diff --git a/src/os/unix/ngx_writev_chain.c b/src/os/unix/ngx_writev_chain.c
index 8e5021696..f67c3a3c9 100644
--- a/src/os/unix/ngx_writev_chain.c
+++ b/src/os/unix/ngx_writev_chain.c
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ ngx_writev_chain(ngx_connection_t *c, ngx_chain_t *in, off_t limit)
 
         c->sent += sent;
 
-        cl = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
+        in = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
 
         if (eintr) {
             continue;
@@ -146,13 +146,11 @@ ngx_writev_chain(ngx_connection_t *c, ngx_chain_t *in, off_t limit)
 
         if (send - prev_send != sent) {
             wev->ready = 0;
-            return cl;
+            return in;
         }
 
-        if (send >= limit || cl == NULL) {
-            return cl;
+        if (send >= limit || in == NULL) {
+            return in;
         }
-
-        in = cl;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/os/win32/ngx_wsasend_chain.c b/src/os/win32/ngx_wsasend_chain.c
index b559f9fe1..e28e1ee31 100644
--- a/src/os/win32/ngx_wsasend_chain.c
+++ b/src/os/win32/ngx_wsasend_chain.c
@@ -113,18 +113,16 @@ ngx_wsasend_chain(ngx_connection_t *c, ngx_chain_t *in, off_t limit)
 
         c->sent += sent;
 
-        cl = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
+        in = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
 
         if (send - prev_send != sent) {
             wev->ready = 0;
-            return cl;
+            return in;
         }
 
-        if (send >= limit || cl == NULL) {
-            return cl;
+        if (send >= limit || in == NULL) {
+            return in;
         }
-
-        in = cl;
     }
 }
 
@@ -280,14 +278,14 @@ ngx_overlapped_wsasend_chain(ngx_connection_t *c, ngx_chain_t *in, off_t limit)
 
     c->sent += sent;
 
-    cl = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
+    in = ngx_handle_sent_chain(in, sent);
 
-    if (cl) {
+    if (in) {
         wev->ready = 0;
 
     } else {
         wev->ready = 1;
     }
 
-    return cl;
+    return in;
 }