diff --git a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/ContributedConfigurationsList.kt b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/ContributedConfigurationsList.kt
index 491967c6a88a..111715f75d97 100644
--- a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/ContributedConfigurationsList.kt
+++ b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/ContributedConfigurationsList.kt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package com.intellij.execution.target
 
 import com.intellij.configurationStore.ComponentSerializationUtil
 import com.intellij.execution.target.ContributedConfigurationBase.Companion.getTypeImpl
+import com.intellij.execution.target.ContributedConfigurationsList.ContributedStateBase.Companion.deserializeState
 import com.intellij.openapi.components.BaseState
 import com.intellij.openapi.components.PersistentStateComponent
 import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.Logger
@@ -95,12 +96,7 @@ open class ContributedConfigurationsList<C, T>(private val extPoint: ExtensionPo
   }
 
   protected open fun fromOneState(state: ContributedStateBase): C? {
-    val type = extPoint.extensionList.firstOrNull { it.id == state.typeId }
-    val defaultConfig = type?.createDefaultConfig()
-    return defaultConfig?.also {
-      it.displayName = state.name ?: ""
-      ComponentSerializationUtil.loadComponentState(it.getSerializer(), state.innerState)
-    }
+    return extPoint.deserializeState(state)
   }
 
   companion object {
@@ -137,7 +133,17 @@ open class ContributedConfigurationsList<C, T>(private val extPoint: ExtensionPo
 
     companion object {
       private fun ContributedConfigurationBase.getSerializer() = getTypeImpl().createSerializer(this)
+
+      fun <T, C> ExtensionPointName<T>.deserializeState(state: ContributedStateBase): C?
+        where C : ContributedConfigurationBase, T : ContributedTypeBase<out C> {
+
+        val type = extensionList.firstOrNull { it.id == state.typeId }
+        val defaultConfig = type?.createDefaultConfig()
+        return defaultConfig?.also {
+          it.displayName = state.name ?: ""
+          ComponentSerializationUtil.loadComponentState(it.getSerializer(), state.innerState)
+        }
+      }
     }
   }
-
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetBasedSdks.kt b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetBasedSdks.kt
index 42dd5ea8221f..fc3ccca97260 100644
--- a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetBasedSdks.kt
+++ b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetBasedSdks.kt
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package com.intellij.execution.target
 import com.intellij.configurationStore.ComponentSerializationUtil
 import com.intellij.configurationStore.jdomSerializer
 import com.intellij.execution.target.ContributedConfigurationsList.Companion.getSerializer
+import com.intellij.execution.target.TargetEnvironmentsManager.OneTargetState.Companion.toOneTargetState
 import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.Logger
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.ProjectManager
@@ -57,26 +58,19 @@ fun loadTargetBasedSdkAdditionalData(element: Element): Pair<ContributedConfigur
 }
 
 fun saveTargetConfiguration(element: Element, config: TargetEnvironmentConfiguration?) {
-  val targetStateElement = Element(TARGET_ENVIRONMENT_CONFIGURATION)
-  element.addContent(targetStateElement)
-  TargetEnvironmentsManager.TargetsList().also { list ->
-    config?.let { list.addConfig(it) }
-    XmlSerializer.serializeInto(list.state, targetStateElement)
+  val targetStateElement = Element(TARGET_ENVIRONMENT_CONFIGURATION).also {
+    element.addContent(it)
+  }
+
+  config?.toOneTargetState()?.let {
+    jdomSerializer.serializeObjectInto(it, targetStateElement)
   }
 }
 
 fun loadTargetConfiguration(element: Element): TargetEnvironmentConfiguration? {
-  val targetConfigurationElement = element.getChild(TARGET_ENVIRONMENT_CONFIGURATION)
-  if (targetConfigurationElement == null) {
-    LOG.warn("Target configuration data is absent")
-    return null
-  }
-
-  val targetState = jdomSerializer.deserialize(targetConfigurationElement, ContributedConfigurationsList.ListState::class.java)
-
-  return TargetEnvironmentsManager.TargetsList().also {
-    it.loadState(targetState)
-  }.resolvedConfigs().firstOrNull()
+  val targetConfigurationElement = element.getChild(TARGET_ENVIRONMENT_CONFIGURATION) ?: return null
+  val targetState = jdomSerializer.deserialize(targetConfigurationElement, TargetEnvironmentsManager.OneTargetState::class.java)
+  return targetState.toTargetConfiguration()
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetEnvironmentsManager.kt b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetEnvironmentsManager.kt
index 03cbb43e3d13..d84fd12e3637 100644
--- a/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetEnvironmentsManager.kt
+++ b/platform/execution/src/com/intellij/execution/target/TargetEnvironmentsManager.kt
@@ -76,13 +76,9 @@ class TargetEnvironmentsManager : PersistentStateComponent<TargetEnvironmentsMan
   ) {
     override fun toBaseState(config: TargetEnvironmentConfiguration): OneTargetState = config.toOneTargetState()
 
-    override fun fromOneState(state: ContributedStateBase): TargetEnvironmentConfiguration? {
-      val result = super.fromOneState(state)
-      if (result != null && state is OneTargetState) {
-        result.uuid = state.uuid ?: UUID.randomUUID().toString()
-        result.runtimes.loadState(state.runtimes)
-      }
-      return result
+    override fun fromOneState(state: ContributedStateBase) = when (state) {
+      is OneTargetState -> state.toTargetConfiguration()
+      else -> super.fromOneState(state) // unexpected, but I do not want to fail just in case
     }
   }
 
@@ -102,11 +98,18 @@ class TargetEnvironmentsManager : PersistentStateComponent<TargetEnvironmentsMan
     @get: Property(surroundWithTag = false)
     var runtimes by list<ContributedConfigurationsList.ContributedStateBase>()
 
+    fun toTargetConfiguration(): TargetEnvironmentConfiguration? {
+      return TargetEnvironmentType.EXTENSION_NAME.deserializeState(this)?.also { result ->
+        result.uuid = uuid ?: UUID.randomUUID().toString()
+        result.runtimes.loadState(runtimes)
+      }
+    }
+
     companion object {
-      fun TargetEnvironmentConfiguration.toOneTargetState() = OneTargetState().also { result ->
-        result.loadFromConfiguration(this)
-        result.uuid = uuid
-        result.runtimes = runtimes.state.configs
+      fun TargetEnvironmentConfiguration.toOneTargetState() = OneTargetState().also { state ->
+        state.loadFromConfiguration(this)
+        state.uuid = uuid
+        state.runtimes = runtimes.state.configs
       }
     }
   }