diff --git a/src/tools/publish_toolstate.py b/src/tools/publish_toolstate.py
index 0d4a755551a..f97914b1e97 100755
--- a/src/tools/publish_toolstate.py
+++ b/src/tools/publish_toolstate.py
@@ -17,8 +17,14 @@ import collections
 import textwrap
 try:
     import urllib2
+    from urllib2 import HTTPError
 except ImportError:
     import urllib.request as urllib2
+    from urllib.error import HTTPError
+try:
+    import typing
+except ImportError:
+    pass
 
 # List of people to ping when the status of a tool or a book changed.
 # These should be collaborators of the rust-lang/rust repository (with at least
@@ -63,20 +69,23 @@ REPOS = {
 }
 
 def load_json_from_response(resp):
+    # type: (typing.Any) -> typing.Any
     content = resp.read()
     if isinstance(content, bytes):
-        content = content.decode('utf-8')
+        content_str = content.decode('utf-8')
     else:
         print("Refusing to decode " + str(type(content)) + " to str")
-    return json.loads(content)
+    return json.loads(content_str)
 
 def validate_maintainers(repo, github_token):
+    # type: (str, str) -> None
     '''Ensure all maintainers are assignable on a GitHub repo'''
     next_link_re = re.compile(r'<([^>]+)>; rel="next"')
 
     # Load the list of assignable people in the GitHub repo
-    assignable = []
-    url = 'https://api.github.com/repos/%s/collaborators?per_page=100' % repo
+    assignable = [] # type: typing.List[str]
+    url = 'https://api.github.com/repos/' \
+        + '%s/collaborators?per_page=100' % repo # type: typing.Optional[str]
     while url is not None:
         response = urllib2.urlopen(urllib2.Request(url, headers={
             'Authorization': 'token ' + github_token,
@@ -116,9 +125,10 @@ def validate_maintainers(repo, github_token):
 
 
 def read_current_status(current_commit, path):
+    # type: (str, str) -> typing.Mapping[str, typing.Any]
     '''Reads build status of `current_commit` from content of `history/*.tsv`
     '''
-    with open(path, 'rU') as f:
+    with open(path, 'r') as f:
         for line in f:
             (commit, status) = line.split('\t', 1)
             if commit == current_commit:
@@ -127,10 +137,12 @@ def read_current_status(current_commit, path):
 
 
 def gh_url():
+    # type: () -> str
     return os.environ['TOOLSTATE_ISSUES_API_URL']
 
 
 def maybe_delink(message):
+    # type: (str) -> str
     if os.environ.get('TOOLSTATE_SKIP_MENTIONS') is not None:
         return message.replace("@", "")
     return message
@@ -143,8 +155,10 @@ def issue(
     relevant_pr_number,
     relevant_pr_user,
     labels,
+    github_token,
 ):
-    # Open an issue about the toolstate failure.
+    # type: (str, str, typing.Iterable[str], str, str, typing.List[str], str) -> None
+    '''Open an issue about the toolstate failure.'''
     if status == 'test-fail':
         status_description = 'has failing tests'
     else:
@@ -168,7 +182,7 @@ def issue(
     print("Creating issue:\n{}".format(request))
     response = urllib2.urlopen(urllib2.Request(
         gh_url(),
-        request,
+        request.encode(),
         {
             'Authorization': 'token ' + github_token,
             'Content-Type': 'application/json',
@@ -183,8 +197,10 @@ def update_latest(
     relevant_pr_url,
     relevant_pr_user,
     pr_reviewer,
-    current_datetime
+    current_datetime,
+    github_token,
 ):
+    # type: (str, str, str, str, str, str, str) -> str
     '''Updates `_data/latest.json` to match build result of the given commit.
     '''
     with open('_data/latest.json', 'r+') as f:
@@ -243,13 +259,14 @@ def update_latest(
             if create_issue_for_status is not None:
                 try:
                     issue(
-                        tool, create_issue_for_status, MAINTAINERS.get(tool, ''),
-                        relevant_pr_number, relevant_pr_user, LABELS.get(tool, ''),
+                        tool, create_issue_for_status, MAINTAINERS.get(tool, ()),
+                        relevant_pr_number, relevant_pr_user, LABELS.get(tool, []),
+                        github_token,
                     )
-                except urllib2.HTTPError as e:
+                except HTTPError as e:
                     # network errors will simply end up not creating an issue, but that's better
                     # than failing the entire build job
-                    print("HTTPError when creating issue for status regression: {0}\n{1}"
+                    print("HTTPError when creating issue for status regression: {0}\n{1!r}"
                           .format(e, e.read()))
                 except IOError as e:
                     print("I/O error when creating issue for status regression: {0}".format(e))
@@ -318,7 +335,8 @@ try:
         relevant_pr_url,
         relevant_pr_user,
         pr_reviewer,
-        cur_datetime
+        cur_datetime,
+        github_token,
     )
     if not message:
         print('<Nothing changed>')
@@ -337,13 +355,13 @@ try:
     issue_url = gh_url() + '/{}/comments'.format(number)
     response = urllib2.urlopen(urllib2.Request(
         issue_url,
-        json.dumps({'body': maybe_delink(message)}),
+        json.dumps({'body': maybe_delink(message)}).encode(),
         {
             'Authorization': 'token ' + github_token,
             'Content-Type': 'application/json',
         }
     ))
     response.read()
-except urllib2.HTTPError as e:
-    print("HTTPError: %s\n%s" % (e, e.read()))
+except HTTPError as e:
+    print("HTTPError: %s\n%r" % (e, e.read()))
     raise