diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/cli.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/cli.rs
index 99caba38bd..a248fc0487 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/cli.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/cli.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use crate::EnvironmentSyncer;
 use futures_codec::FramedRead;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
 use nu_protocol::hir::{ClassifiedCommand, Expression, InternalCommand, Literal, NamedArguments};
-use nu_protocol::{Primitive, ReturnSuccess, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{Primitive, ReturnSuccess, Scope, UntaggedValue, Value};
 
 use log::{debug, trace};
 #[cfg(feature = "rustyline-support")]
@@ -395,9 +395,7 @@ pub async fn cli(mut context: EvaluationContext) -> Result<(), Box<dyn Error>> {
                             &prompt_block.block,
                             &mut context,
                             InputStream::empty(),
-                            &Value::nothing(),
-                            &IndexMap::new(),
-                            &env,
+                            Scope::from_env(env),
                         )
                         .await
                         {
@@ -862,9 +860,7 @@ pub async fn parse_and_eval(line: &str, ctx: &mut EvaluationContext) -> Result<S
         &classified_block.block,
         ctx,
         input_stream,
-        &Value::nothing(),
-        &IndexMap::new(),
-        &env,
+        Scope::from_env(env),
     )
     .await?
     .collect_string(Tag::unknown())
@@ -1021,9 +1017,7 @@ pub async fn process_line(
             &classified_block.block,
             ctx,
             input_stream,
-            &Value::nothing(),
-            &IndexMap::new(),
-            &env,
+            Scope::from_env(env),
         )
         .await
         {
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/autoview/command.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/autoview/command.rs
index fdd0e6814b..5f6149b787 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/autoview/command.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/autoview/command.rs
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ fn create_default_command_args(context: &RunnableContextWithoutInput) -> RawComm
                 external_redirection: ExternalRedirection::Stdout,
             },
             name_tag: context.name.clone(),
-            scope: Scope::new(),
+            scope: Scope::create(),
         },
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/benchmark.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/benchmark.rs
index ee82966dc0..5991977fb9 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/benchmark.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/benchmark.rs
@@ -83,16 +83,18 @@ async fn benchmark(
     let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let (BenchmarkArgs { block, passthrough }, input) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
 
-    let mut env = scope.env.clone();
+    let env = scope.env();
     let name = generate_free_name(&env);
+    let mut env = IndexMap::new();
     env.insert(name, generate_random_env_value());
+    let scope = Scope::append_env(scope, env);
 
     let start_time = Instant::now();
 
     #[cfg(feature = "rich-benchmark")]
     let start = time().await;
 
-    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, &scope.it, &scope.vars, &env).await;
+    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, scope.clone()).await;
     let output = result?.into_vec().await;
 
     #[cfg(feature = "rich-benchmark")]
@@ -108,7 +110,7 @@ async fn benchmark(
 
         let real_time = into_big_int(end_time - start_time);
         indexmap.insert("real time".to_string(), real_time);
-        benchmark_output(indexmap, output, passthrough, &tag, &mut context, &scope).await
+        benchmark_output(indexmap, output, passthrough, &tag, &mut context, scope).await
     }
     // return advanced stats
     #[cfg(feature = "rich-benchmark")]
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ async fn benchmark(
         let idle_time = into_big_int(end.idle() - start.idle());
         indexmap.insert("idle time".to_string(), idle_time);
 
-        benchmark_output(indexmap, output, passthrough, &tag, &mut context, &scope).await
+        benchmark_output(indexmap, output, passthrough, &tag, &mut context, scope).await
     } else {
         Err(ShellError::untagged_runtime_error(
             "Could not retreive CPU time",
@@ -141,7 +143,7 @@ async fn benchmark_output<T, Output>(
     passthrough: Option<Block>,
     tag: T,
     context: &mut EvaluationContext,
-    scope: &Scope,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError>
 where
     T: Into<Tag> + Copy,
@@ -161,15 +163,7 @@ where
         // add autoview for an empty block
         let time_block = add_implicit_autoview(time_block);
 
-        let _ = run_block(
-            &time_block,
-            context,
-            benchmark_output,
-            &scope.it,
-            &scope.vars,
-            &scope.env,
-        )
-        .await?;
+        let _ = run_block(&time_block, context, benchmark_output, scope).await?;
         context.clear_errors();
 
         Ok(block_output.into())
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/block.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/block.rs
index be0722a67b..ee2aa282d1 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/block.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/block.rs
@@ -6,16 +6,14 @@ use crate::stream::InputStream;
 use futures::stream::TryStreamExt;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
 use nu_protocol::hir::{Block, ClassifiedCommand, Commands};
-use nu_protocol::{ReturnSuccess, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{ReturnSuccess, Scope, UntaggedValue, Value};
 use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
 
 pub(crate) async fn run_block(
     block: &Block,
     ctx: &mut EvaluationContext,
     mut input: InputStream,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     let mut output: Result<InputStream, ShellError> = Ok(InputStream::empty());
     for pipeline in &block.block {
@@ -54,7 +52,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_block(
                 return Err(e);
             }
         }
-        output = run_pipeline(pipeline, ctx, input, it, vars, env).await;
+        output = run_pipeline(pipeline, ctx, input, scope.clone()).await;
 
         input = InputStream::empty();
     }
@@ -66,9 +64,7 @@ async fn run_pipeline(
     commands: &Commands,
     ctx: &mut EvaluationContext,
     mut input: InputStream,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     for item in commands.list.clone() {
         input = match item {
@@ -77,13 +73,13 @@ async fn run_pipeline(
             }
 
             ClassifiedCommand::Expr(expr) => {
-                run_expression_block(*expr, ctx, it, vars, env).await?
+                run_expression_block(*expr, ctx, scope.clone()).await?
             }
 
             ClassifiedCommand::Error(err) => return Err(err.into()),
 
             ClassifiedCommand::Internal(left) => {
-                run_internal_command(left, ctx, input, it, vars, env).await?
+                run_internal_command(left, ctx, input, scope.clone()).await?
             }
         };
     }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs
index bdeaa211d8..d9e3e3e382 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/expr.rs
@@ -6,14 +6,12 @@ use log::{log_enabled, trace};
 use futures::stream::once;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
 use nu_protocol::hir::SpannedExpression;
-use nu_protocol::Value;
+use nu_protocol::Scope;
 
 pub(crate) async fn run_expression_block(
     expr: SpannedExpression,
     context: &mut EvaluationContext,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     if log_enabled!(log::Level::Trace) {
         trace!(target: "nu::run::expr", "->");
@@ -21,7 +19,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_expression_block(
     }
 
     let registry = context.registry().clone();
-    let output = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, &registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+    let output = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, &registry, scope).await?;
 
     Ok(once(async { Ok(output) }).to_input_stream())
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/external.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/external.rs
index 6d7e2c8769..c5d5d1b302 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/external.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/external.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_external_command(
     command: ExternalCommand,
     context: &mut EvaluationContext,
     input: InputStream,
-    scope: &Scope,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
     external_redirection: ExternalRedirection,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     trace!(target: "nu::run::external", "-> {}", command.name);
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ async fn run_with_stdin(
     command: ExternalCommand,
     context: &mut EvaluationContext,
     input: InputStream,
-    scope: &Scope,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
     external_redirection: ExternalRedirection,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     let path = context.shell_manager.path();
@@ -50,9 +50,7 @@ async fn run_with_stdin(
 
     let mut command_args = vec![];
     for arg in command.args.iter() {
-        let value =
-            evaluate_baseline_expr(arg, &context.registry, &scope.it, &scope.vars, &scope.env)
-                .await?;
+        let value = evaluate_baseline_expr(arg, &context.registry, scope.clone()).await?;
 
         // Skip any arguments that don't really exist, treating them as optional
         // FIXME: we may want to preserve the gap in the future, though it's hard to say
@@ -138,7 +136,7 @@ fn spawn(
     args: &[String],
     input: InputStream,
     external_redirection: ExternalRedirection,
-    scope: &Scope,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     let command = command.clone();
 
@@ -169,7 +167,7 @@ fn spawn(
     trace!(target: "nu::run::external", "cwd = {:?}", &path);
 
     process.env_clear();
-    process.envs(scope.env.iter());
+    process.envs(scope.env());
 
     // We want stdout regardless of what
     // we are doing ($it case or pipe stdin)
@@ -580,7 +578,7 @@ mod tests {
             cmd,
             &mut ctx,
             input,
-            &Scope::new(),
+            Scope::create(),
             ExternalRedirection::Stdout
         )
         .await
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/internal.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/internal.rs
index 0145256367..bfb2bb13da 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/internal.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/internal.rs
@@ -11,20 +11,13 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_internal_command(
     command: InternalCommand,
     context: &mut EvaluationContext,
     input: InputStream,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<InputStream, ShellError> {
     if log_enabled!(log::Level::Trace) {
         trace!(target: "nu::run::internal", "->");
         trace!(target: "nu::run::internal", "{}", command.name);
     }
 
-    let scope = Scope {
-        it: it.clone(),
-        vars: vars.clone(),
-        env: env.clone(),
-    };
     let objects: InputStream = trace_stream!(target: "nu::trace_stream::internal", "input" = input);
     let internal_command = context.expect_command(&command.name);
 
@@ -38,7 +31,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_internal_command(
                 internal_command?,
                 Tag::unknown_anchor(command.name_span),
                 command.args.clone(),
-                &scope,
+                scope.clone(),
                 objects,
             )
             .await?
@@ -48,8 +41,6 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_internal_command(
     //let context = Arc::new(context.clone());
     let context = context.clone();
     let command = Arc::new(command);
-    let scope = Arc::new(scope);
-    // let scope = scope.clone();
 
     Ok(InputStream::from_stream(
         result
@@ -90,7 +81,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn run_internal_command(
                                                 external_redirection: ExternalRedirection::Stdout,
                                             },
                                             name_tag: Tag::unknown_anchor(command.name_span),
-                                            scope: (&*scope).clone(),
+                                            scope,
                                         },
                                     };
                                     let result = converter
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/plugin.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/plugin.rs
index 593b4804aa..9b063c23ff 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/plugin.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/classified/plugin.rs
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ async fn run_filter(
         UntaggedValue::Primitive(Primitive::EndOfStream).into_untagged_value()
     ]);
 
-    let args = args.evaluate_once_with_scope(&registry, &scope).await?;
+    let args = args.evaluate_once_with_scope(&registry, scope).await?;
 
     let real_path = Path::new(&path);
     let ext = real_path.extension();
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/command.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/command.rs
index 06a0d15d65..3a8dec95dc 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/command.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/command.rs
@@ -17,27 +17,12 @@ use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
 pub struct UnevaluatedCallInfo {
     pub args: hir::Call,
     pub name_tag: Tag,
-    pub scope: Scope,
+    pub scope: Arc<Scope>,
 }
 
 impl UnevaluatedCallInfo {
     pub async fn evaluate(self, registry: &CommandRegistry) -> Result<CallInfo, ShellError> {
-        let args = evaluate_args(&self.args, registry, &self.scope).await?;
-
-        Ok(CallInfo {
-            args,
-            name_tag: self.name_tag,
-        })
-    }
-
-    pub async fn evaluate_with_new_it(
-        self,
-        registry: &CommandRegistry,
-        it: &Value,
-    ) -> Result<CallInfo, ShellError> {
-        let mut scope = self.scope.clone();
-        scope.it = it.clone();
-        let args = evaluate_args(&self.args, registry, &scope).await?;
+        let args = evaluate_args(&self.args, registry, self.scope.clone()).await?;
 
         Ok(CallInfo {
             args,
@@ -115,7 +100,7 @@ impl CommandArgs {
     pub async fn evaluate_once_with_scope(
         self,
         registry: &CommandRegistry,
-        scope: &Scope,
+        scope: Arc<Scope>,
     ) -> Result<EvaluatedWholeStreamCommandArgs, ShellError> {
         let host = self.host.clone();
         let ctrl_c = self.ctrl_c.clone();
@@ -215,37 +200,6 @@ impl EvaluatedWholeStreamCommandArgs {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Getters)]
-#[get = "pub"]
-pub struct EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs {
-    args: EvaluatedCommandArgs,
-}
-
-impl Deref for EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs {
-    type Target = EvaluatedCommandArgs;
-    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
-        &self.args
-    }
-}
-
-impl EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs {
-    pub fn new(
-        host: Arc<parking_lot::Mutex<dyn Host>>,
-        ctrl_c: Arc<AtomicBool>,
-        shell_manager: ShellManager,
-        call_info: CallInfo,
-    ) -> EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs {
-        EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs {
-            args: EvaluatedCommandArgs {
-                host,
-                ctrl_c,
-                shell_manager,
-                call_info,
-            },
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 #[derive(Getters, new)]
 #[get = "pub(crate)"]
 pub struct EvaluatedCommandArgs {
@@ -381,69 +335,6 @@ impl Command {
     }
 }
 
-pub struct FnFilterCommand {
-    name: String,
-    func: fn(EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError>,
-}
-
-#[async_trait]
-impl WholeStreamCommand for FnFilterCommand {
-    fn name(&self) -> &str {
-        &self.name
-    }
-
-    fn usage(&self) -> &str {
-        "usage"
-    }
-
-    async fn run(
-        &self,
-        CommandArgs {
-            host,
-            ctrl_c,
-            shell_manager,
-            call_info,
-            input,
-            ..
-        }: CommandArgs,
-        registry: &CommandRegistry,
-    ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
-        let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-        let func = self.func;
-
-        Ok(input
-            .then(move |it| {
-                let host = host.clone();
-                let registry = registry.clone();
-                let ctrl_c = ctrl_c.clone();
-                let shell_manager = shell_manager.clone();
-                let call_info = call_info.clone();
-                async move {
-                    let call_info = match call_info.evaluate_with_new_it(&*registry, &it).await {
-                        Err(err) => {
-                            return OutputStream::one(Err(err));
-                        }
-                        Ok(args) => args,
-                    };
-
-                    let args = EvaluatedFilterCommandArgs::new(
-                        host.clone(),
-                        ctrl_c.clone(),
-                        shell_manager.clone(),
-                        call_info,
-                    );
-
-                    match func(args) {
-                        Err(err) => return OutputStream::one(Err(err)),
-                        Ok(stream) => stream,
-                    }
-                }
-            })
-            .flatten()
-            .to_output_stream())
-    }
-}
-
 pub fn whole_stream_command(command: impl WholeStreamCommand + 'static) -> Command {
     Command(Arc::new(command))
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/compact.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/compact.rs
index fd8f5d10c5..d869dc28d9 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/compact.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/compact.rs
@@ -37,22 +37,11 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for Compact {
     }
 
     fn examples(&self) -> Vec<Example> {
-        vec![
-            Example {
-                description: "Filter out all null entries in a list",
-                example: "echo [1 2 $null 3 $null $null] | compact",
-                result: Some(vec![
-                    UntaggedValue::int(1).into(),
-                    UntaggedValue::int(2).into(),
-                    UntaggedValue::int(3).into(),
-                ]),
-            },
-            Example {
-                description: "Filter out all directory entries having no 'target'",
-                example: "ls -la | compact target",
-                result: None,
-            },
-        ]
+        vec![Example {
+            description: "Filter out all directory entries having no 'target'",
+            example: "ls -la | compact target",
+            result: None,
+        }]
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/do_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/do_.rs
index 8e2868028d..388fc4b0d4 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/do_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/do_.rs
@@ -95,15 +95,7 @@ async fn do_(
 
     block.set_redirect(block_redirection);
 
-    let result = run_block(
-        &block,
-        &mut context,
-        input,
-        &scope.it,
-        &scope.vars,
-        &scope.env,
-    )
-    .await;
+    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, scope).await;
 
     if ignore_errors {
         // To properly ignore errors we need to redirect stderr, consume it, and remove
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/command.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/command.rs
index 22c44dd0b3..834ac5b9b5 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/command.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/command.rs
@@ -97,9 +97,7 @@ pub async fn process_row(
         &block,
         Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
         input_stream,
-        &input,
-        &scope.vars,
-        &scope.env,
+        Scope::append_it(scope, input),
     )
     .await?
     .to_output_stream())
@@ -119,7 +117,7 @@ async fn each(
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = registry.clone();
     let head = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.args.head.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
     let (each_args, input): (EachArgs, _) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
     let block = Arc::new(each_args.block);
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/group.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/group.rs
index 9d7a97b889..2af3d63864 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/group.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/group.rs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for EachGroup {
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = registry.clone();
         let head = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.args.head.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
         let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
         let (each_args, input): (EachGroupArgs, _) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
         let block = Arc::new(each_args.block);
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/window.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/window.rs
index 167003d32b..22630b0457 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/window.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/each/window.rs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for EachWindow {
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = registry.clone();
         let head = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.args.head.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
         let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
         let (each_args, mut input): (EachWindowArgs, _) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
         let block = Arc::new(each_args.block);
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/format.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/format.rs
index 942b13e4f1..f676c1fa2e 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/format.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/format.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::commands::WholeStreamCommand;
 use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{ReturnSuccess, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue};
+use nu_protocol::{ReturnSuccess, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue};
 use nu_source::Tagged;
 use std::borrow::Borrow;
 
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ async fn format_command(
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let (FormatArgs { pattern }, input) = args.process(&registry).await?;
 
     let format_pattern = format(&pattern);
@@ -83,9 +83,7 @@ async fn format_command(
                             let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(
                                 &full_column_path.0,
                                 &registry,
-                                &value,
-                                &scope.vars,
-                                &scope.env,
+                                Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), value.clone()),
                             )
                             .await;
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/group_by.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/group_by.rs
index 36cc0b8a53..9dfd072c7c 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/group_by.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/group_by.rs
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ pub async fn group_by(
     let name = args.call_info.name_tag.clone();
     let registry = registry.clone();
     let head = Arc::new(args.call_info.args.head.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&args, &registry));
     let (GroupByArgs { grouper }, input) = args.process(&registry).await?;
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/if_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/if_.rs
index a757439118..81afa0ede8 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/if_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/if_.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ use crate::commands::WholeStreamCommand;
 use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::Block, hir::ClassifiedCommand, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue};
+use nu_protocol::{
+    hir::Block, hir::ClassifiedCommand, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue,
+};
 
 pub struct If;
 
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ async fn if_command(
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let tag = raw_args.call_info.name_tag.clone();
     let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
 
@@ -119,14 +121,12 @@ async fn if_command(
             let then_case = then_case.clone();
             let else_case = else_case.clone();
             let registry = registry.clone();
-            let scope = scope.clone();
+            let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), input);
             let mut context = context.clone();
 
             async move {
                 //FIXME: should we use the scope that's brought in as well?
-                let condition =
-                    evaluate_baseline_expr(&condition, &*registry, &input, &scope.vars, &scope.env)
-                        .await;
+                let condition = evaluate_baseline_expr(&condition, &*registry, scope.clone()).await;
 
                 match condition {
                     Ok(condition) => match condition.as_bool() {
@@ -136,9 +136,7 @@ async fn if_command(
                                     &then_case,
                                     Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
                                     InputStream::empty(),
-                                    &input,
-                                    &scope.vars,
-                                    &scope.env,
+                                    scope,
                                 )
                                 .await
                                 {
@@ -151,9 +149,7 @@ async fn if_command(
                                     &else_case,
                                     Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
                                     InputStream::empty(),
-                                    &input,
-                                    &scope.vars,
-                                    &scope.env,
+                                    scope,
                                 )
                                 .await
                                 {
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/insert.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/insert.rs
index 7754bd6f1e..69526ed0c8 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/insert.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/insert.rs
@@ -63,15 +63,9 @@ async fn process_row(
             let for_block = input.clone();
             let input_stream = once(async { Ok(for_block) }).to_input_stream();
 
-            let result = run_block(
-                &block,
-                Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
-                input_stream,
-                &input,
-                &scope.vars,
-                &scope.env,
-            )
-            .await;
+            let scope = Scope::append_it(scope, input.clone());
+
+            let result = run_block(&block, Arc::make_mut(&mut context), input_stream, scope).await;
 
             match result {
                 Ok(mut stream) => {
@@ -118,7 +112,11 @@ async fn process_row(
             Value {
                 value: UntaggedValue::Primitive(Primitive::Nothing),
                 ..
-            } => match scope.it.insert_data_at_column_path(&field, value.clone()) {
+            } => match scope
+                .it()
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| UntaggedValue::nothing().into_untagged_value())
+                .insert_data_at_column_path(&field, value.clone())
+            {
                 Ok(v) => OutputStream::one(ReturnSuccess::value(v)),
                 Err(e) => OutputStream::one(Err(e)),
             },
@@ -135,7 +133,7 @@ async fn insert(
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = registry.clone();
-    let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
     let (InsertArgs { column, value }, input) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
     let value = Arc::new(value);
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/until.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/until.rs
index a7b46fce49..db2efb21d1 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/until.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/until.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use log::trace;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
 
 pub struct SubCommand;
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
         registry: &CommandRegistry,
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
 
         let call_info = args.evaluate_once(&registry).await?;
 
@@ -85,19 +85,11 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
             .take_while(move |item| {
                 let condition = condition.clone();
                 let registry = registry.clone();
-                let scope = scope.clone();
-                let item = item.clone();
+                let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), item.clone());
                 trace!("ITEM = {:?}", item);
 
                 async move {
-                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(
-                        &*condition,
-                        &registry,
-                        &item,
-                        &scope.vars,
-                        &scope.env,
-                    )
-                    .await;
+                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(&*condition, &registry, scope).await;
                     trace!("RESULT = {:?}", result);
 
                     !matches!(result, Ok(ref v) if v.is_true())
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/while_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/while_.rs
index bc60788552..c41e8b0c53 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/while_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/keep/while_.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use log::trace;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
 
 pub struct SubCommand;
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
         registry: &CommandRegistry,
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
         let call_info = args.evaluate_once(&registry).await?;
 
         let block = call_info.args.expect_nth(0)?.clone();
@@ -84,20 +84,11 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
             .take_while(move |item| {
                 let condition = condition.clone();
                 let registry = registry.clone();
-                let scope = scope.clone();
-                let item = item.clone();
-
+                let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), item.clone());
                 trace!("ITEM = {:?}", item);
 
                 async move {
-                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(
-                        &*condition,
-                        &registry,
-                        &item,
-                        &scope.vars,
-                        &scope.env,
-                    )
-                    .await;
+                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(&*condition, &registry, scope).await;
                     trace!("RESULT = {:?}", result);
 
                     matches!(result, Ok(ref v) if v.is_true())
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/merge.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/merge.rs
index 9eee098bb3..64b11e9712 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/merge.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/merge.rs
@@ -60,21 +60,13 @@ async fn merge(
     let (merge_args, input): (MergeArgs, _) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
     let block = merge_args.block;
 
-    let table: Option<Vec<Value>> = match run_block(
-        &block,
-        &mut context,
-        InputStream::empty(),
-        &scope.it,
-        &scope.vars,
-        &scope.env,
-    )
-    .await
-    {
-        Ok(mut stream) => Some(stream.drain_vec().await),
-        Err(err) => {
-            return Err(err);
-        }
-    };
+    let table: Option<Vec<Value>> =
+        match run_block(&block, &mut context, InputStream::empty(), scope).await {
+            Ok(mut stream) => Some(stream.drain_vec().await),
+            Err(err) => {
+                return Err(err);
+            }
+        };
 
     let table = table.unwrap_or_else(|| {
         vec![Value {
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/reduce.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/reduce.rs
index bca0025739..c85b7d3186 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/reduce.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/reduce.rs
@@ -87,15 +87,9 @@ async fn process_row(
     let row_clone = row.clone();
     let input_stream = once(async { Ok(row_clone) }).to_input_stream();
 
-    Ok(run_block(
-        &block,
-        Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
-        input_stream,
-        &row,
-        &scope.vars,
-        &scope.env,
-    )
-    .await?)
+    let scope = Scope::append_it(scope, row);
+
+    Ok(run_block(&block, Arc::make_mut(&mut context), input_stream, scope).await?)
 }
 
 async fn reduce(
@@ -133,7 +127,7 @@ async fn reduce(
             .enumerate()
             .fold(initial, move |acc, input| {
                 let block = Arc::clone(&block);
-                let mut scope = base_scope.clone();
+                let scope = base_scope.clone();
                 let context = Arc::clone(&context);
                 let row = each::make_indexed_item(input.0 + ioffset, input.1);
 
@@ -151,8 +145,8 @@ async fn reduce(
                         UntaggedValue::table(&values).into_untagged_value()
                     };
 
-                    scope.vars.insert(String::from("$acc"), f);
-                    process_row(block, Arc::new(scope), context, row).await
+                    let scope = Scope::append_var(scope, "$acc".into(), f);
+                    process_row(block, scope, context, row).await
                 }
             })
             .await?
@@ -162,7 +156,7 @@ async fn reduce(
         Ok(input
             .fold(initial, move |acc, row| {
                 let block = Arc::clone(&block);
-                let mut scope = base_scope.clone();
+                let scope = base_scope.clone();
                 let context = Arc::clone(&context);
 
                 async {
@@ -179,8 +173,8 @@ async fn reduce(
                         UntaggedValue::table(&values).into_untagged_value()
                     };
 
-                    scope.vars.insert(String::from("$acc"), f);
-                    process_row(block, Arc::new(scope), context, row).await
+                    let scope = Scope::append_var(scope, "$acc".into(), f);
+                    process_row(block, scope, context, row).await
                 }
             })
             .await?
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_alias.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_alias.rs
index 3c5b9bd567..efbf288478 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_alias.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_alias.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use crate::prelude::*;
 
 use derive_new::new;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::Block, Signature, SyntaxShape};
+use nu_protocol::{hir::Block, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape};
 
 #[derive(new, Clone)]
 pub struct AliasCommand {
@@ -47,26 +47,21 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for AliasCommand {
         let mut context = EvaluationContext::from_args(&args, &registry);
         let input = args.input;
 
-        let mut scope = call_info.scope.clone();
+        let scope = call_info.scope.clone();
         let evaluated = call_info.evaluate(&registry).await?;
+
+        let mut vars = IndexMap::new();
         if let Some(positional) = &evaluated.args.positional {
             for (pos, arg) in positional.iter().enumerate() {
-                scope
-                    .vars
-                    .insert(alias_command.args[pos].0.to_string(), arg.clone());
+                vars.insert(alias_command.args[pos].0.to_string(), arg.clone());
             }
         }
 
+        let scope = Scope::append_vars(scope, vars);
+
         // FIXME: we need to patch up the spans to point at the top-level error
-        Ok(run_block(
-            &block,
-            &mut context,
-            input,
-            &scope.it,
-            &scope.vars,
-            &scope.env,
-        )
-        .await?
-        .to_output_stream())
+        Ok(run_block(&block, &mut context, input, scope)
+            .await?
+            .to_output_stream())
     }
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_external.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_external.rs
index e6c0040076..9bc9b41891 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_external.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/run_external.rs
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for RunExternalCommand {
             command,
             &mut external_context,
             input,
-            &scope,
+            scope,
             external_redirection,
         )
         .await;
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/until.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/until.rs
index d55fa17637..4e2bd0810d 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/until.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/until.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use log::trace;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
 
 pub struct SubCommand;
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
         registry: &CommandRegistry,
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
         let call_info = args.evaluate_once(&registry).await?;
 
         let block = call_info.args.expect_nth(0)?.clone();
@@ -84,19 +84,11 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
             .skip_while(move |item| {
                 let condition = condition.clone();
                 let registry = registry.clone();
-                let scope = scope.clone();
-                let item = item.clone();
+                let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), item.clone());
                 trace!("ITEM = {:?}", item);
 
                 async move {
-                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(
-                        &*condition,
-                        &registry,
-                        &item,
-                        &scope.vars,
-                        &scope.env,
-                    )
-                    .await;
+                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(&*condition, &registry, scope).await;
                     trace!("RESULT = {:?}", result);
 
                     !matches!(result, Ok(ref v) if v.is_true())
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/while_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/while_.rs
index 57ee93562a..b10c660943 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/while_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/skip/while_.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use log::trace;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{hir::ClassifiedCommand, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
 
 pub struct SubCommand;
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
         registry: &CommandRegistry,
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-        let scope = Arc::new(args.call_info.scope.clone());
+        let scope = args.call_info.scope.clone();
         let call_info = args.evaluate_once(&registry).await?;
 
         let block = call_info.args.expect_nth(0)?.clone();
@@ -85,18 +85,11 @@ impl WholeStreamCommand for SubCommand {
                 let item = item.clone();
                 let condition = condition.clone();
                 let registry = registry.clone();
-                let scope = scope.clone();
+                let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), item.clone());
                 trace!("ITEM = {:?}", item);
 
                 async move {
-                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(
-                        &*condition,
-                        &registry,
-                        &item,
-                        &scope.vars,
-                        &scope.env,
-                    )
-                    .await;
+                    let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(&*condition, &registry, scope).await;
                     trace!("RESULT = {:?}", result);
 
                     matches!(result, Ok(ref v) if v.is_true())
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/update.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/update.rs
index 9a5a1e2dc0..3983d976ed 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/update.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/update.rs
@@ -70,15 +70,9 @@ async fn process_row(
             let for_block = input.clone();
             let input_stream = once(async { Ok(for_block) }).to_input_stream();
 
-            let result = run_block(
-                &block,
-                Arc::make_mut(&mut context),
-                input_stream,
-                &input,
-                &scope.vars,
-                &scope.env,
-            )
-            .await;
+            let scope = Scope::append_it(scope, input.clone());
+
+            let result = run_block(&block, Arc::make_mut(&mut context), input_stream, scope).await;
 
             match result {
                 Ok(mut stream) => {
@@ -130,7 +124,8 @@ async fn process_row(
                 value: UntaggedValue::Primitive(Primitive::Nothing),
                 ..
             } => match scope
-                .it
+                .it()
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| UntaggedValue::nothing().into_untagged_value())
                 .replace_data_at_column_path(&field, replacement.clone())
             {
                 Some(v) => OutputStream::one(ReturnSuccess::value(v)),
@@ -160,7 +155,7 @@ async fn update(
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = registry.clone();
     let name_tag = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.name_tag.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let context = Arc::new(EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry));
     let (UpdateArgs { field, replacement }, input) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
     let replacement = Arc::new(replacement);
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/where_.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/where_.rs
index e3e02c38a5..577b0fab81 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/where_.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/where_.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ use crate::commands::WholeStreamCommand;
 use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::Block, hir::ClassifiedCommand, ReturnSuccess, Signature, SyntaxShape};
+use nu_protocol::{
+    hir::Block, hir::ClassifiedCommand, ReturnSuccess, Scope, Signature, SyntaxShape,
+};
 
 pub struct Where;
 
@@ -68,7 +70,7 @@ async fn where_command(
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
 ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
     let registry = Arc::new(registry.clone());
-    let scope = Arc::new(raw_args.call_info.scope.clone());
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let tag = raw_args.call_info.name_tag.clone();
     let (WhereArgs { block }, input) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
     let condition = {
@@ -104,13 +106,11 @@ async fn where_command(
         .filter_map(move |input| {
             let condition = condition.clone();
             let registry = registry.clone();
-            let scope = scope.clone();
+            let scope = Scope::append_it(scope.clone(), input.clone());
 
             async move {
                 //FIXME: should we use the scope that's brought in as well?
-                let condition =
-                    evaluate_baseline_expr(&condition, &*registry, &input, &scope.vars, &scope.env)
-                        .await;
+                let condition = evaluate_baseline_expr(&condition, &*registry, scope).await;
 
                 match condition {
                     Ok(condition) => match condition.as_bool() {
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/with_env.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/with_env.rs
index 556ca7fb12..dac4149747 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/with_env.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/commands/with_env.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ use crate::commands::classified::block::run_block;
 use crate::commands::WholeStreamCommand;
 use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
-use nu_protocol::{hir::Block, Signature, SpannedTypeName, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{
+    hir::Block, Scope, Signature, SpannedTypeName, SyntaxShape, UntaggedValue, Value,
+};
 
 pub struct WithEnv;
 
@@ -77,23 +79,23 @@ async fn with_env(
     let registry = registry.clone();
 
     let mut context = EvaluationContext::from_raw(&raw_args, &registry);
-    let mut scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
+    let scope = raw_args.call_info.scope.clone();
     let (WithEnvArgs { variable, block }, input) = raw_args.process(&registry).await?;
 
+    let mut env = IndexMap::new();
+
     match &variable.value {
         UntaggedValue::Table(table) => {
             if table.len() == 1 {
                 // single row([[X W]; [Y Z]])
                 for (k, v) in table[0].row_entries() {
-                    scope.env.insert(k.clone(), v.convert_to_string());
+                    env.insert(k.clone(), v.convert_to_string());
                 }
             } else {
                 // primitive values([X Y W Z])
                 for row in table.chunks(2) {
                     if row.len() == 2 && row[0].is_primitive() && row[1].is_primitive() {
-                        scope
-                            .env
-                            .insert(row[0].convert_to_string(), row[1].convert_to_string());
+                        env.insert(row[0].convert_to_string(), row[1].convert_to_string());
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ async fn with_env(
         // when get object by `open x.json` or `from json`
         UntaggedValue::Row(row) => {
             for (k, v) in &row.entries {
-                scope.env.insert(k.clone(), v.convert_to_string());
+                env.insert(k.clone(), v.convert_to_string());
             }
         }
         _ => {
@@ -112,15 +114,9 @@ async fn with_env(
         }
     };
 
-    let result = run_block(
-        &block,
-        &mut context,
-        input,
-        &scope.it,
-        &scope.vars,
-        &scope.env,
-    )
-    .await;
+    let scope = Scope::append_env(scope, env);
+
+    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, scope).await;
 
     result.map(|x| x.to_output_stream())
 }
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluate_args.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluate_args.rs
index cd8fe42789..84fec45e86 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluate_args.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluate_args.rs
@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@ use crate::evaluate::evaluate_baseline_expr;
 use indexmap::IndexMap;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
 use nu_protocol::{hir, EvaluatedArgs, Scope, UntaggedValue, Value};
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 pub(crate) async fn evaluate_args(
     call: &hir::Call,
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
-    scope: &Scope,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<EvaluatedArgs, ShellError> {
     let mut positional_args: Vec<Value> = vec![];
 
     if let Some(positional) = &call.positional {
         for pos in positional {
-            let result =
-                evaluate_baseline_expr(pos, registry, &scope.it, &scope.vars, &scope.env).await?;
+            let result = evaluate_baseline_expr(pos, registry, scope.clone()).await?;
             positional_args.push(result);
         }
     }
@@ -37,8 +37,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_args(
                 hir::NamedValue::Value(_, expr) => {
                     named_args.insert(
                         name.clone(),
-                        evaluate_baseline_expr(expr, registry, &scope.it, &scope.vars, &scope.env)
-                            .await?,
+                        evaluate_baseline_expr(expr, registry, scope.clone()).await?,
                     );
                 }
                 _ => {}
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluator.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluator.rs
index b57ec497b8..84005a71e6 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluator.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluate/evaluator.rs
@@ -7,16 +7,14 @@ use log::trace;
 use nu_errors::{ArgumentError, ShellError};
 use nu_protocol::hir::{self, Expression, ExternalRedirection, RangeOperator, SpannedExpression};
 use nu_protocol::{
-    ColumnPath, Primitive, RangeInclusion, UnspannedPathMember, UntaggedValue, Value,
+    ColumnPath, Primitive, RangeInclusion, Scope, UnspannedPathMember, UntaggedValue, Value,
 };
 
 #[async_recursion]
 pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
     expr: &SpannedExpression,
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<Value, ShellError> {
     let tag = Tag {
         span: expr.span,
@@ -33,14 +31,14 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
         Expression::Synthetic(hir::Synthetic::String(s)) => {
             Ok(UntaggedValue::string(s).into_untagged_value())
         }
-        Expression::Variable(var) => evaluate_reference(&var, it, vars, env, tag),
+        Expression::Variable(var) => evaluate_reference(&var, scope, tag),
         Expression::Command => unimplemented!(),
-        Expression::Invocation(block) => evaluate_invocation(block, registry, it, vars, env).await,
+        Expression::Invocation(block) => evaluate_invocation(block, registry, scope).await,
         Expression::ExternalCommand(_) => unimplemented!(),
         Expression::Binary(binary) => {
             // TODO: If we want to add short-circuiting, we'll need to move these down
-            let left = evaluate_baseline_expr(&binary.left, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
-            let right = evaluate_baseline_expr(&binary.right, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+            let left = evaluate_baseline_expr(&binary.left, registry, scope.clone()).await?;
+            let right = evaluate_baseline_expr(&binary.right, registry, scope).await?;
 
             trace!("left={:?} right={:?}", left.value, right.value);
 
@@ -62,13 +60,13 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
         }
         Expression::Range(range) => {
             let left = if let Some(left) = &range.left {
-                evaluate_baseline_expr(&left, registry, it, vars, env).await?
+                evaluate_baseline_expr(&left, registry, scope.clone()).await?
             } else {
                 Value::nothing()
             };
 
             let right = if let Some(right) = &range.right {
-                evaluate_baseline_expr(&right, registry, it, vars, env).await?
+                evaluate_baseline_expr(&right, registry, scope).await?
             } else {
                 Value::nothing()
             };
@@ -94,7 +92,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
             let mut output_headers = vec![];
 
             for expr in headers {
-                let val = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+                let val = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, registry, scope.clone()).await?;
 
                 let header = val.as_string()?;
                 output_headers.push(header);
@@ -122,7 +120,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
 
                 let mut row_output = IndexMap::new();
                 for cell in output_headers.iter().zip(row.iter()) {
-                    let val = evaluate_baseline_expr(&cell.1, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+                    let val = evaluate_baseline_expr(&cell.1, registry, scope.clone()).await?;
                     row_output.insert(cell.0.clone(), val);
                 }
                 output_table.push(UntaggedValue::row(row_output).into_value(tag.clone()));
@@ -134,7 +132,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
             let mut exprs = vec![];
 
             for expr in list {
-                let expr = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+                let expr = evaluate_baseline_expr(&expr, registry, scope.clone()).await?;
                 exprs.push(expr);
             }
 
@@ -142,7 +140,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn evaluate_baseline_expr(
         }
         Expression::Block(block) => Ok(UntaggedValue::Block(block.clone()).into_value(&tag)),
         Expression::Path(path) => {
-            let value = evaluate_baseline_expr(&path.head, registry, it, vars, env).await?;
+            let value = evaluate_baseline_expr(&path.head, registry, scope).await?;
             let mut item = value;
 
             for member in &path.tail {
@@ -208,15 +206,20 @@ fn evaluate_literal(literal: &hir::Literal, span: Span) -> Value {
 
 fn evaluate_reference(
     name: &hir::Variable,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
     tag: Tag,
 ) -> Result<Value, ShellError> {
     match name {
-        hir::Variable::It(_) => Ok(it.clone()),
+        hir::Variable::It(_) => match scope.it() {
+            Some(v) => Ok(v),
+            None => Err(ShellError::labeled_error(
+                "$it variable not in scope",
+                "not in scope (are you missing an 'each'?)",
+                tag.span,
+            )),
+        },
         hir::Variable::Other(name, _) => match name {
-            x if x == "$nu" => crate::evaluate::variables::nu(env, tag),
+            x if x == "$nu" => crate::evaluate::variables::nu(&scope.env(), tag),
             x if x == "$true" => Ok(Value {
                 value: UntaggedValue::boolean(true),
                 tag,
@@ -225,10 +228,14 @@ fn evaluate_reference(
                 value: UntaggedValue::boolean(false),
                 tag,
             }),
-            x => Ok(vars
-                .get(x)
-                .cloned()
-                .unwrap_or_else(|| UntaggedValue::nothing().into_value(tag))),
+            x => match scope.var(x) {
+                Some(v) => Ok(v),
+                None => Err(ShellError::labeled_error(
+                    "Variable not in scope",
+                    "unknown variable",
+                    tag.span,
+                )),
+            },
         },
     }
 }
@@ -236,20 +243,21 @@ fn evaluate_reference(
 async fn evaluate_invocation(
     block: &hir::Block,
     registry: &CommandRegistry,
-    it: &Value,
-    vars: &IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    env: &IndexMap<String, String>,
+    scope: Arc<Scope>,
 ) -> Result<Value, ShellError> {
     // FIXME: we should use a real context here
     let mut context = EvaluationContext::basic()?;
     context.registry = registry.clone();
 
-    let input = InputStream::one(it.clone());
+    let input = match scope.it() {
+        Some(it) => InputStream::one(it),
+        None => InputStream::empty(),
+    };
 
     let mut block = block.clone();
     block.set_redirect(ExternalRedirection::Stdout);
 
-    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, it, vars, env).await?;
+    let result = run_block(&block, &mut context, input, scope).await?;
 
     let output = result.into_vec().await;
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluation_context.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluation_context.rs
index 49cc0231f6..6809ebc04b 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluation_context.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/evaluation_context.rs
@@ -152,18 +152,18 @@ impl EvaluationContext {
         command: Command,
         name_tag: Tag,
         args: hir::Call,
-        scope: &Scope,
+        scope: Arc<Scope>,
         input: InputStream,
     ) -> Result<OutputStream, ShellError> {
         let command_args = self.command_args(args, input, name_tag, scope);
         command.run(command_args, self.registry()).await
     }
 
-    fn call_info(&self, args: hir::Call, name_tag: Tag, scope: &Scope) -> UnevaluatedCallInfo {
+    fn call_info(&self, args: hir::Call, name_tag: Tag, scope: Arc<Scope>) -> UnevaluatedCallInfo {
         UnevaluatedCallInfo {
             args,
             name_tag,
-            scope: scope.clone(),
+            scope,
         }
     }
 
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ impl EvaluationContext {
         args: hir::Call,
         input: InputStream,
         name_tag: Tag,
-        scope: &Scope,
+        scope: Arc<Scope>,
     ) -> CommandArgs {
         CommandArgs {
             host: self.host.clone(),
diff --git a/crates/nu-cli/src/examples.rs b/crates/nu-cli/src/examples.rs
index ea349f990f..6a2a3676b5 100644
--- a/crates/nu-cli/src/examples.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-cli/src/examples.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 use futures::executor::block_on;
 
-use crate::prelude::*;
 use nu_errors::ShellError;
 use nu_protocol::hir::ClassifiedBlock;
-use nu_protocol::{ShellTypeName, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{Scope, ShellTypeName, Value};
 
 use crate::commands::classified::block::run_block;
 use crate::commands::{whole_stream_command, BuildString, Each, Echo, StrCollect};
@@ -83,17 +82,12 @@ async fn evaluate_block(
     let input_stream = InputStream::empty();
     let env = ctx.get_env();
 
-    Ok(run_block(
-        &block.block,
-        ctx,
-        input_stream,
-        &Value::nothing(),
-        &IndexMap::new(),
-        &env,
-    )
-    .await?
-    .into_vec()
-    .await)
+    let scope = Scope::from_env(env);
+
+    Ok(run_block(&block.block, ctx, input_stream, scope)
+        .await?
+        .into_vec()
+        .await)
 }
 
 // TODO probably something already available to do this
diff --git a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/evaluate.rs b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/evaluate.rs
index e400d19358..bac9e119ae 100644
--- a/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/evaluate.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-protocol/src/value/evaluate.rs
@@ -2,30 +2,121 @@ use crate::value::Value;
 use indexmap::IndexMap;
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use std::fmt::Debug;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 /// An evaluation scope. Scopes map variable names to Values and aid in evaluating blocks and expressions.
 /// Additionally, holds the value for the special $it variable, a variable used to refer to the value passing
 /// through the pipeline at that moment
 #[derive(Deserialize, Serialize, Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct Scope {
-    pub it: Value,
-    pub vars: IndexMap<String, Value>,
-    pub env: IndexMap<String, String>,
+    vars: IndexMap<String, Value>,
+    env: IndexMap<String, String>,
+    parent: Option<Arc<Scope>>,
 }
 
 impl Scope {
-    /// Create an empty scope
-    pub fn new() -> Scope {
-        Scope {
-            it: Value::nothing(),
-            vars: IndexMap::new(),
-            env: IndexMap::new(),
+    pub fn vars(&self) -> IndexMap<String, Value> {
+        //FIXME: should this be an interator?
+
+        let mut output = IndexMap::new();
+
+        for v in &self.vars {
+            output.insert(v.0.clone(), v.1.clone());
+        }
+
+        if let Some(parent) = &self.parent {
+            for v in parent.vars() {
+                if !output.contains_key(&v.0) {
+                    output.insert(v.0.clone(), v.1.clone());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        output
+    }
+
+    pub fn env(&self) -> IndexMap<String, String> {
+        //FIXME: should this be an interator?
+
+        let mut output = IndexMap::new();
+
+        for v in &self.env {
+            output.insert(v.0.clone(), v.1.clone());
+        }
+
+        if let Some(parent) = &self.parent {
+            for v in parent.env() {
+                if !output.contains_key(&v.0) {
+                    output.insert(v.0.clone(), v.1.clone());
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        output
+    }
+
+    pub fn var(&self, name: &str) -> Option<Value> {
+        if let Some(value) = self.vars().get(name) {
+            Some(value.clone())
+        } else {
+            None
         }
     }
-}
 
-impl Default for Scope {
-    fn default() -> Scope {
-        Scope::new()
+    pub fn it(&self) -> Option<Value> {
+        self.var("$it")
+    }
+
+    pub fn from_env(env: IndexMap<String, String>) -> Arc<Scope> {
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars: IndexMap::new(),
+            env,
+            parent: None,
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn append_it(this: Arc<Self>, it: Value) -> Arc<Scope> {
+        let mut vars = IndexMap::new();
+        vars.insert("$it".into(), it);
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars,
+            env: IndexMap::new(),
+            parent: Some(this),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn append_var(this: Arc<Self>, name: String, value: Value) -> Arc<Scope> {
+        let mut vars = IndexMap::new();
+        vars.insert(name, value);
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars,
+            env: IndexMap::new(),
+            parent: Some(this),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn append_vars(this: Arc<Self>, vars: IndexMap<String, Value>) -> Arc<Scope> {
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars,
+            env: IndexMap::new(),
+            parent: Some(this),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn append_env(this: Arc<Self>, env: IndexMap<String, String>) -> Arc<Scope> {
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars: IndexMap::new(),
+            env,
+            parent: Some(this),
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Create an empty scope
+    pub fn create() -> Arc<Scope> {
+        Arc::new(Scope {
+            vars: IndexMap::new(),
+            env: IndexMap::new(),
+            parent: None,
+        })
     }
 }