diff --git a/.luacheckrc b/.luacheckrc
index d49673e44..03ba296bb 100644
--- a/.luacheckrc
+++ b/.luacheckrc
@@ -197,12 +197,12 @@ globals = {
 	"mcl_armor_trims",
 	"mcl_villages",
 	"AreaStore",
+	"vector",
 }
 
 read_globals = {
 	"DIR_DELIM",
 	"dump", "dump2",
-	"vector",
 	"VoxelManip", "VoxelArea",
 	"PseudoRandom", "PcgRandom", "PerlinNoise", "PerlinNoiseMap",
 	"ItemStack",
diff --git a/mods/CORE/mcl_util/init.lua b/mods/CORE/mcl_util/init.lua
index 890c96abb..11c5a7c83 100644
--- a/mods/CORE/mcl_util/init.lua
+++ b/mods/CORE/mcl_util/init.lua
@@ -1423,3 +1423,11 @@ if not minetest.objects_inside_radius then --polyfill for pre minetest 5.9
 		return valid_object_iterator(core.get_objects_in_area(min_pos, max_pos))
 	end
 end
+
+if not vector.in_area then
+	function vector.in_area(pos, min, max)
+		return (pos.x >= min.x) and (pos.x <= max.x) and
+			(pos.y >= min.y) and (pos.y <= max.y) and
+			(pos.z >= min.z) and (pos.z <= max.z)
+	end
+end
diff --git a/mods/MAPGEN/mcl_mapgen_core/init.lua b/mods/MAPGEN/mcl_mapgen_core/init.lua
index 4a825e227..4bea03bb0 100644
--- a/mods/MAPGEN/mcl_mapgen_core/init.lua
+++ b/mods/MAPGEN/mcl_mapgen_core/init.lua
@@ -286,21 +286,9 @@ if mg_name ~= "singlenode" or end_fixes_in_singlenode then
 end
 
 -- This should be moved to mcl_structures eventually if the dependencies can be sorted out.
-local function between(x, y, z) -- x is between y and z (inclusive)
-	return y <= x and x <= z
-end
-
 local function in_cube(tpos, wpos1, wpos2)
-	local xmax = math.max(wpos1.x, wpos2.x)
-	local xmin = math.min(wpos1.x, wpos2.x)
-
-	local ymax = math.max(wpos1.y, wpos2.y)
-	local ymin = math.min(wpos1.y, wpos2.y)
-
-	local zmax = math.max(wpos1.z, wpos2.z)
-	local zmin = math.min(wpos1.z, wpos2.z)
-
-	return between(tpos.x, xmin, xmax) and between(tpos.y, ymin, ymax) and between(tpos.z, zmin, zmax)
+	local minp, maxp = vector.sort(wpos1, wpos2)
+	return vector.in_area(tpos, minp, maxp)
 end
 
 mcl_mapgen_core.register_generator("structures",nil, function(minp, maxp, blockseed)