Endocytosis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins via a specific pathway into GPI-enriched early endosomal compartments (GEECs) has been proposed. How sorting into this pathway may take place is unclear. In this issue, Bhagatji et al. (2009. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.200903102) provide an original mechanism for the sorting of lipid-anchored proteins that involves exclusion of bulky extracellular domains from clathrin-coated pits.