diff --git a/cmd/guru/guru_test.go b/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
index b1cb335a..b4073d94 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
+++ b/cmd/guru/guru_test.go
@@ -162,21 +162,20 @@ func doQuery(out io.Writer, q *query, json bool) {
 
 	gopathAbs, _ := filepath.Abs(buildContext.GOPATH)
 
-	var outputMu sync.Mutex // guards out, jsons
-	var jsons []string
-	output := func(fset *token.FileSet, qr guru.QueryResult) {
+	var outputMu sync.Mutex // guards outputs
+	var outputs []string    // JSON objects or lines of text
+	outputFn := func(fset *token.FileSet, qr guru.QueryResult) {
 		outputMu.Lock()
 		defer outputMu.Unlock()
 		if json {
 			jsonstr := string(qr.JSON(fset))
 			// Sanitize any absolute filenames that creep in.
 			jsonstr = strings.Replace(jsonstr, gopathAbs, "$GOPATH", -1)
-			jsons = append(jsons, jsonstr)
+			outputs = append(outputs, jsonstr)
 		} else {
 			// suppress position information
 			qr.PrintPlain(func(_ interface{}, format string, args ...interface{}) {
-				fmt.Fprintf(out, format, args...)
-				io.WriteString(out, "\n")
+				outputs = append(outputs, fmt.Sprintf(format, args...))
 			})
 		}
 	}
@@ -186,7 +185,7 @@ func doQuery(out io.Writer, q *query, json bool) {
 		Build:      &buildContext,
 		Scope:      []string{pkg},
 		Reflection: true,
-		Output:     output,
+		Output:     outputFn,
 	}
 
 	if err := guru.Run(q.verb, &query); err != nil {
@@ -194,14 +193,18 @@ func doQuery(out io.Writer, q *query, json bool) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	if json {
-		if q.verb == "referrers" {
-			sort.Strings(jsons[1:]) // for determinism
-		}
-		for _, json := range jsons {
-			fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s\n", json)
-		}
-	} else {
+	// In a "referrers" query, references are sorted within each
+	// package but packages are visited in arbitrary order,
+	// so for determinism we sort them.  Line 0 is a caption.
+	if q.verb == "referrers" {
+		sort.Strings(outputs[1:])
+	}
+
+	for _, output := range outputs {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s\n", output)
+	}
+
+	if !json {
 		io.WriteString(out, "\n")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers/main.golden b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers/main.golden
index b3da0376..9cac5040 100644
--- a/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers/main.golden
+++ b/cmd/guru/testdata/src/referrers/main.golden
@@ -9,42 +9,42 @@ references to type s struct{f int}
 
 -------- @referrers ref-package --------
 references to package lib
+	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from external test package
+	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from internal test package
+	const c = lib.Const // @describe ref-const "Const"
+	lib.Func()          // @describe ref-func "Func"
+	lib.Var++           // @describe ref-var "Var"
+	var _ lib.Const    // @definition qualified-const "Const"
+	var _ lib.Func     // @definition qualified-func "Func"
+	var _ lib.Nonesuch // @definition qualified-nomember "Nonesuch"
+	var _ lib.Outer // @describe lib-outer "Outer"
+	var _ lib.Type     // @definition qualified-type "Type"
+	var _ lib.Type // @describe ref-pkg "lib"
+	var _ lib.Var      // @definition qualified-var "Var"
+	var _ lib2.Type    // @definition qualified-type-renaming "Type"
+	var t lib.Type      // @describe ref-type "Type"
 	var v lib.Type = lib.Const // @referrers ref-package "lib"
 	var v lib.Type = lib.Const // @referrers ref-package "lib"
 	var v lib.Type = lib.Const // @referrers ref-package "lib"
 	var v lib.Type = lib.Const // @referrers ref-package "lib"
 	var x lib.T           // @definition lexical-pkgname "lib"
-	var _ lib.Type     // @definition qualified-type "Type"
-	var _ lib.Func     // @definition qualified-func "Func"
-	var _ lib.Var      // @definition qualified-var "Var"
-	var _ lib.Const    // @definition qualified-const "Const"
-	var _ lib2.Type    // @definition qualified-type-renaming "Type"
-	var _ lib.Nonesuch // @definition qualified-nomember "Nonesuch"
-	var _ lib.Outer // @describe lib-outer "Outer"
-	const c = lib.Const // @describe ref-const "Const"
-	lib.Func()          // @describe ref-func "Func"
-	lib.Var++           // @describe ref-var "Var"
-	var t lib.Type      // @describe ref-type "Type"
-	var _ lib.Type // @describe ref-pkg "lib"
-	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from internal test package
-	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from external test package
 
 -------- @referrers ref-method --------
 references to func (Type).Method(x *int) *int
-	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
-	_ = v.Method
-	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
-	_ = v.Method
-	p := t.Method(&a)   // @describe ref-method "Method"
-	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from internal test package
 	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from external test package
+	_ = (lib.Type).Method // ref from internal test package
+	_ = v.Method
+	_ = v.Method
+	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
+	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
+	p := t.Method(&a)   // @describe ref-method "Method"
 
 -------- @referrers ref-local --------
 references to var v lib.Type
-	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
 	_ = v.Method
-	v++ //@referrers ref-local "v"
+	_ = v.Method               // @referrers ref-method "Method"
 	v++
+	v++ //@referrers ref-local "v"
 
 -------- @referrers ref-field --------
 references to field f int