diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/cdb/cdbengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/cdb/cdbengine.cpp
index a3216cd4caa..8fd1ee30d2c 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/cdb/cdbengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/cdb/cdbengine.cpp
@@ -1168,10 +1168,9 @@ void CdbEngine::doUpdateLocals(const UpdateParameters &updateParameters)
         cmd.arg("displaystringlimit", action(DisplayStringLimit)->value().toString());
 
         if (boolSetting(UseCodeModel)) {
-            QStringList uninitializedVariables;
-            getUninitializedVariables(m_codeModelSnapshot,
-                                      frame.function, frame.file, frame.line, &uninitializedVariables);
-            cmd.arg("uninitialized", uninitializedVariables);
+            QStringList variables = getUninitializedVariables(m_codeModelSnapshot,
+                                                              frame.function, frame.file, frame.line);
+            cmd.arg("uninitialized", variables);
         }
 
         cmd.callback = [this](const DebuggerResponse &response) {
@@ -1239,13 +1238,12 @@ void CdbEngine::doUpdateLocals(const UpdateParameters &updateParameters)
         // Uninitialized variables if desired. Quote as safeguard against shadowed
         // variables in case of errors in uninitializedVariables().
         if (boolSetting(UseCodeModel)) {
-            QStringList uninitializedVariables;
-            getUninitializedVariables(m_codeModelSnapshot,
-                                      frame.function, frame.file, frame.line, &uninitializedVariables);
-            if (!uninitializedVariables.isEmpty()) {
+            const QStringList variables = getUninitializedVariables(m_codeModelSnapshot,
+                                                                    frame.function, frame.file, frame.line);
+            if (!variables.isEmpty()) {
                 str << blankSeparator << "-u \"";
                 int i = 0;
-                foreach (const QString &u, uninitializedVariables) {
+                for (const QString &u : variables) {
                     if (i++)
                         str << ',';
                     str << localsPrefixC << u;
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.cpp
index 1184749c4e4..852f34fee4e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.cpp
@@ -182,27 +182,24 @@ static void blockRecursion(const Overview &overview,
         blockRecursion(overview, enclosingScope, line, uninitializedVariables, seenHash, level + 1);
 }
 
-// Inline helper with integer error return codes.
-static inline
-int getUninitializedVariablesI(const Snapshot &snapshot,
-                               const QString &functionName,
-                               const QString &file,
-                               int line,
-                               QStringList *uninitializedVariables)
+QStringList getUninitializedVariables(const Snapshot &snapshot,
+                                      const QString &functionName,
+                                      const QString &file,
+                                      int line)
 {
-    uninitializedVariables->clear();
+    QStringList result;
     // Find document
     if (snapshot.isEmpty() || functionName.isEmpty() || file.isEmpty() || line < 1)
-        return 1;
+        return result;
     const Snapshot::const_iterator docIt = snapshot.find(file);
     if (docIt == snapshot.end())
-        return 2;
+        return result;
     const Document::Ptr doc = docIt.value();
     // Look at symbol at line and find its function. Either it is the
     // function itself or some expression/variable.
     const Symbol *symbolAtLine = doc->lastVisibleSymbolAt(line, 0);
     if (!symbolAtLine)
-        return 4;
+        return result;
     // First figure out the function to do a safety name check
     // and the innermost scope at cursor position
     const Function *function = nullptr;
@@ -221,46 +218,25 @@ int getUninitializedVariablesI(const Snapshot &snapshot,
         }
     }
     if (!function || !innerMostScope)
-        return 7;
+        return result;
     // Compare function names with a bit off fuzz,
     // skipping modules from a CDB symbol "lib!foo" or namespaces
     // that the code model does not show at this point
     Overview overview;
     const QString name = overview.prettyName(function->name());
     if (!functionName.endsWith(name))
-        return 11;
+        return result;
     if (functionName.size() > name.size()) {
         const char previousChar = functionName.at(functionName.size() - name.size() - 1).toLatin1();
         if (previousChar != ':' && previousChar != '!' )
-            return 11;
+            return result;
     }
     // Starting from the innermost block scope, collect declarations.
     SeenHash seenHash;
-    blockRecursion(overview, innerMostScope, line, uninitializedVariables, &seenHash);
-    return 0;
+    blockRecursion(overview, innerMostScope, line, &result, &seenHash);
+    return result;
 }
 
-bool getUninitializedVariables(const Snapshot &snapshot,
-                               const QString &function,
-                               const QString &file,
-                               int line,
-                               QStringList *uninitializedVariables)
-{
-    const int rc = getUninitializedVariablesI(snapshot, function, file, line, uninitializedVariables);
-    if (debug) {
-        QString msg;
-        QTextStream str(&msg);
-        str << "getUninitializedVariables() " << function << ' ' << file << ':' << line
-                << " returns (int) " << rc << " '"
-                << uninitializedVariables->join(QLatin1Char(',')) << '\'';
-        if (rc)
-            str << " of " << snapshot.size() << " documents";
-        qDebug() << msg;
-    }
-    return rc == 0;
-}
-
-
 QString cppFunctionAt(const QString &fileName, int line, int column)
 {
     const Snapshot snapshot = CppModelManager::instance()->snapshot();
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.h b/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.h
index be19402844d..a64c73295dc 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.h
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/sourceutils.h
@@ -49,9 +49,8 @@ QString cppFunctionAt(const QString &fileName, int line, int column = 0);
 // Get variables that are not initialized at a certain line
 // of a function from the code model. Shadowed variables will
 // be reported using the debugger naming conventions '<shadowed n>'
-bool getUninitializedVariables(const CPlusPlus::Snapshot &snapshot,
-   const QString &function, const QString &file, int line,
-   QStringList *uninitializedVariables);
+QStringList getUninitializedVariables(const CPlusPlus::Snapshot &snapshot,
+                                      const QString &function, const QString &file, int line);
 
 ContextData getLocationContext(TextEditor::TextDocument *document, int lineNumber);