diff --git a/extmod/modmachine.c b/extmod/modmachine.c
index 2fe72817b6..a423d8067c 100644
--- a/extmod/modmachine.c
+++ b/extmod/modmachine.c
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ NORETURN static void mp_machine_deepsleep(size_t n_args, const mp_obj_t *args);
 #endif
 
 static mp_obj_t machine_soft_reset(void) {
-    pyexec_system_exit = PYEXEC_FORCED_EXIT;
     mp_raise_type(&mp_type_SystemExit);
 }
 static MP_DEFINE_CONST_FUN_OBJ_0(machine_soft_reset_obj, machine_soft_reset);
diff --git a/ports/qemu-arm/modmachine.c b/ports/qemu-arm/modmachine.c
index 5f6db937c3..a897c5670e 100644
--- a/ports/qemu-arm/modmachine.c
+++ b/ports/qemu-arm/modmachine.c
@@ -27,9 +27,6 @@
 // This file is never compiled standalone, it's included directly from
 // extmod/modmachine.c via MICROPY_PY_MACHINE_INCLUDEFILE.
 
-// This variable is needed for machine.soft_reset(), but the variable is otherwise unused.
-int pyexec_system_exit = 0;
-
 static void mp_machine_idle(void) {
     // Do nothing.
 }
diff --git a/ports/unix/modmachine.c b/ports/unix/modmachine.c
index 6f3ab80944..d1cdbe8619 100644
--- a/ports/unix/modmachine.c
+++ b/ports/unix/modmachine.c
@@ -36,9 +36,6 @@
 #define MICROPY_PAGE_MASK (MICROPY_PAGE_SIZE - 1)
 #endif
 
-// This variable is needed for machine.soft_reset(), but the variable is otherwise unused.
-int pyexec_system_exit = 0;
-
 uintptr_t mod_machine_mem_get_addr(mp_obj_t addr_o, uint align) {
     uintptr_t addr = mp_obj_get_int_truncated(addr_o);
     if ((addr & (align - 1)) != 0) {
diff --git a/shared/runtime/pyexec.c b/shared/runtime/pyexec.c
index a305e6a5df..9dc4446ed4 100644
--- a/shared/runtime/pyexec.c
+++ b/shared/runtime/pyexec.c
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@
 #include "genhdr/mpversion.h"
 
 pyexec_mode_kind_t pyexec_mode_kind = PYEXEC_MODE_FRIENDLY_REPL;
-int pyexec_system_exit = 0;
 
 #if MICROPY_REPL_INFO
 static bool repl_display_debugging_info = 0;
@@ -74,9 +73,6 @@ static int parse_compile_execute(const void *source, mp_parse_input_kind_t input
     MICROPY_BOARD_BEFORE_PYTHON_EXEC(input_kind, exec_flags);
     #endif
 
-    // by default a SystemExit exception returns 0
-    pyexec_system_exit = 0;
-
     nlr_buf_t nlr;
     nlr.ret_val = NULL;
     if (nlr_push(&nlr) == 0) {
@@ -146,7 +142,7 @@ static int parse_compile_execute(const void *source, mp_parse_input_kind_t input
         // check for SystemExit
         if (mp_obj_is_subclass_fast(MP_OBJ_FROM_PTR(((mp_obj_base_t *)nlr.ret_val)->type), MP_OBJ_FROM_PTR(&mp_type_SystemExit))) {
             // at the moment, the value of SystemExit is unused
-            ret = pyexec_system_exit;
+            ret = PYEXEC_FORCED_EXIT;
         } else {
             mp_obj_print_exception(&mp_plat_print, MP_OBJ_FROM_PTR(nlr.ret_val));
             ret = 0;
diff --git a/shared/runtime/pyexec.h b/shared/runtime/pyexec.h
index 64c5ef9434..5779d3e09a 100644
--- a/shared/runtime/pyexec.h
+++ b/shared/runtime/pyexec.h
@@ -35,11 +35,6 @@ typedef enum {
 
 extern pyexec_mode_kind_t pyexec_mode_kind;
 
-// Set this to the value (eg PYEXEC_FORCED_EXIT) that will be propagated through
-// the pyexec functions if a SystemExit exception is raised by the running code.
-// It will reset to 0 at the start of each execution (eg each REPL entry).
-extern int pyexec_system_exit;
-
 #define PYEXEC_FORCED_EXIT (0x100)
 
 int pyexec_raw_repl(void);