglobs = [
             join(toolchain_dir, "*", "include*"),
             join(toolchain_dir, "*", "include", "c++", "*"),
diff --git a/platformio/builder/tools/piolib.py b/platformio/builder/tools/piolib.py
index a5b277cd..2f38e649 100644
--- a/platformio/builder/tools/piolib.py
+++ b/platformio/builder/tools/piolib.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ from SCons.Script import DefaultEnvironment  # pylint: disable=import-error
 
 from platformio import exception, util
 from platformio.builder.tools import platformio as piotool
-from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS, string_types
+from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS, get_file_contents, string_types
 from platformio.managers.lib import LibraryManager
 from platformio.managers.package import PackageManager
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ class LibBuilderFactory(object):
                 if not env.IsFileWithExt(
                         fname, piotool.SRC_BUILD_EXT + piotool.SRC_HEADER_EXT):
                     continue
-                content = util.get_file_contents(join(root, fname))
+                content = get_file_contents(join(root, fname))
                 if not content:
                     continue
                 if "Arduino.h" in content and include_re.search(content):
diff --git a/platformio/builder/tools/piomisc.py b/platformio/builder/tools/piomisc.py
index 19768146..bfc41a76 100644
--- a/platformio/builder/tools/piomisc.py
+++ b/platformio/builder/tools/piomisc.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ from SCons.Action import Action  # pylint: disable=import-error
 from SCons.Script import ARGUMENTS  # pylint: disable=import-error
 
 from platformio import util
+from platformio.compat import get_file_contents, glob_escape
 from platformio.managers.core import get_core_package_dir
 from platformio.proc import exec_command
 
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ class InoToCPPConverter(object):
         assert nodes
         lines = []
         for node in nodes:
-            contents = util.get_file_contents(node.get_path())
+            contents = get_file_contents(node.get_path())
             _lines = [
                 '# 1 "%s"' % node.get_path().replace("\\", "/"), contents
             ]
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ class InoToCPPConverter(object):
     def process(self, contents):
         out_file = self._main_ino + ".cpp"
         assert self._gcc_preprocess(contents, out_file)
-        contents = util.get_file_contents(out_file)
+        contents = get_file_contents(out_file)
         contents = self._join_multiline_strings(contents)
         with open(out_file, "w") as fp:
             fp.write(self.append_prototypes(contents))
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ class InoToCPPConverter(object):
 
 
 def ConvertInoToCpp(env):
-    src_dir = util.glob_escape(env.subst("$PROJECTSRC_DIR"))
+    src_dir = glob_escape(env.subst("$PROJECTSRC_DIR"))
     ino_nodes = (
         env.Glob(join(src_dir, "*.ino")) + env.Glob(join(src_dir, "*.pde")))
     if not ino_nodes:
diff --git a/platformio/builder/tools/platformio.py b/platformio/builder/tools/platformio.py
index a8272b83..3a0347c4 100644
--- a/platformio/builder/tools/platformio.py
+++ b/platformio/builder/tools/platformio.py
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ from SCons.Script import DefaultEnvironment  # pylint: disable=import-error
 from SCons.Script import Export  # pylint: disable=import-error
 from SCons.Script import SConscript  # pylint: disable=import-error
 
-from platformio.compat import string_types
-from platformio.util import glob_escape, pioversion_to_intstr
+from platformio.compat import glob_escape, string_types
+from platformio.util import pioversion_to_intstr
 
 SRC_HEADER_EXT = ["h", "hpp"]
 SRC_C_EXT = ["c", "cc", "cpp"]
diff --git a/platformio/commands/ci.py b/platformio/commands/ci.py
index 9fd157e3..7d97eb48 100644
--- a/platformio/commands/ci.py
+++ b/platformio/commands/ci.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ from platformio import app, util
 from platformio.commands.init import cli as cmd_init
 from platformio.commands.init import validate_boards
 from platformio.commands.run import cli as cmd_run
+from platformio.compat import glob_escape
 from platformio.exception import CIBuildEnvsEmpty
 from platformio.project.config import ProjectConfig
 
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ def _copy_contents(dst_dir, contents):
 def _exclude_contents(dst_dir, patterns):
     contents = []
     for p in patterns:
-        contents += glob(join(util.glob_escape(dst_dir), p))
+        contents += glob(join(glob_escape(dst_dir), p))
     for path in contents:
         path = abspath(path)
         if isdir(path):
diff --git a/platformio/commands/remote.py b/platformio/commands/remote.py
index b37e843c..ded45eda 100644
--- a/platformio/commands/remote.py
+++ b/platformio/commands/remote.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import click
 
 from platformio import exception, util
 from platformio.commands.device import device_monitor as cmd_device_monitor
+from platformio.compat import get_file_contents
 from platformio.managers.core import pioplus_call
 
 # pylint: disable=unused-argument
@@ -206,7 +207,7 @@ def device_monitor(ctx, **kwargs):
             sleep(0.1)
         if not t.is_alive():
             return
-        kwargs['port'] = util.get_file_contents(sock_file)
+        kwargs['port'] = get_file_contents(sock_file)
         ctx.invoke(cmd_device_monitor, **kwargs)
         t.join(2)
     finally:
diff --git a/platformio/compat.py b/platformio/compat.py
index cd50d905..3c3afc52 100644
--- a/platformio/compat.py
+++ b/platformio/compat.py
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+# pylint: disable=unused-import
+
+import os
+import re
 import sys
 
 PY2 = sys.version_info[0] == 2
@@ -32,7 +36,29 @@ if PY2:
 
     def path_to_unicode(path):
         return path.decode(get_filesystem_encoding()).encode("utf-8")
+
+    def get_file_contents(path):
+        with open(path) as f:
+            return f.read()
+
+    _magic_check = re.compile('([*?[])')
+    _magic_check_bytes = re.compile(b'([*?[])')
+
+    def glob_escape(pathname):
+        """Escape all special characters."""
+        # https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/master/Lib/glob.py#L161
+        # Escaping is done by wrapping any of "*?[" between square brackets.
+        # Metacharacters do not work in the drive part and shouldn't be
+        # escaped.
+        drive, pathname = os.path.splitdrive(pathname)
+        if isinstance(pathname, bytes):
+            pathname = _magic_check_bytes.sub(br'[\1]', pathname)
+        else:
+            pathname = _magic_check.sub(r'[\1]', pathname)
+        return drive + pathname
 else:
+    from glob import escape as glob_escape  # pylint: disable=no-name-in-module
+
     string_types = (str, )
 
     def is_bytes(x):
@@ -40,3 +66,11 @@ else:
 
     def path_to_unicode(path):
         return path
+
+    def get_file_contents(path):
+        try:
+            with open(path) as f:
+                return f.read()
+        except UnicodeDecodeError:
+            with open(path, encoding="latin-1") as f:
+                return f.read()
diff --git a/platformio/ide/projectgenerator.py b/platformio/ide/projectgenerator.py
index 1216aaee..37d0db53 100644
--- a/platformio/ide/projectgenerator.py
+++ b/platformio/ide/projectgenerator.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from click.testing import CliRunner
 
 from platformio import exception, util
 from platformio.commands.run import cli as cmd_run
-from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS
+from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS, get_file_contents
 from platformio.project.config import ProjectConfig
 from platformio.project.helpers import (
     get_projectlib_dir, get_projectlibdeps_dir, get_projectsrc_dir)
@@ -124,8 +124,7 @@ class ProjectGenerator(object):
                 contents.encode("utf8") if PY2 else contents)
 
     def _render_tpl(self, tpl_path):
-        return bottle.template(
-            util.get_file_contents(tpl_path), **self._tplvars)
+        return bottle.template(get_file_contents(tpl_path), **self._tplvars)
 
     @staticmethod
     def _merge_contents(dst_path, contents):
diff --git a/platformio/managers/lib.py b/platformio/managers/lib.py
index b478f49c..ca143b58 100644
--- a/platformio/managers/lib.py
+++ b/platformio/managers/lib.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from os.path import isdir, join
 import click
 
 from platformio import app, commands, exception, util
-from platformio.compat import string_types
+from platformio.compat import glob_escape, string_types
 from platformio.managers.package import BasePkgManager
 from platformio.managers.platform import PlatformFactory, PlatformManager
 
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class LibraryManager(BasePkgManager):
             return path
 
         # if library without manifest, returns first source file
-        src_dir = join(util.glob_escape(pkg_dir))
+        src_dir = join(glob_escape(pkg_dir))
         if isdir(join(pkg_dir, "src")):
             src_dir = join(src_dir, "src")
         chs_files = glob(join(src_dir, "*.[chS]"))
diff --git a/platformio/util.py b/platformio/util.py
index 83552d6b..5de68256 100644
--- a/platformio/util.py
+++ b/platformio/util.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import click
 import requests
 
 from platformio import __apiurl__, __version__, exception
-from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS, path_to_unicode
+from platformio.compat import PY2, WINDOWS, get_file_contents, path_to_unicode
 from platformio.proc import LineBufferedAsyncPipe as AsyncPipe
 from platformio.proc import exec_command, is_ci, where_is_program
 from platformio.project.config import ProjectConfig
@@ -523,15 +523,6 @@ def merge_dicts(d1, d2, path=None):
     return d1
 
 
-def get_file_contents(path):
-    try:
-        with open(path) as f:
-            return f.read()
-    except UnicodeDecodeError:
-        with open(path, encoding="latin-1") as f:
-            return f.read()
-
-
 def ensure_udev_rules():
 
     def _rules_to_set(rules_path):
@@ -588,27 +579,3 @@ def rmtree_(path):
                 err=True)
 
     return rmtree(path, onerror=_onerror)
-
-
-#
-# Glob.Escape from Python 3.4
-# https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/master/Lib/glob.py#L161
-#
-
-try:
-    from glob import escape as glob_escape  # pylint: disable=unused-import
-except ImportError:
-    magic_check = re.compile('([*?[])')
-    magic_check_bytes = re.compile(b'([*?[])')
-
-    def glob_escape(pathname):
-        """Escape all special characters."""
-        # Escaping is done by wrapping any of "*?[" between square brackets.
-        # Metacharacters do not work in the drive part and shouldn't be
-        # escaped.
-        drive, pathname = os.path.splitdrive(pathname)
-        if isinstance(pathname, bytes):
-            pathname = magic_check_bytes.sub(br'[\1]', pathname)
-        else:
-            pathname = magic_check.sub(r'[\1]', pathname)
-        return drive + pathname