diff --git a/src/eval.rs b/src/eval.rs
index 76fb864d1..078467ab7 100644
--- a/src/eval.rs
+++ b/src/eval.rs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ impl Engine {
                 val: i,
                 span: expr.span,
             }),
-            Expr::Var(v) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
+            Expr::Var(_) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
             Expr::Call(_) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
             Expr::ExternalCall(_, _) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
             Expr::Operator(_) => Err(ShellError::Unsupported(expr.span)),
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 2b6c83abc..a699ae5ab 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use engine_q::{Engine, ParserWorkingSet, Signature, SyntaxShape};
+use engine_q::{ParserWorkingSet, Signature, SyntaxShape};
 
 fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
     if let Some(path) = std::env::args().nth(1) {
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
         println!("{:#?}", output);
         println!("error: {:?}", err);
 
-        println!("working set: {:#?}", working_set);
+        //println!("working set: {:#?}", working_set);
 
         // println!("{}", size_of::<Statement>());
 
diff --git a/src/parser.rs b/src/parser.rs
index 2b2e06c43..3afafe391 100644
--- a/src/parser.rs
+++ b/src/parser.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use crate::{
     lex, lite_parse,
     parser_state::{Type, VarId},
     signature::Flag,
-    DeclId, Declaration, LiteBlock, ParseError, ParserWorkingSet, Signature, Span,
+    BlockId, DeclId, Declaration, LiteBlock, ParseError, ParserWorkingSet, Signature, Span,
 };
 
 /// The syntactic shapes that values must match to be passed into a command. You can think of this as the type-checking that occurs when you call a function.
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@ pub enum Expr {
     ExternalCall(Vec<u8>, Vec<Vec<u8>>),
     Operator(Operator),
     BinaryOp(Box<Expression>, Box<Expression>, Box<Expression>), //lhs, op, rhs
-    Subexpression(Box<Block>),
-    Block(Box<Block>),
+    Subexpression(BlockId),
+    Block(BlockId),
     List(Vec<Expression>),
     Table(Vec<Expression>, Vec<Vec<Expression>>),
     Literal(Vec<u8>),
@@ -178,9 +178,9 @@ impl Expression {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn as_block(self) -> Option<Box<Block>> {
+    pub fn as_block(self) -> Option<BlockId> {
         match self.expr {
-            Expr::Block(block) => Some(block),
+            Expr::Block(block_id) => Some(block_id),
             _ => None,
         }
     }
@@ -796,9 +796,11 @@ impl ParserWorkingSet {
         let (output, err) = self.parse_block(&output);
         error = error.or(err);
 
+        let block_id = self.add_block(output);
+
         (
             Expression {
-                expr: Expr::Subexpression(Box::new(output)),
+                expr: Expr::Subexpression(block_id),
                 span,
             },
             error,
@@ -1082,9 +1084,11 @@ impl ParserWorkingSet {
 
         println!("{:?} {:?}", output, error);
 
+        let block_id = self.add_block(output);
+
         (
             Expression {
-                expr: Expr::Block(Box::new(output)),
+                expr: Expr::Block(block_id),
                 span,
             },
             error,
@@ -1423,14 +1427,12 @@ impl ParserWorkingSet {
                         .into_iter()
                         .map(|x| x.as_var().expect("internal error: expected parameter"))
                         .collect::<Vec<_>>();
-                    let block = call
+                    let block_id = call
                         .positional
                         .remove(0)
                         .as_block()
                         .expect("internal error: expected block");
 
-                    let block_id = self.add_block(block);
-
                     let decl = Declaration {
                         signature: Signature::new(name),
                         body: Some(block_id),
diff --git a/src/parser_state.rs b/src/parser_state.rs
index d864903a3..8c598438e 100644
--- a/src/parser_state.rs
+++ b/src/parser_state.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{parser::Block, Declaration, Signature, Span};
+use crate::{parser::Block, Declaration, Span};
 use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc};
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ pub struct ParserState {
     file_contents: Vec<u8>,
     vars: Vec<Type>,
     decls: Vec<Declaration>,
-    blocks: Vec<Box<Block>>,
+    blocks: Vec<Block>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ pub struct ParserWorkingSet {
     pub(crate) file_contents: Vec<u8>,
     vars: Vec<Type>,         // indexed by VarId
     decls: Vec<Declaration>, // indexed by DeclId
-    blocks: Vec<Box<Block>>, // indexed by BlockId
+    blocks: Vec<Block>,      // indexed by BlockId
     permanent_state: Option<Arc<ParserState>>,
     scope: Vec<ScopeFrame>,
 }
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ impl ParserWorkingSet {
         decl_id
     }
 
-    pub fn add_block(&mut self, block: Box<Block>) -> BlockId {
+    pub fn add_block(&mut self, block: Block) -> BlockId {
         self.blocks.push(block);
 
         self.num_blocks() - 1