diff --git a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/JavaReplaceHandler.java b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/JavaReplaceHandler.java
index a664a0f02010..f56949bbb8c4 100644
--- a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/JavaReplaceHandler.java
+++ b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/JavaReplaceHandler.java
@@ -353,6 +353,10 @@ public class JavaReplaceHandler extends StructuralReplaceHandler {
     if (originalModifierList == null || queryModifierList == null || replacementModifierList == null) {
       return;
     }
+    if (queryModifierList.getTextLength() == 0 && replacementModifierList.getTextLength() == 0) {
+      replacementModifierList.replace(originalModifierList);
+      return;
+    }
     final List<? extends PsiElement> unmatchedAnnotations = originalModifierList.getUserData(GlobalMatchingVisitor.UNMATCHED_ELEMENTS_KEY);
     final PsiElement anchor = replacementModifierList.getFirstChild();
     boolean append = (anchor == null);
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralReplaceTest.java b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralReplaceTest.java
index 370a6c747e08..6b09d8546da0 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralReplaceTest.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralReplaceTest.java
@@ -2767,4 +2767,17 @@ public class StructuralReplaceTest extends StructuralReplaceTestCase {
                  "}",
                  replace(in, "'_Instance?.'_MethodCall('_arguments*)", "$Instance$.$MethodCall$($arguments$)", true));
   }
+
+  public void testKeepModifierFormatting() {
+    String in = "@Deprecated\n" +
+                "public class X {}";
+    final String what = "class '_X {}";
+    final String replacement = "/** comment */\n" +
+                               "class $X$ {}";
+    final String expected = "/** comment */\n" +
+                            "@Deprecated\n" +
+                            "public class X {}";
+    assertEquals("keep newline in modifier list",
+                 expected, replace(in, what, replacement, true));
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file