diff --git a/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImpl.qll b/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImpl.qll
index 75a4dbcd4bee0..a9d1d0c0481b5 100644
--- a/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImpl.qll
+++ b/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImpl.qll
@@ -1143,16 +1143,8 @@ module MakeImpl<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     ) {
       exists(RetNodeEx ret |
         flowOutOfCallNodeCand1(call, ret, _, out) and
-        c = ret.getEnclosingCallable()
-      |
+        c = ret.getEnclosingCallable() and
         scope = getSecondLevelScopeEx(ret)
-        or
-        // ret = TParamReturnNode(_, scope)
-        ret = TParamReturnNode(_) and
-        scope.isNone() // todo
-        or
-        parameterNode(ret.asNodeReverse(_), _, _) and
-        scope.isNone() // todo
       )
     }
 
@@ -3481,7 +3473,7 @@ module MakeImpl<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
 
               /** Gets the parameter node through which data is returned, if any. */
               final ParameterNode asParameterReturnNode() {
-                result = super.getNodeEx().asParamReturnNode()
+                result = super.getNodeEx().asNodeReverse(_)
               }
 
               /** Gets the `FlowState` of this node. */
diff --git a/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImplCommon.qll b/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImplCommon.qll
index 1e831161a7b88..5dea0776ef13c 100644
--- a/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImplCommon.qll
+++ b/shared/dataflow/codeql/dataflow/internal/DataFlowImplCommon.qll
@@ -872,8 +872,6 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
       or
       exists(Node n | this.isImplicitReadNode(n) | result = n.toString() + " [Ext]")
       or
-      result = this.asParamReturnNode().toString() + " [Return]"
-      or
       // exists(boolean b | result = this.asNodeReverse(b).toString() + " [Reverse, " + b + "]")
       result = this.asNodeReverse(_).toString() + " [Reverse]"
     }
@@ -887,12 +885,9 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
 
     predicate isImplicitReadNode(Node n) { this = TNodeImplicitRead(n) }
 
-    ParameterNode asParamReturnNode() { this = TParamReturnNode(result) }
-
     Node projectToNode() {
       this = TNodeNormal(result) or
       this = TNodeImplicitRead(result) or
-      this = TParamReturnNode(result) or
       this = TNodeReverse(result, _)
     }
 
@@ -911,8 +906,6 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
       nodeDataFlowType(this.asNode(), result)
       or
       nodeDataFlowType(this.asNodeReverse(_), result)
-      or
-      nodeDataFlowType(this.asParamReturnNode(), result)
     }
 
     pragma[inline]
@@ -981,12 +974,9 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
       this.asNode().(ArgNode).argumentOf(call_.asDataFlowCall(true), pos_.asArgumentPosition())
       or
       exists(boolean b |
-        // this.asNodeReverse() = getAnOutNodeExt(call_, pos_.asReturnKind()) and
-        this.asNodeReverse(b) =
-          getAnOutNode(call_.asDataFlowCall(b), pos_.asReturnKind().(ValueReturnKind).getKind()) //and //and
+        pragma[only_bind_into](this.asNodeReverse(b)) =
+          getAnOutNode(call_.asDataFlowCall(b), pos_.asReturnKind().(ValueReturnKind).getKind())
       )
-      // not this.asNodeReverse() instanceof PostUpdateNode // needed for swift
-      // call_.toString().matches("%GetBox1%")
     }
 
     predicate argumentOf(DataFlowCallEx call, ArgumentPositionEx pos) {
@@ -1084,8 +1074,8 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     }
 
     cached
-    SndLevelScopeOption getSecondLevelScopeEx(NodeEx n) {
-      result = getSecondLevelScope0(n.asNode())
+    SndLevelScopeOption getSecondLevelScopeEx(RetNodeEx n) {
+      result = getSecondLevelScope0([n.asNode(), n.asNodeReverse(_)])
     }
 
     cached
@@ -1139,7 +1129,7 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
 
     cached
     predicate hiddenNode(NodeEx n) {
-      nodeIsHidden([n.asNode(), n.asNodeReverse(_), n.asParamReturnNode()])
+      nodeIsHidden([n.asNode(), n.asNodeReverse(_)])
       or
       n instanceof TNodeImplicitRead
     }
@@ -1205,10 +1195,7 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     }
 
     cached
-    predicate castingNodeEx(NodeEx n) {
-      [n.asNode(), n.asNodeReverse(_)] instanceof CastingNode or
-      exists(n.asParamReturnNode())
-    }
+    predicate castingNodeEx(NodeEx n) { [n.asNode(), n.asNodeReverse(_)] instanceof CastingNode }
 
     cached
     predicate parameterNode(Node p, DataFlowCallable c, ParameterPosition pos) {
@@ -1790,7 +1777,10 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     predicate readEx(NodeEx node1, ContentSet c, NodeEx node2) {
       readSet(pragma[only_bind_into](node1.asNode()), c, pragma[only_bind_into](node2.asNode()))
       or
-      exists(boolean b | storeSet(node2.asNodeReverse(b), c, node1.asNodeReverse(b), _, _))
+      exists(boolean b |
+        storeSet(pragma[only_bind_into](node2.asNodeReverse(b)), c,
+          pragma[only_bind_into](node1.asNodeReverse(b)), _, _)
+      )
     }
 
     cached
@@ -2028,11 +2018,7 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     cached
     newtype TNodeEx =
       TNodeNormal(Node n) or
-      TNodeImplicitRead(Node n) or // will be restricted to nodes with actual implicit reads in `DataFlowImpl.qll`
-      // TParamReturnNode(ParameterNode p, SndLevelScopeOption scope) {
-      //   paramReturnNode(_, p, scope, _)
-      // } or
-      TParamReturnNode(ParameterNode p) or
+      TNodeImplicitRead(Node n) or
       TNodeReverse(Node n, Boolean b)
 
     /**
@@ -2046,17 +2032,6 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
         simpleLocalFlowStepExt(pragma[only_bind_into](n1), pragma[only_bind_into](n2), model)
       )
       or
-      // or
-      // exists(Node n1, Node n2, SndLevelScopeOption scope |
-      //   node1.asNode() = n1 and
-      //   node2 = TParamReturnNode(n2, scope) and
-      //   paramReturnNode(pragma[only_bind_into](n1), pragma[only_bind_into](n2),
-      //     pragma[only_bind_into](scope), _) and
-      //   model = ""
-      // )
-      // node2 = TParamReturnNode(node1.asNodeReverse()) and
-      // model = ""
-      // or
       exists(Node n1, Node n2 |
         node1.asNodeReverse(_) = n1 and
         node2.asNodeReverse(false) = n2 and
@@ -2071,11 +2046,6 @@ module MakeImplCommon<LocationSig Location, InputSig<Location> Lang> {
     ReturnPosition getReturnPositionEx(NodeEx ret) {
       result = getValueReturnPosition(ret.asNode())
       or
-      exists(ParamNode p |
-        ret = TParamReturnNode(p) and
-        result = getParamReturnPosition(p)
-      )
-      or
       exists(DataFlowCallable c, ParameterPosition ppos |
         parameterNode(ret.asNodeReverse(_), c, ppos) and
         result = TReverseReturnPosition(c, ppos) //and