diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index 3038e1d00..41e29dc21 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 * any-of rule for views/groups (eg entity has A and any of B/C/D)
   - get -> all, exclude -> none
 * deprecate sigh::publish, use operator()
+* merge entity/helper and entt/utility
 
 * WIP: snapshot rework/deprecation
  - remove snapshot/loader from registry, make them external (faster) tools
diff --git a/docs/md/entity.md b/docs/md/entity.md
index e9849a3f2..f513b559a 100644
--- a/docs/md/entity.md
+++ b/docs/md/entity.md
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ The function type of a listener for the construction and destruction signals
 should be equivalent to the following:
 
 ```cpp
-void(entt::entity, entt::registry &);
+void(entt::registry &, entt::entity);
 ```
 
 In both cases, listeners are provided with the registry that triggered the
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ The function type of a listener that observes changes to components is slightly
 different instead:
 
 ```cpp
-void(entt::entity, entt::registry &, Component &);
+void(entt::registry &, entt::entity, Component &);
 ```
 
 In this case, `Component` is intuitively the type of component of interest. The
@@ -600,26 +600,27 @@ the other things.
 
 ### Dependencies
 
-The `registry` class is designed to create short circuits between its functions.
-This makes easy to define dependencies between different operations.<br/>
+The `registry` class is designed to be able to create short circuits between its
+functions. This simplifies the definition of _dependencies_ between different
+operations.<br/>
 For example, the following adds (or replaces) the component `a_type` whenever
 `my_type` is assigned to an entity:
 
 ```cpp
-registry.on_construct<my_type>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<a_type>>(registry);
+registry.on_construct<my_type>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<a_type>>();
 ```
 
 Similarly, the code shown below removes `a_type` from an entity whenever
 `my_type` is assigned to it:
 
 ```cpp
-registry.on_construct<my_type>().connect<&entt::registry::remove<a_type>>(registry);
+registry.on_construct<my_type>().connect<&entt::registry::remove<a_type>>();
 ```
 
 A dependency can also be easily broken as follows:
 
 ```cpp
-registry.on_construct<my_type>().disconnect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<a_type>>(registry);
+registry.on_construct<my_type>().disconnect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<a_type>>();
 ```
 
 There are many other types of dependencies. In general, all functions that
diff --git a/src/entt/entity/helper.hpp b/src/entt/entity/helper.hpp
index e20ae4589..f9b02a45f 100644
--- a/src/entt/entity/helper.hpp
+++ b/src/entt/entity/helper.hpp
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 #include <type_traits>
 #include "../config/config.h"
-#include "../signal/sigh.hpp"
 #include "registry.hpp"
 
 
diff --git a/src/entt/entity/observer.hpp b/src/entt/entity/observer.hpp
index 5e0ec89fc..6b15d640e 100644
--- a/src/entt/entity/observer.hpp
+++ b/src/entt/entity/observer.hpp
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ class basic_observer {
     template<typename... Reject, typename... Require, typename AnyOf>
     struct matcher_handler<matcher<type_list<Reject...>, type_list<Require...>, AnyOf>> {
         template<std::size_t Index>
-        static void maybe_valid_if(basic_observer &obs, const Entity entt, const basic_registry<Entity> &reg) {
+        static void maybe_valid_if(basic_observer &obs, const basic_registry<Entity> &reg, const Entity entt) {
             if(reg.template has<Require...>(entt) && !(reg.template has<Reject>(entt) || ...)) {
                 if(auto *comp = obs.view.try_get(entt); !comp) {
                     obs.view.construct(entt);
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ class basic_observer {
         }
 
         template<std::size_t Index>
-        static void discard_if(basic_observer &obs, const Entity entt) {
+        static void discard_if(basic_observer &obs, const basic_registry<Entity> &, const Entity entt) {
             if(auto *value = obs.view.try_get(entt); value && !(*value &= (~(1 << Index)))) {
                 obs.view.destroy(entt);
             }
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ class basic_observer {
     template<typename... Reject, typename... Require, typename... NoneOf, typename... AllOf>
     struct matcher_handler<matcher<type_list<Reject...>, type_list<Require...>, type_list<NoneOf...>, AllOf...>> {
         template<std::size_t Index>
-        static void maybe_valid_if(basic_observer &obs, const Entity entt, const basic_registry<Entity> &reg) {
+        static void maybe_valid_if(basic_observer &obs, const basic_registry<Entity> &reg, const Entity entt) {
             if(reg.template has<AllOf..., Require...>(entt) && !(reg.template has<NoneOf>(entt) || ...) && !(reg.template has<Reject>(entt) || ...)) {
                 if(auto *comp = obs.view.try_get(entt); !comp) {
                     obs.view.construct(entt);
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ class basic_observer {
         }
 
         template<std::size_t Index>
-        static void discard_if(basic_observer &obs, const Entity entt) {
+        static void discard_if(basic_observer &obs, const basic_registry<Entity> &, const Entity entt) {
             if(auto *value = obs.view.try_get(entt); value && !(*value &= (~(1 << Index)))) {
                 obs.view.destroy(entt);
             }
diff --git a/src/entt/entity/registry.hpp b/src/entt/entity/registry.hpp
index e5b7b3cdd..d55ea57ea 100644
--- a/src/entt/entity/registry.hpp
+++ b/src/entt/entity/registry.hpp
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ class basic_registry {
         template<typename... Args>
         decltype(auto) assign(basic_registry &owner, const Entity entt, Args &&... args) {
             this->construct(entt, std::forward<Args>(args)...);
-            construction.publish(entt, owner);
+            construction.publish(owner, entt);
             return this->get(entt);
         }
 
@@ -80,12 +80,12 @@ class basic_registry {
             (func(this->raw() + this->size() - std::distance(first, last)), ...);
 
             if(!construction.empty()) {
-                std::for_each(first, last, [this, &owner](const auto entt) { construction.publish(entt, owner); });
+                std::for_each(first, last, [this, &owner](const auto entt) { construction.publish(owner, entt); });
             }
         }
 
         void remove(basic_registry &owner, const Entity entt) {
-            destruction.publish(entt, owner);
+            destruction.publish(owner, entt);
             this->destroy(entt);
         }
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class basic_registry {
         void remove(basic_registry &owner, It first, It last) {
             if(std::distance(first, last) == std::distance(this->begin(), this->end())) {
                 if(!destruction.empty()) {
-                    std::for_each(first, last, [this, &owner](const auto entt) { destruction.publish(entt, owner); });
+                    std::for_each(first, last, [this, &owner](const auto entt) { destruction.publish(owner, entt); });
                 }
 
                 this->clear();
@@ -106,14 +106,14 @@ class basic_registry {
         template<typename... Args>
         decltype(auto) replace(basic_registry &owner, const Entity entt, Args &&... args) {
             Component component{std::forward<Args>(args)...};
-            update.publish(entt, owner, component);
+            update.publish(owner, entt, component);
             return (this->get(entt) = std::move(component));
         }
 
     private:
-        sigh<void(const Entity, basic_registry &)> construction{};
-        sigh<void(const Entity, basic_registry &)> destruction{};
-        sigh<void(const Entity, basic_registry &, decltype(std::declval<storage<Entity, Component>>().get({})))> update{};
+        sigh<void(basic_registry &, const Entity)> construction{};
+        sigh<void(basic_registry &, const Entity)> destruction{};
+        sigh<void(basic_registry &, const Entity, decltype(std::declval<storage<Entity, Component>>().get({})))> update{};
     };
 
     struct pool_data {
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ class basic_registry {
         std::conditional_t<sizeof...(Owned) == 0, sparse_set<Entity>, std::size_t> current{};
 
         template<typename Component>
-        void maybe_valid_if(const Entity entt, basic_registry &owner) {
+        void maybe_valid_if(basic_registry &owner, const Entity entt) {
             static_assert(std::disjunction_v<std::is_same<Owned, std::decay_t<Owned>>..., std::is_same<Get, std::decay_t<Get>>..., std::is_same<Exclude, std::decay_t<Exclude>>...>);
             [[maybe_unused]] const auto cpools = std::forward_as_tuple(owner.assure<Owned>()...);
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ class basic_registry {
             }
         }
 
-        void discard_if(const Entity entt, basic_registry &owner) {
+        void discard_if([[maybe_unused]] basic_registry &owner, const Entity entt) {
             if constexpr(sizeof...(Owned) == 0) {
                 if(current.has(entt)) {
                     current.destroy(entt);
@@ -1021,7 +1021,7 @@ public:
      * The function type for a listener is equivalent to:
      *
      * @code{.cpp}
-     * void(Entity, registry<Entity> &);
+     * void(registry<Entity> &, Entity);
      * @endcode
      *
      * Listeners are invoked **after** the component has been assigned to the
@@ -1052,7 +1052,7 @@ public:
      * The function type for a listener is equivalent to:
      *
      * @code{.cpp}
-     * void(Entity, registry<Entity> &, Component &);
+     * void(registry<Entity> &, Entity, Component &);
      * @endcode
      *
      * Listeners are invoked **before** the component has been replaced.
@@ -1083,7 +1083,7 @@ public:
      * The function type for a listener is equivalent to:
      *
      * @code{.cpp}
-     * void(Entity, registry<Entity> &);
+     * void(registry<Entity> &, Entity);
      * @endcode
      *
      * Listeners are invoked **before** the component has been removed from the
diff --git a/test/entt/entity/group.cpp b/test/entt/entity/group.cpp
index f27cd9fde..4cdc24cbc 100644
--- a/test/entt/entity/group.cpp
+++ b/test/entt/entity/group.cpp
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ TEST(NonOwningGroup, Less) {
 
 TEST(NonOwningGroup, SignalRace) {
     entt::registry registry;
-    registry.on_construct<double>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<int>>(registry);
+    registry.on_construct<double>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<int>>();
     registry.group(entt::get<int, double>);
 
     auto entity = registry.create();
@@ -1068,7 +1068,7 @@ TEST(OwningGroup, Less) {
 
 TEST(OwningGroup, SignalRace) {
     entt::registry registry;
-    registry.on_construct<double>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<int>>(registry);
+    registry.on_construct<double>().connect<&entt::registry::assign_or_replace<int>>();
     registry.group<int>(entt::get<double>);
 
     auto entity = registry.create();
diff --git a/test/entt/entity/registry.cpp b/test/entt/entity/registry.cpp
index 3fd0ac16f..03fcc0456 100644
--- a/test/entt/entity/registry.cpp
+++ b/test/entt/entity/registry.cpp
@@ -14,12 +14,12 @@ struct empty_type {};
 
 struct listener {
     template<typename Component>
-    static void sort(entt::entity, entt::registry &registry) {
+    static void sort(entt::registry &registry) {
         registry.sort<Component>([](auto lhs, auto rhs) { return lhs < rhs; });
     }
 
     template<typename Component>
-    void incr(entt::entity entity, entt::registry &registry) {
+    void incr(const entt::registry &registry, entt::entity entity) {
         ASSERT_TRUE(registry.valid(entity));
         ASSERT_TRUE(registry.has<Component>(entity));
         last = entity;
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ struct listener {
     }
 
     template<typename Component>
-    void decr(entt::entity entity, entt::registry &registry) {
+    void decr(const entt::registry &registry, entt::entity entity) {
         ASSERT_TRUE(registry.valid(entity));
         ASSERT_TRUE(registry.has<Component>(entity));
         last = entity;
@@ -1562,8 +1562,8 @@ TEST(Registry, Dependencies) {
     constexpr auto assign_or_replace = &entt::registry::assign_or_replace<double>;
     constexpr auto remove = &entt::registry::remove<double>;
 
-    registry.on_construct<int>().connect<assign_or_replace>(registry);
-    registry.on_destroy<int>().connect<remove>(registry);
+    registry.on_construct<int>().connect<assign_or_replace>();
+    registry.on_destroy<int>().connect<remove>();
     registry.assign<double>(entity, .3);
 
     ASSERT_FALSE(registry.has<int>(entity));
@@ -1579,8 +1579,8 @@ TEST(Registry, Dependencies) {
     ASSERT_FALSE(registry.has<int>(entity));
     ASSERT_FALSE(registry.has<double>(entity));
 
-    registry.on_construct<int>().disconnect<assign_or_replace>(registry);
-    registry.on_destroy<int>().disconnect<remove>(registry);
+    registry.on_construct<int>().disconnect<assign_or_replace>();
+    registry.on_destroy<int>().disconnect<remove>();
     registry.assign<int>(entity);
 
     ASSERT_TRUE(registry.has<int>(entity));