diff --git a/src/api/encoding.cc b/src/api/encoding.cc
index f64aeee15c3b34..68278ff7371d80 100644
--- a/src/api/encoding.cc
+++ b/src/api/encoding.cc
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ ssize_t DecodeWrite(Isolate* isolate,
                     size_t buflen,
                     Local<Value> val,
                     enum encoding encoding) {
-  return StringBytes::Write(isolate, buf, buflen, val, encoding, nullptr);
+  return StringBytes::Write(isolate, buf, buflen, val, encoding);
 }
 
 }  // namespace node
diff --git a/src/node_buffer.cc b/src/node_buffer.cc
index aec97f15e2c809..b2b3cfd9c8faa1 100644
--- a/src/node_buffer.cc
+++ b/src/node_buffer.cc
@@ -667,12 +667,8 @@ void Fill(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
     // Write initial String to Buffer, then use that memory to copy remainder
     // of string. Correct the string length for cases like HEX where less than
     // the total string length is written.
-    str_length = StringBytes::Write(env->isolate(),
-                                    ts_obj_data + start,
-                                    fill_length,
-                                    str_obj,
-                                    enc,
-                                    nullptr);
+    str_length = StringBytes::Write(
+        env->isolate(), ts_obj_data + start, fill_length, str_obj, enc);
   }
 
 start_fill:
@@ -731,12 +727,8 @@ void StringWrite(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   if (max_length == 0)
     return args.GetReturnValue().Set(0);
 
-  uint32_t written = StringBytes::Write(env->isolate(),
-                                        ts_obj_data + offset,
-                                        max_length,
-                                        str,
-                                        encoding,
-                                        nullptr);
+  uint32_t written = StringBytes::Write(
+      env->isolate(), ts_obj_data + offset, max_length, str, encoding);
   args.GetReturnValue().Set(written);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/string_bytes.cc b/src/string_bytes.cc
index 5b530c85477310..2f512a844f193d 100644
--- a/src/string_bytes.cc
+++ b/src/string_bytes.cc
@@ -260,12 +260,8 @@ static size_t hex_decode(char* buf,
   return i;
 }
 
-size_t StringBytes::WriteUCS2(Isolate* isolate,
-                              char* buf,
-                              size_t buflen,
-                              Local<String> str,
-                              int flags,
-                              size_t* chars_written) {
+size_t StringBytes::WriteUCS2(
+    Isolate* isolate, char* buf, size_t buflen, Local<String> str, int flags) {
   uint16_t* const dst = reinterpret_cast<uint16_t*>(buf);
 
   size_t max_chars = buflen / sizeof(*dst);
@@ -277,7 +273,6 @@ size_t StringBytes::WriteUCS2(Isolate* isolate,
   size_t nchars;
   if (aligned_dst == dst) {
     nchars = str->Write(isolate, dst, 0, max_chars, flags);
-    *chars_written = nchars;
     return nchars * sizeof(*dst);
   }
 
@@ -285,7 +280,9 @@ size_t StringBytes::WriteUCS2(Isolate* isolate,
 
   // Write all but the last char
   max_chars = std::min(max_chars, static_cast<size_t>(str->Length()));
-  if (max_chars == 0) return 0;
+  if (max_chars == 0) {
+    return 0;
+  }
   nchars = str->Write(isolate, aligned_dst, 0, max_chars - 1, flags);
   CHECK_EQ(nchars, max_chars - 1);
 
@@ -298,23 +295,16 @@ size_t StringBytes::WriteUCS2(Isolate* isolate,
   memcpy(buf + nchars * sizeof(*dst), &last, sizeof(last));
   nchars++;
 
-  *chars_written = nchars;
   return nchars * sizeof(*dst);
 }
 
-
 size_t StringBytes::Write(Isolate* isolate,
                           char* buf,
                           size_t buflen,
                           Local<Value> val,
-                          enum encoding encoding,
-                          int* chars_written) {
+                          enum encoding encoding) {
   HandleScope scope(isolate);
   size_t nbytes;
-  int nchars;
-
-  if (chars_written == nullptr)
-    chars_written = &nchars;
 
   CHECK(val->IsString() == true);
   Local<String> str = val.As<String>();
@@ -334,19 +324,15 @@ size_t StringBytes::Write(Isolate* isolate,
         uint8_t* const dst = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t*>(buf);
         nbytes = str->WriteOneByte(isolate, dst, 0, buflen, flags);
       }
-      *chars_written = nbytes;
       break;
 
     case BUFFER:
     case UTF8:
-      nbytes = str->WriteUtf8(isolate, buf, buflen, chars_written, flags);
+      nbytes = str->WriteUtf8(isolate, buf, buflen, nullptr, flags);
       break;
 
     case UCS2: {
-      size_t nchars;
-
-      nbytes = WriteUCS2(isolate, buf, buflen, str, flags, &nchars);
-      *chars_written = static_cast<int>(nchars);
+      nbytes = WriteUCS2(isolate, buf, buflen, str, flags);
 
       // Node's "ucs2" encoding wants LE character data stored in
       // the Buffer, so we need to reorder on BE platforms.  See
@@ -368,7 +354,6 @@ size_t StringBytes::Write(Isolate* isolate,
         String::Value value(isolate, str);
         nbytes = base64_decode(buf, buflen, *value, value.length());
       }
-      *chars_written = nbytes;
       break;
 
     case HEX:
@@ -379,7 +364,6 @@ size_t StringBytes::Write(Isolate* isolate,
         String::Value value(isolate, str);
         nbytes = hex_decode(buf, buflen, *value, value.length());
       }
-      *chars_written = nbytes;
       break;
 
     default:
@@ -390,7 +374,6 @@ size_t StringBytes::Write(Isolate* isolate,
   return nbytes;
 }
 
-
 // Quick and dirty size calculation
 // Will always be at least big enough, but may have some extra
 // UTF8 can be as much as 3x the size, Base64 can have 1-2 extra bytes
diff --git a/src/string_bytes.h b/src/string_bytes.h
index 69bb828e018cb0..ad1f15b05704c8 100644
--- a/src/string_bytes.h
+++ b/src/string_bytes.h
@@ -75,8 +75,7 @@ class StringBytes {
                       char* buf,
                       size_t buflen,
                       v8::Local<v8::Value> val,
-                      enum encoding enc,
-                      int* chars_written = nullptr);
+                      enum encoding enc);
 
   // Take the bytes in the src, and turn it into a Buffer or String.
   static v8::MaybeLocal<v8::Value> Encode(v8::Isolate* isolate,
@@ -111,8 +110,7 @@ class StringBytes {
                           char* buf,
                           size_t buflen,
                           v8::Local<v8::String> str,
-                          int flags,
-                          size_t* chars_written);
+                          int flags);
 };
 
 }  // namespace node