diff --git a/lib/readline.js b/lib/readline.js
index 853500f5961aea..bd70754b5b48a2 100644
--- a/lib/readline.js
+++ b/lib/readline.js
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ Interface.prototype._tabComplete = function(lastKeypressWasTab) {
     self.resume();
 
     if (err) {
-      self._writeToOutput(`tab completion error ${inspect(err)}`);
+      self._writeToOutput(`Tab completion error: ${inspect(err)}`);
       return;
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/repl.js b/lib/repl.js
index ba8bd3b4d2c8dd..9d28234900f215 100644
--- a/lib/repl.js
+++ b/lib/repl.js
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ const {
   RegExp,
   Set,
   Symbol,
-  WeakMap,
   WeakSet,
 } = primordials;
 
@@ -78,7 +77,6 @@ const {
   deprecate
 } = require('internal/util');
 const { inspect } = require('internal/util/inspect');
-const Stream = require('stream');
 const vm = require('vm');
 const path = require('path');
 const fs = require('fs');
@@ -123,7 +121,6 @@ const {
 } = internalBinding('contextify');
 
 const history = require('internal/repl/history');
-const { setImmediate } = require('timers');
 
 // Lazy-loaded.
 let processTopLevelAwait;
@@ -132,7 +129,6 @@ const globalBuiltins =
   new Set(vm.runInNewContext('Object.getOwnPropertyNames(globalThis)'));
 
 const parentModule = module;
-const replMap = new WeakMap();
 const domainSet = new WeakSet();
 
 const kBufferedCommandSymbol = Symbol('bufferedCommand');
@@ -562,14 +558,13 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       self.lastError = e;
     }
 
-    const top = replMap.get(self);
     if (options[kStandaloneREPL] &&
         process.listenerCount('uncaughtException') !== 0) {
       process.nextTick(() => {
         process.emit('uncaughtException', e);
-        top.clearBufferedCommand();
-        top.lines.level = [];
-        top.displayPrompt();
+        self.clearBufferedCommand();
+        self.lines.level = [];
+        self.displayPrompt();
       });
     } else {
       if (errStack === '') {
@@ -595,10 +590,10 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       }
       // Normalize line endings.
       errStack += errStack.endsWith('\n') ? '' : '\n';
-      top.outputStream.write(errStack);
-      top.clearBufferedCommand();
-      top.lines.level = [];
-      top.displayPrompt();
+      self.outputStream.write(errStack);
+      self.clearBufferedCommand();
+      self.lines.level = [];
+      self.displayPrompt();
     }
   });
 
@@ -909,7 +904,6 @@ exports.start = function(prompt,
                               ignoreUndefined,
                               replMode);
   if (!exports.repl) exports.repl = repl;
-  replMap.set(repl, repl);
   return repl;
 };
 
@@ -1046,23 +1040,6 @@ REPLServer.prototype.turnOffEditorMode = deprecate(
   'REPLServer.turnOffEditorMode() is deprecated',
   'DEP0078');
 
-// A stream to push an array into a REPL
-// used in REPLServer.complete
-function ArrayStream() {
-  Stream.call(this);
-
-  this.run = function(data) {
-    for (let n = 0; n < data.length; n++)
-      this.emit('data', `${data[n]}\n`);
-  };
-}
-ObjectSetPrototypeOf(ArrayStream.prototype, Stream.prototype);
-ObjectSetPrototypeOf(ArrayStream, Stream);
-ArrayStream.prototype.readable = true;
-ArrayStream.prototype.writable = true;
-ArrayStream.prototype.resume = function() {};
-ArrayStream.prototype.write = function() {};
-
 const requireRE = /\brequire\s*\(['"](([\w@./-]+\/)?(?:[\w@./-]*))/;
 const fsAutoCompleteRE = /fs(?:\.promises)?\.\s*[a-z][a-zA-Z]+\(\s*["'](.*)/;
 const simpleExpressionRE =
@@ -1122,40 +1099,13 @@ REPLServer.prototype.complete = function() {
 // Warning: This eval's code like "foo.bar.baz", so it will run property
 // getter code.
 function complete(line, callback) {
-  // There may be local variables to evaluate, try a nested REPL
-  if (this[kBufferedCommandSymbol] !== undefined &&
-      this[kBufferedCommandSymbol].length) {
-    // Get a new array of inputted lines
-    const tmp = this.lines.slice();
-    // Kill off all function declarations to push all local variables into
-    // global scope
-    for (let n = 0; n < this.lines.level.length; n++) {
-      const kill = this.lines.level[n];
-      if (kill.isFunction)
-        tmp[kill.line] = '';
-    }
-    const flat = new ArrayStream();         // Make a new "input" stream.
-    const magic = new REPLServer('', flat); // Make a nested REPL.
-    replMap.set(magic, replMap.get(this));
-    flat.run(tmp);                        // `eval` the flattened code.
-    // All this is only profitable if the nested REPL does not have a
-    // bufferedCommand.
-    if (!magic[kBufferedCommandSymbol]) {
-      magic._domain.on('error', (err) => {
-        if (!cjsLoader.asyncRunMain)
-          throw err;
-        setImmediate(() => {
-          throw err;
-        });
-      });
-      return magic.complete(line, callback);
-    }
-  }
-
   // List of completion lists, one for each inheritance "level"
   let completionGroups = [];
   let completeOn, group;
 
+  // Ignore right whitespace. It could change the outcome.
+  line = line.trimLeft();
+
   // REPL commands (e.g. ".break").
   let filter;
   let match = line.match(/^\s*\.(\w*)$/);
@@ -1479,8 +1429,7 @@ function _memory(cmd) {
         // scope will not work for this function.
         self.lines.level.push({
           line: self.lines.length - 1,
-          depth: depth,
-          isFunction: /\bfunction\b/.test(cmd)
+          depth: depth
         });
       } else if (depth < 0) {
         // Going... up.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/repl-tab-completion-nested-repls.js b/test/fixtures/repl-tab-completion-nested-repls.js
index ceff6e79453705..1d2b154f2b3341 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/repl-tab-completion-nested-repls.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/repl-tab-completion-nested-repls.js
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ const repl = require('repl');
 const putIn = new ArrayStream();
 const testMe = repl.start('', putIn);
 
-// Some errors are passed to the domain, but do not callback
+// Some errors are passed to the domain, but do not callback.
 testMe._domain.on('error', function(err) {
   throw err;
 });
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-repl-save-load.js b/test/parallel/test-repl-save-load.js
index ef9ff8f6498877..f6ecc8d4ab67e9 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-repl-save-load.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-repl-save-load.js
@@ -44,8 +44,9 @@ testMe._domain.on('error', function(reason) {
 });
 
 const testFile = [
-  'let top = function() {',
-  'let inner = {one:1};'
+  'let inner = (function() {',
+  '  return {one:1};',
+  '})()'
 ];
 const saveFileName = join(tmpdir.path, 'test.save.js');
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete-nested-repls.js b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete-nested-repls.js
index 36547e8d9fb5be..3cac02f20562bc 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete-nested-repls.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete-nested-repls.js
@@ -19,3 +19,5 @@ const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, [testFile]);
 // test here is to make sure that the error information bubbles up to the
 // calling process.
 assert.ok(result.status, 'testFile swallowed its error');
+const err = result.stderr.toString();
+assert.ok(err.includes('fhqwhgads'), err);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
index 1c66f9a3238230..6cf689c4b11074 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-repl-tab-complete.js
@@ -54,12 +54,9 @@ const putIn = new ArrayStream();
 const testMe = repl.start('', putIn);
 
 // Some errors are passed to the domain, but do not callback
-testMe._domain.on('error', function(err) {
-  assert.ifError(err);
-});
+testMe._domain.on('error', assert.ifError);
 
 // Tab Complete will not break in an object literal
-putIn.run(['.clear']);
 putIn.run([
   'var inner = {',
   'one:1'
@@ -93,9 +90,7 @@ putIn.run([
   'var top = function() {',
   'var inner = {one:1};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, works);
-}));
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 // When you close the function scope tab complete will not return the
 // locally scoped variable
@@ -111,9 +106,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, works);
-}));
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -125,9 +118,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, works);
-}));
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -140,9 +131,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, works);
-}));
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -155,9 +144,7 @@ putIn.run([
   ' one:1',
   '};'
 ]);
-testMe.complete('inner.o', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, works);
-}));
+testMe.complete('inner.o', getNoResultsFunction());
 
 putIn.run(['.clear']);
 
@@ -204,7 +191,9 @@ const spaceTimeout = setTimeout(function() {
 }, 1000);
 
 testMe.complete(' ', common.mustCall(function(error, data) {
-  assert.deepStrictEqual(data, [[], undefined]);
+  assert.ifError(error);
+  assert.strictEqual(data[1], '');
+  assert.ok(data[0].includes('globalThis'));
   clearTimeout(spaceTimeout);
 }));