diff --git a/core/vm/gen/main.go b/core/vm/gen/main.go
index a555cd7300..c34b326c99 100644
--- a/core/vm/gen/main.go
+++ b/core/vm/gen/main.go
@@ -205,16 +205,30 @@ func (g *generator) inlineBody(handler string) string {
 // pop1Peek1 family turn into real calls, which a snailtracer profile put at
 // over a tenth of the run. The generator splices those helper bodies in
 // textually wherever they appear in statement position, verbatim from
-// stack.go.
+// stack.go. A helper declared inside a var ( ... ) group (the push handlers
+// write elem = scope.Stack.get() there) is first lifted out into := statements,
+// since its replacement is statements rather than an expression.
 var (
 	pop1Peek1Re = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^(\s*)(\w+), (\w+) := scope\.Stack\.pop1Peek1\(\)$`)
 	pop2Peek1Re = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^(\s*)(\w+), (\w+), (\w+) := scope\.Stack\.pop2Peek1\(\)$`)
 	pop2Re      = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^(\s*)(\w+), (\w+) := scope\.Stack\.pop2\(\)$`)
 	getAssignRe = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^(\s*)(\w+) := scope\.Stack\.get\(\)$`)
 	getCallRe   = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^(\s*)scope\.Stack\.get\(\)\.(\w+)\((.*)\)$`)
+	varBlockRe  = regexp.MustCompile(`(?ms)^(\s*)var \(\n(.*?)\n\s*\)$`)
+	varMemberRe = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^\s*([\w, ]+?)\s*= (.*)$`)
 )
 
 func expandStackHelpers(src string) string {
+	// Lift any var ( ... ) group holding a stack helper into := statements:
+	// a helper expansion is statements, which cannot sit inside a var group.
+	src = varBlockRe.ReplaceAllStringFunc(src, func(block string) string {
+		m := varBlockRe.FindStringSubmatch(block)
+		indent, members := m[1], m[2]
+		if !strings.Contains(members, "scope.Stack.") {
+			return block
+		}
+		return varMemberRe.ReplaceAllString(members, indent+"$1 := $2")
+	})
 	src = pop1Peek1Re.ReplaceAllString(src,
 		"${1}stack.inner.top--\n${1}stack.size--\n${1}$2 := &stack.inner.data[stack.inner.top]\n${1}$3 := &stack.inner.data[stack.inner.top-1]")
 	src = pop2Peek1Re.ReplaceAllString(src,
diff --git a/core/vm/interp_gen.go b/core/vm/interp_gen.go
index 4dae39b7ef..ab440cb453 100644
--- a/core/vm/interp_gen.go
+++ b/core/vm/interp_gen.go
@@ -767,10 +767,10 @@ mainLoop:
 				pc++
 				continue mainLoop
 			}
-			var (
-				codeLen = uint64(len(scope.Contract.Code))
-				elem    = scope.Stack.get()
-			)
+			codeLen := uint64(len(scope.Contract.Code))
+			elem := &stack.inner.data[stack.inner.top]
+			stack.inner.top++
+			stack.size++
 			pc += 1
 			if pc < codeLen {
 				elem.SetUint64(uint64(scope.Contract.Code[pc]))
@@ -796,10 +796,10 @@ mainLoop:
 				pc++
 				continue mainLoop
 			}
-			var (
-				codeLen = uint64(len(scope.Contract.Code))
-				elem    = scope.Stack.get()
-			)
+			codeLen := uint64(len(scope.Contract.Code))
+			elem := &stack.inner.data[stack.inner.top]
+			stack.inner.top++
+			stack.size++
 			if pc+2 < codeLen {
 				elem.SetBytes2(scope.Contract.Code[pc+1 : pc+3])
 			} else if pc+1 < codeLen {