diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/TransLift.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/TransLift.scala
index 82c490b558..7901c55925 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/TransLift.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/TransLift.scala
@@ -5,9 +5,24 @@ package cats
  * A typeclass which abstracts over the ability to lift an M[A] into a
  * MonadTransformer
  */
-trait TransLift[MT[_[_], _], M[_]] {
+trait TransLift[MT[_[_], _]] {
+
+  /**
+   * The typeclass which constrains liftT as a function of the type
+   * constructor it is given. A safe "identity" value for this type
+   * if your transformer does not constrain its lifted effects would
+   * be `type TC[M[_]] = Trivial`.  A more common constraint might be
+   * `type TC[M[_]] = Monad[M]`.
+   */
+  type TC[M[_]]
+
   /**
    * Lift a value of type M[A] into a monad transformer MT[M, A]
    */
-  def liftT[A](ma: M[A]): MT[M,A]
+  def liftT[M[_]: TC, A](ma: M[A]): MT[M, A]
+}
+
+object TransLift {
+  type Aux[MT[_[_], _], TC0[_[_]]] = TransLift[MT] { type TC[M[_]] = TC0[M] }
+  type AuxId[MT[_[_], _]] = Aux[MT, Trivial.PH1]
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/Trivial.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/Trivial.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13c2d4fb28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/Trivial.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package cats
+
+/**
+ * The "Unit typeclass".  The only instance of `Trivial` is given by
+ * `Trivial.manifest`, and this instance is guaranteed to be in the
+ * implicit scope.  Several convenience type aliases are provided in
+ * companion object, covering a few common use cases and avoiding the
+ * need for unnecessary lambdas (e.g. if you want a trivial typeclass
+ * instance for a type constructor, you should use `Trivial.PH1`).
+ */
+sealed trait Trivial
+
+object Trivial {
+  type P1[A] = Trivial
+  type PH1[F[_]] = Trivial
+  type P1H1[F[_], A] = Trivial
+  type P2[A, B] = Trivial
+  type P2H1[F[_], A, B] = Trivial
+  type P3[A, B, C] = Trivial
+  type P3H1[F[_], A, B, C] = Trivial
+
+  implicit val manifest: Trivial = new Trivial {}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/Kleisli.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/Kleisli.scala
index bbe8a9e246..f0e827d1e9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/Kleisli.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/Kleisli.scala
@@ -115,9 +115,11 @@ private[data] sealed abstract class KleisliInstances extends KleisliInstances0 {
         fa.local(f)
     }
 
-  implicit def kleisliTransLift[M[_], A]: TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = Kleisli[α, A, β]})#λ, M] =
-    new TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = Kleisli[α, A, β]})#λ, M] {
-      def liftT[B](ma: M[B]): Kleisli[M, A, B] = Kleisli[M, A, B](a => ma)
+  implicit def kleisliTransLift[A]: TransLift.AuxId[Kleisli[?[_], A, ?]] =
+    new TransLift[Kleisli[?[_], A, ?]] {
+      type TC[M[_]] = Trivial
+
+      def liftT[M[_], B](ma: M[B])(implicit ev: Trivial): Kleisli[M, A, B] = Kleisli[M, A, B](a => ma)
     }
 }
 
@@ -244,7 +246,7 @@ private trait KleisliStrong[F[_]] extends Strong[Kleisli[F, ?, ?]] {
 private trait KleisliSemigroup[F[_], A, B] extends Semigroup[Kleisli[F, A, B]] {
   implicit def FB: Semigroup[F[B]]
 
-  override def combine(a: Kleisli[F, A, B], b: Kleisli[F, A, B]): Kleisli[F, A, B] = 
+  override def combine(a: Kleisli[F, A, B], b: Kleisli[F, A, B]): Kleisli[F, A, B] =
     Kleisli[F, A, B](x => FB.combine(a.run(x), b.run(x)))
 }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/OptionT.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/OptionT.scala
index cff671687c..4ab1d31eb7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/OptionT.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/OptionT.scala
@@ -136,9 +136,12 @@ private[data] sealed trait OptionTInstances1 {
         fa.map(f)
     }
 
-  implicit def optionTTransLift[M[_]: Functor]: TransLift[OptionT, M] =
-    new TransLift[OptionT, M] {
-      def liftT[A](ma: M[A]): OptionT[M, A] = OptionT.liftF(ma)
+  // do NOT change this to val! I know it looks like it should work, and really I agree, but it doesn't (for... reasons)
+  implicit def optionTTransLift: TransLift.Aux[OptionT, Functor] =
+    new TransLift[OptionT] {
+      type TC[M[_]] = Functor[M]
+
+      def liftT[M[_]: Functor, A](ma: M[A]): OptionT[M, A] = OptionT.liftF(ma)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/StateT.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/StateT.scala
index 9e20c1cadb..439b86a6ff 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/StateT.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/StateT.scala
@@ -143,9 +143,11 @@ private[data] sealed abstract class StateTInstances {
         fa.map(f)
     }
 
-  implicit def stateTLift[M[_], S](implicit M: Applicative[M]): TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = StateT[α, S, β]})#λ, M] =
-    new TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = StateT[α, S, β]})#λ, M] {
-      def liftT[A](ma: M[A]): StateT[M, S, A] = StateT(s => M.map(ma)(s -> _))
+  implicit def stateTLift[S]: TransLift.Aux[StateT[?[_], S, ?], Applicative] =
+    new TransLift[StateT[?[_], S, ?]] {
+      type TC[M[_]] = Applicative[M]
+
+      def liftT[M[_]: Applicative, A](ma: M[A]): StateT[M, S, A] = StateT(s => Applicative[M].map(ma)(s -> _))
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/WriterT.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/WriterT.scala
index 5cf55f8fd0..dacba37d28 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/WriterT.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/WriterT.scala
@@ -65,10 +65,12 @@ private[data] sealed abstract class WriterTInstances extends WriterTInstances0 {
         fab.bimap(f, g)
     }
 
-  implicit def writerTTransLift[M[_], W](implicit M: Functor[M], W: Monoid[W]): TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = WriterT[α,W,β]})#λ, M] =
-    new TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = WriterT[α,W,β]})#λ, M] {
-      def liftT[A](ma: M[A]): WriterT[M, W, A] =
-        WriterT(M.map(ma)((W.empty, _)))
+  implicit def writerTTransLift[W](implicit W: Monoid[W]): TransLift.Aux[WriterT[?[_], W, ?], Functor] =
+    new TransLift[WriterT[?[_], W, ?]] {
+      type TC[M[_]] = Functor[M]
+
+      def liftT[M[_]: Functor, A](ma: M[A]): WriterT[M, W, A] =
+        WriterT(Functor[M].map(ma)((W.empty, _)))
     }
 
   implicit def writerTShow[F[_], L, V](implicit F: Show[F[(L, V)]]): Show[WriterT[F, L, V]] = new Show[WriterT[F, L, V]] {
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/XorT.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/XorT.scala
index 71d4a97c28..4e0331f24a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/XorT.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/data/XorT.scala
@@ -196,10 +196,12 @@ private[data] abstract class XorTInstances extends XorTInstances1 {
       val F0: Traverse[F] = F
     }
 
-  implicit def xortTransLift[M[_],E](implicit M: Functor[M]): TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = XorT[α,E,β]})#λ, M] =
-    new TransLift[({type λ[α[_], β] = XorT[α,E,β]})#λ, M] {
-      def liftT[A](ma: M[A]): XorT[M,E,A] =
-        XorT(M.map(ma)(Xor.right))
+  implicit def xortTransLift[E]: TransLift.Aux[XorT[?[_], E, ?], Functor] =
+    new TransLift[XorT[?[_], E, ?]] {
+      type TC[M[_]] = Functor[M]
+
+      def liftT[M[_]: Functor, A](ma: M[A]): XorT[M,E,A] =
+        XorT(Functor[M].map(ma)(Xor.right))
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/scala/cats/syntax/transLift.scala b/core/src/main/scala/cats/syntax/transLift.scala
index c5fc39ef8d..d5570581d9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/scala/cats/syntax/transLift.scala
+++ b/core/src/main/scala/cats/syntax/transLift.scala
@@ -2,9 +2,34 @@ package cats
 package syntax
 
 trait TransLiftSyntax {
-  implicit def transLiftSyntax[M[_], A](ma: M[A]): TransLiftOps[M, A] = new TransLiftOps(ma)
+  implicit def transLiftSyntax[E](ma: E)(implicit U: Unapply[Trivial.PH1, E]): TransLiftOps[U.M, U.A] = new TransLiftOps(U.subst(ma))
 }
 
-final class TransLiftOps[M[_], A](val ma: M[A]) extends AnyVal {
-  def liftT[MT[_[_],_]](implicit TL: TransLift[MT, M]): MT[M,A] = TL.liftT(ma)
+final class TransLiftOps[M0[_], A](val ma: M0[A]) extends AnyVal {
+  import TLExtract._
+
+  def liftT[MT0[_[_],_]](implicit extract: TLExtract[SingletonMT { type MT[F[_], B] = MT0[F, B] }, SingletonM { type M[B] = M0[B] }]): MT0[M0, A] = extract.TL.liftT(ma)(extract.TC)
+}
+
+trait TLExtract[MTS <: TLExtract.SingletonMT, MS <: TLExtract.SingletonM] {
+  val TL: TransLift[MTS#MT]
+  val TC: TL.TC[MS#M]
 }
+
+object TLExtract {
+
+  trait SingletonMT {
+    type MT[F[_], A]
+  }
+
+  trait SingletonM {
+    type M[A]
+  }
+
+  implicit def extract[MTS <: SingletonMT, MS <: SingletonM, TC[_[_]]](implicit TL0: TransLift.Aux[MTS#MT, TC], TC0: TC[MS#M]): TLExtract[MTS, MS] = new TLExtract[MTS, MS] {
+    val TL = TL0
+    val TC = TC0
+  }
+
+  implicit def extractId[MTS <: SingletonMT, MS <: SingletonM](implicit TL0: TransLift.Aux[MTS#MT, Trivial.PH1]): TLExtract[MTS, MS] = extract[MTS, MS, Trivial.PH1]
+}
\ No newline at end of file