diff --git a/py/compile.c b/py/compile.c
index d6dec1b47..6db108a59 100644
--- a/py/compile.c
+++ b/py/compile.c
@@ -1180,8 +1180,8 @@ STATIC void compile_import_from(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_struct_t *pns) {
     }
 }
 
-STATIC void compile_declare_global(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn, bool added, id_info_t *id_info) {
-    if (!added && id_info->kind != ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_EXPLICIT) {
+STATIC void compile_declare_global(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn, id_info_t *id_info) {
+    if (id_info->kind != ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED && id_info->kind != ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_EXPLICIT) {
         compile_syntax_error(comp, pn, "identifier redefined as global");
         return;
     }
@@ -1194,8 +1194,8 @@ STATIC void compile_declare_global(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn, bool ad
     }
 }
 
-STATIC void compile_declare_nonlocal(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn, bool added, id_info_t *id_info) {
-    if (added) {
+STATIC void compile_declare_nonlocal(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn, id_info_t *id_info) {
+    if (id_info->kind == ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED) {
         id_info->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT;
         scope_check_to_close_over(comp->scope_cur, id_info);
         if (id_info->kind == ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT) {
@@ -1219,12 +1219,11 @@ STATIC void compile_global_nonlocal_stmt(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_struct_
         int n = mp_parse_node_extract_list(&pns->nodes[0], PN_name_list, &nodes);
         for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
             qstr qst = MP_PARSE_NODE_LEAF_ARG(nodes[i]);
-            bool added;
-            id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, qst, &added);
+            id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, qst, ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED);
             if (is_global) {
-                compile_declare_global(comp, (mp_parse_node_t)pns, added, id_info);
+                compile_declare_global(comp, (mp_parse_node_t)pns, id_info);
             } else {
-                compile_declare_nonlocal(comp, (mp_parse_node_t)pns, added, id_info);
+                compile_declare_nonlocal(comp, (mp_parse_node_t)pns, id_info);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -2836,9 +2835,8 @@ STATIC void compile_scope_func_lambda_param(compiler_t *comp, mp_parse_node_t pn
     }
 
     if (param_name != MP_QSTR_NULL) {
-        bool added;
-        id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, param_name, &added);
-        if (!added) {
+        id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, param_name, ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED);
+        if (id_info->kind != ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED) {
             compile_syntax_error(comp, pn, "argument name reused");
             return;
         }
@@ -3034,10 +3032,7 @@ STATIC void compile_scope(compiler_t *comp, scope_t *scope, pass_kind_t pass) {
         // so we use the blank qstr.
         qstr qstr_arg = MP_QSTR_;
         if (comp->pass == MP_PASS_SCOPE) {
-            bool added;
-            id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, qstr_arg, &added);
-            assert(added);
-            id_info->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL;
+            scope_find_or_add_id(comp->scope_cur, qstr_arg, ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL);
             scope->num_pos_args = 1;
         }
 
@@ -3077,10 +3072,7 @@ STATIC void compile_scope(compiler_t *comp, scope_t *scope, pass_kind_t pass) {
         assert(MP_PARSE_NODE_STRUCT_KIND(pns) == PN_classdef);
 
         if (comp->pass == MP_PASS_SCOPE) {
-            bool added;
-            id_info_t *id_info = scope_find_or_add_id(scope, MP_QSTR___class__, &added);
-            assert(added);
-            id_info->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL;
+            scope_find_or_add_id(scope, MP_QSTR___class__, ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL);
         }
 
         compile_load_id(comp, MP_QSTR___name__);
diff --git a/py/emit.h b/py/emit.h
index 84972dd69..3c42bdf14 100644
--- a/py/emit.h
+++ b/py/emit.h
@@ -159,7 +159,10 @@ typedef struct _emit_method_table_t {
 
 int mp_native_type_from_qstr(qstr qst);
 
-void mp_emit_common_get_id_for_load(scope_t *scope, qstr qst);
+static inline void mp_emit_common_get_id_for_load(scope_t *scope, qstr qst) {
+    scope_find_or_add_id(scope, qst, ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT);
+}
+
 void mp_emit_common_get_id_for_modification(scope_t *scope, qstr qst);
 void mp_emit_common_id_op(emit_t *emit, const mp_emit_method_table_id_ops_t *emit_method_table, scope_t *scope, qstr qst);
 
diff --git a/py/emitcommon.c b/py/emitcommon.c
index 149e0b0f1..791bf398a 100644
--- a/py/emitcommon.c
+++ b/py/emitcommon.c
@@ -30,26 +30,10 @@
 
 #if MICROPY_ENABLE_COMPILER
 
-void mp_emit_common_get_id_for_load(scope_t *scope, qstr qst) {
-    // name adding/lookup
-    bool added;
-    id_info_t *id = scope_find_or_add_id(scope, qst, &added);
-    if (added) {
-        id->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT;
-    }
-}
-
 void mp_emit_common_get_id_for_modification(scope_t *scope, qstr qst) {
     // name adding/lookup
-    bool added;
-    id_info_t *id = scope_find_or_add_id(scope, qst, &added);
-    if (added) {
-        if (SCOPE_IS_FUNC_LIKE(scope->kind)) {
-            id->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL;
-        } else {
-            id->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT;
-        }
-    } else if (SCOPE_IS_FUNC_LIKE(scope->kind) && id->kind == ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT) {
+    id_info_t *id = scope_find_or_add_id(scope, qst, ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT);
+    if (SCOPE_IS_FUNC_LIKE(scope->kind) && id->kind == ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT) {
         // rebind as a local variable
         id->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL;
     }
diff --git a/py/scope.c b/py/scope.c
index 8adb85b80..d996731f8 100644
--- a/py/scope.c
+++ b/py/scope.c
@@ -64,10 +64,9 @@ void scope_free(scope_t *scope) {
     m_del(scope_t, scope, 1);
 }
 
-id_info_t *scope_find_or_add_id(scope_t *scope, qstr qst, bool *added) {
+id_info_t *scope_find_or_add_id(scope_t *scope, qstr qst, scope_kind_t kind) {
     id_info_t *id_info = scope_find(scope, qst);
     if (id_info != NULL) {
-        *added = false;
         return id_info;
     }
 
@@ -82,11 +81,10 @@ id_info_t *scope_find_or_add_id(scope_t *scope, qstr qst, bool *added) {
     // handled by the compiler because it adds arguments before compiling the body
     id_info = &scope->id_info[scope->id_info_len++];
 
-    id_info->kind = 0;
+    id_info->kind = kind;
     id_info->flags = 0;
     id_info->local_num = 0;
     id_info->qst = qst;
-    *added = true;
     return id_info;
 }
 
@@ -110,9 +108,8 @@ STATIC void scope_close_over_in_parents(scope_t *scope, qstr qst) {
     assert(scope->parent != NULL); // we should have at least 1 parent
     for (scope_t *s = scope->parent;; s = s->parent) {
         assert(s->parent != NULL); // we should not get to the outer scope
-        bool added;
-        id_info_t *id = scope_find_or_add_id(s, qst, &added);
-        if (added) {
+        id_info_t *id = scope_find_or_add_id(s, qst, ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED);
+        if (id->kind == ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED) {
             // variable not previously declared in this scope, so declare it as free and keep searching parents
             id->kind = ID_INFO_KIND_FREE;
         } else {
diff --git a/py/scope.h b/py/scope.h
index d51bb90bb..ba07c3949 100644
--- a/py/scope.h
+++ b/py/scope.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "py/emitglue.h"
 
 enum {
+    ID_INFO_KIND_UNDECIDED,
     ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_IMPLICIT,
     ID_INFO_KIND_GLOBAL_EXPLICIT,
     ID_INFO_KIND_LOCAL, // in a function f, written and only referenced by f
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ typedef struct _scope_t {
 
 scope_t *scope_new(scope_kind_t kind, mp_parse_node_t pn, qstr source_file, mp_uint_t emit_options);
 void scope_free(scope_t *scope);
-id_info_t *scope_find_or_add_id(scope_t *scope, qstr qstr, bool *added);
+id_info_t *scope_find_or_add_id(scope_t *scope, qstr qstr, scope_kind_t kind);
 id_info_t *scope_find(scope_t *scope, qstr qstr);
 id_info_t *scope_find_global(scope_t *scope, qstr qstr);
 void scope_check_to_close_over(scope_t *scope, id_info_t *id);