diff --git a/mercurial/wireproto.py b/mercurial/wireproto.py
--- a/mercurial/wireproto.py
+++ b/mercurial/wireproto.py
@@ -145,9 +145,6 @@ def unescapearg(escaped):
 
 # client side
 
-def todict(**args):
-    return args
-
 class wirepeer(peer.peerrepository):
 
     def batch(self):
@@ -166,7 +163,7 @@ class wirepeer(peer.peerrepository):
     def lookup(self, key):
         self.requirecap('lookup', _('look up remote revision'))
         f = future()
-        yield todict(key=encoding.fromlocal(key)), f
+        yield {'key': encoding.fromlocal(key)}, f
         d = f.value
         success, data = d[:-1].split(" ", 1)
         if int(success):
@@ -186,7 +183,7 @@ class wirepeer(peer.peerrepository):
     @batchable
     def known(self, nodes):
         f = future()
-        yield todict(nodes=encodelist(nodes)), f
+        yield {'nodes': encodelist(nodes)}, f
         d = f.value
         try:
             yield [bool(int(f)) for f in d]
@@ -236,10 +233,10 @@ class wirepeer(peer.peerrepository):
             yield False, None
         f = future()
         self.ui.debug('preparing pushkey for "%s:%s"\n' % (namespace, key))
-        yield todict(namespace=encoding.fromlocal(namespace),
-                     key=encoding.fromlocal(key),
-                     old=encoding.fromlocal(old),
-                     new=encoding.fromlocal(new)), f
+        yield {'namespace': encoding.fromlocal(namespace),
+               'key': encoding.fromlocal(key),
+               'old': encoding.fromlocal(old),
+               'new': encoding.fromlocal(new)}, f
         d = f.value
         d, output = d.split('\n', 1)
         try:
@@ -257,7 +254,7 @@ class wirepeer(peer.peerrepository):
             yield {}, None
         f = future()
         self.ui.debug('preparing listkeys for "%s"\n' % namespace)
-        yield todict(namespace=encoding.fromlocal(namespace)), f
+        yield {'namespace': encoding.fromlocal(namespace)}, f
         d = f.value
         r = {}
         for l in d.splitlines():