diff --git a/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/MshCommandRuntime.cs b/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/MshCommandRuntime.cs
index e674cb1c5eb..e09ecfa25b4 100644
--- a/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/MshCommandRuntime.cs
+++ b/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/MshCommandRuntime.cs
@@ -996,7 +996,7 @@ internal void SetupPipelineVariable()
 
             // Create the pipeline variable
             _pipelineVarReference = new PSVariable(PipelineVariable);
-            object varToUse = _state.Internal.SetVariable(
+            PSVariable varToUse = _state.Internal.SetVariable(
                 _pipelineVarReference,
                 force: false,
                 CommandOrigin.Internal);
@@ -1011,7 +1011,7 @@ internal void SetupPipelineVariable()
             {
                 // A variable with the same name already exists in the same scope and it was returned.
                 // In this case, we update the reference and don't remove the variable in the end.
-                _pipelineVarReference = (PSVariable)varToUse;
+                _pipelineVarReference = varToUse;
             }
 
             if (_thisCommand is not PSScriptCmdlet)
diff --git a/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/SessionStateVariableAPIs.cs b/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/SessionStateVariableAPIs.cs
index 336c2b77952..9ef3ff59154 100644
--- a/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/SessionStateVariableAPIs.cs
+++ b/src/System.Management.Automation/engine/SessionStateVariableAPIs.cs
@@ -1009,8 +1009,7 @@ internal void SetVariableValue(string name, object newValue)
         /// The origin of the caller of this API
         /// </param>
         /// <returns>
-        /// A PSVariable object if <paramref name="variablePath"/> refers to a variable.
-        /// An PSObject if <paramref name="variablePath"/> refers to a provider path.
+        /// The resulting <see cref="PSVariable"/> for <paramref name="variable"/>, or null.
         /// </returns>
         /// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">
         /// If <paramref name="variable"/> is null.
@@ -1018,7 +1017,7 @@ internal void SetVariableValue(string name, object newValue)
         /// <exception cref="SessionStateUnauthorizedAccessException">
         /// If the variable is read-only or constant.
         /// </exception>
-        internal object SetVariable(PSVariable variable, bool force, CommandOrigin origin)
+        internal PSVariable SetVariable(PSVariable variable, bool force, CommandOrigin origin)
         {
             if (variable == null || string.IsNullOrEmpty(variable.Name))
             {
@@ -1098,8 +1097,7 @@ internal object SetVariable(
         /// The origin of the caller
         /// </param>
         /// <returns>
-        /// A PSVariable object if <paramref name="variablePath"/> refers to a variable.
-        /// An PSObject if <paramref name="variablePath"/> refers to a provider path.
+        /// The resulting <see cref="PSVariable"/> for <paramref name="variablePath"/>, or null.
         /// </returns>
         /// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">
         /// If <paramref name="variablePath"/> is null.
@@ -1120,14 +1118,14 @@ internal object SetVariable(
         /// <exception cref="ProviderInvocationException">
         /// If the provider threw an exception.
         /// </exception>
-        internal object SetVariable(
+        internal PSVariable SetVariable(
             VariablePath variablePath,
             object newValue,
             bool asValue,
             bool force,
             CommandOrigin origin)
         {
-            object result = null;
+            PSVariable result = null;
             if (variablePath == null)
             {
                 throw PSTraceSource.NewArgumentNullException(nameof(variablePath));
@@ -1184,7 +1182,7 @@ internal object SetVariable(
                 // There is probably a more efficient way to do this.
 
                 GetVariableValue(variablePath, out context, out scope);
-#if true
+
                 // PSVariable get/set is the get/set of content in the provider
 
                 Collection<IContentWriter> writers = null;
@@ -1330,26 +1328,6 @@ internal object SetVariable(
                 {
                     writer.Close();
                 }
-#else
-                    if (context != null)
-                    {
-                        context.Force = force;
-                        SetItem (variablePath.LookupPath.ToString (), newValue, context);
-
-                        context.ThrowFirstErrorOrDoNothing(true);
-                    }
-                    else
-                    {
-                        Collection<PSObject> setItemResult =
-                            SetItem (variablePath.LookupPath.ToString (), newValue);
-
-                        if (setItemResult != null &&
-                            setItemResult.Count > 0)
-                        {
-                            result = setItemResult[0];
-                        }
-                    }
-#endif
             }
 
             return result;
diff --git a/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/VariableProvider.cs b/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/VariableProvider.cs
index 5f9934d326c..69a309b5d2a 100644
--- a/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/VariableProvider.cs
+++ b/src/System.Management.Automation/namespaces/VariableProvider.cs
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ internal override void SetSessionStateItem(string name, object value, bool write
                 variable = new PSVariable(name, null);
             }
 
-            PSVariable item = SessionState.Internal.SetVariable(variable, Force, Context.Origin) as PSVariable;
+            PSVariable item = SessionState.Internal.SetVariable(variable, Force, Context.Origin);
 
             if (writeItem && item != null)
             {