diff --git a/src/context/context.spec.ts b/src/context/context.spec.ts
index e9262bc06..2e2220175 100644
--- a/src/context/context.spec.ts
+++ b/src/context/context.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { Context } from './context'
+import { Drop } from '../drop/drop'
 import { Scope } from './scope'
 
 describe('Context', function () {
@@ -250,6 +251,21 @@ describe('Context', function () {
       expect(ctx.getSync(['bar', 'foo'])).toEqual('foo')
       expect(ctx.getSync(['bar', 'bar'])).toEqual(undefined)
     })
+    it('should wrap plain objects with null prototype', function () {
+      const scope = ctx.push({ foo: 'FOO' })
+      expect(Object.getPrototypeOf(scope)).toBeNull()
+    })
+    it('should return pushed scope for in-place mutation', function () {
+      const scope = ctx.push({})
+      scope.item = 'ITEM'
+      expect(ctx.getSync(['item'])).toEqual('ITEM')
+    })
+    it('should push Drop instances as-is', function () {
+      class TestDrop extends Drop {}
+      const drop = new TestDrop()
+      const pushed = ctx.push(drop)
+      expect(pushed).toBe(drop)
+    })
   })
   describe('.pop()', function () {
     it('should pop scope', async function () {
diff --git a/src/context/context.ts b/src/context/context.ts
index ea3fa93f8..957579794 100644
--- a/src/context/context.ts
+++ b/src/context/context.ts
@@ -94,8 +94,14 @@ export class Context {
     }
     return scope
   }
-  public push (ctx: object) {
-    return this.scopes.push(ctx)
+  public push (ctx: Scope): Scope {
+    const scope = ctx instanceof Drop
+      ? ctx
+      : Object.getPrototypeOf(ctx) === null
+        ? ctx
+        : createScope(ctx)
+    this.scopes.push(scope)
+    return scope
   }
   public pop () {
     return this.scopes.pop()
diff --git a/src/context/scope.ts b/src/context/scope.ts
index d0d77759e..8b2a4626f 100644
--- a/src/context/scope.ts
+++ b/src/context/scope.ts
@@ -24,15 +24,5 @@ export function shouldBlockScopeKeyWrite (key: PropertyKey, ownPropertyOnly: boo
 }
 
 export function createScope (from?: ScopeObject): ScopeObject {
-  return from ? sanitizeScope(from) : Object.create(null)
-}
-
-export function sanitizeScope (obj: ScopeObject): ScopeObject {
-  const scope = Object.create(null)
-  for (const key of Object.keys(obj)) {
-    if (hasOwnProperty.call(obj, key)) {
-      scope[key] = obj[key]
-    }
-  }
-  return scope
+  return Object.assign(Object.create(null), from)
 }
diff --git a/src/filters/array.ts b/src/filters/array.ts
index c57b179a3..2a5cb8a0e 100644
--- a/src/filters/array.ts
+++ b/src/filters/array.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { arrayIncludes, equals, evalToken, isTruthy } from '../render'
 import { Value, FilterImpl } from '../template'
 import { Tokenizer } from '../parser'
 import type { Scope } from '../context'
-import { createScope } from '../context/scope'
 import { EmptyDrop } from '../drop'
 
 export const join = argumentsToValue(function (this: FilterImpl, v: any[], arg: string) {
@@ -135,7 +134,7 @@ function * filter_exp<T extends object> (this: FilterImpl, include: boolean, arr
   const keyTemplate = new Value(stringify(exp), this.liquid)
   const array = toArray(arr)
   for (const item of array) {
-    this.context.push(createScope({ [itemName]: item }))
+    this.context.push({ [itemName]: item })
     const value = yield keyTemplate.value(this.context)
     this.context.pop()
     if (value === include) filtered.push(item)
@@ -176,7 +175,7 @@ export function * group_by_exp<T extends object> (this: FilterImpl, arr: T[], it
   const keyTemplate = new Value(stringify(exp), this.liquid)
   arr = toEnumerable(arr)
   for (const item of arr) {
-    this.context.push(createScope({ [itemName]: item }))
+    this.context.push({ [itemName]: item })
     const key = yield keyTemplate.value(this.context)
     this.context.pop()
     if (!map.has(key)) map.set(key, [])
diff --git a/src/tags/block.ts b/src/tags/block.ts
index 56dca80af..947f0b3e5 100644
--- a/src/tags/block.ts
+++ b/src/tags/block.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { BlockMode, createScope } from '../context'
+import { BlockMode } from '../context'
 import { isTagToken } from '../util'
 import { BlockDrop } from '../drop'
 import { Liquid, TagToken, TopLevelToken, Template, Context, Emitter, Tag } from '..'
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ export default class extends Tag {
       if (stack.includes(self)) throw new Error('block tag cannot be nested')
 
       stack.push(self)
-      ctx.push(createScope({ block: superBlock }))
+      ctx.push({ block: superBlock })
       yield liquid.renderer.renderTemplates(templates, ctx, emitter)
       ctx.pop()
       stack.pop()
diff --git a/src/tags/for.ts b/src/tags/for.ts
index ec964ac6a..c338a4018 100644
--- a/src/tags/for.ts
+++ b/src/tags/for.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { Hash, ValueToken, Liquid, Tag, evalToken, Emitter, TagToken, TopLevelToken, Context, Template, ParseStream } from '..'
 import { assertEmpty, isValueToken, toEnumerable } from '../util'
-import { createScope } from '../context/scope'
 import { ForloopDrop } from '../drop/forloop-drop'
 import { Parser } from '../parser'
 import { Arguments } from '../template'
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@ export default class extends Tag {
   * render (ctx: Context, emitter: Emitter): Generator<unknown, void | string, Template[]> {
     const r = this.liquid.renderer
     const continueKey = 'continue-' + this.variable + '-' + this.collection.getText()
-    ctx.push(createScope({ continue: ctx.getRegister(continueKey, {}) }))
+    ctx.push({ continue: ctx.getRegister(continueKey, {}) })
     const hash = (yield this.hash.render(ctx)) as Record<string, any>
     ctx.pop()
 
@@ -68,8 +67,7 @@ export default class extends Tag {
 
     if (!this.templates.length) return
 
-    const scope = createScope({ forloop: new ForloopDrop(collection.length, this.collection.getText(), this.variable) })
-    ctx.push(scope)
+    const scope = ctx.push({ forloop: new ForloopDrop(collection.length, this.collection.getText(), this.variable) })
     for (const item of collection) {
       scope[this.variable] = item
       ctx.continueCalled = ctx.breakCalled = false
diff --git a/src/tags/include.ts b/src/tags/include.ts
index 41507757d..a0965a617 100644
--- a/src/tags/include.ts
+++ b/src/tags/include.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Template, ValueToken, TopLevelToken, Liquid, Tag, assert, evalToken, Hash, Emitter, TagToken, Context } from '..'
-import { BlockMode, createScope, Scope } from '../context'
+import { BlockMode, Scope } from '../context'
 import { Parser } from '../parser'
 import { Argument, Arguments, PartialScope } from '../template'
 import { isString, isValueToken } from '../util'
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@ export default class extends Tag {
     const saved = ctx.saveRegister('blocks', 'blockMode')
     ctx.setRegister('blocks', {})
     ctx.setRegister('blockMode', BlockMode.OUTPUT)
-    const scope = createScope((yield hash.render(ctx)) as Scope)
+    const scope = (yield hash.render(ctx)) as Scope
     if (withVar) scope[filepath] = yield evalToken(withVar, ctx)
     const templates = (yield liquid._parsePartialFile(filepath, ctx.sync, this.currentFile)) as Template[]
-    ctx.push(ctx.opts.jekyllInclude ? createScope({ include: scope }) : scope)
+    ctx.push(ctx.opts.jekyllInclude ? { include: scope } : scope)
     yield renderer.renderTemplates(templates, ctx, emitter)
     ctx.pop()
     ctx.restoreRegister(saved)
diff --git a/src/tags/layout.ts b/src/tags/layout.ts
index 91e512ecb..ca8ddf017 100644
--- a/src/tags/layout.ts
+++ b/src/tags/layout.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Scope, Template, Liquid, Tag, assert, Emitter, Hash, TagToken, TopLevelToken, Context } from '..'
-import { BlockMode, createScope } from '../context'
+import { BlockMode } from '../context'
 import { parseFilePath, renderFilePath, ParsedFileName } from './render'
 import { BlankDrop } from '../drop'
 import { Parser } from '../parser'
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export default class extends Tag {
     ctx.setRegister('blockMode', BlockMode.OUTPUT)
 
     // render the layout file use stored blocks
-    ctx.push(createScope((yield args.render(ctx)) as Scope))
+    ctx.push((yield args.render(ctx)) as Scope)
     yield renderer.renderTemplates(templates, ctx, emitter)
     ctx.pop()
     ctx.depthLimit.release(1)
diff --git a/src/tags/tablerow.ts b/src/tags/tablerow.ts
index 563b44392..22352b698 100644
--- a/src/tags/tablerow.ts
+++ b/src/tags/tablerow.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { isValueToken, toEnumerable } from '../util'
-import { createScope } from '../context/scope'
 import { ValueToken, Liquid, Tag, evalToken, Emitter, Hash, TagToken, TopLevelToken, Context, Template, ParseStream } from '..'
 import { TablerowloopDrop } from '../drop/tablerowloop-drop'
 import { Parser } from '../parser'
@@ -53,8 +52,7 @@ export default class extends Tag {
 
     const r = this.liquid.renderer
     const tablerowloop = new TablerowloopDrop(collection.length, cols, this.collection.getText(), this.variable)
-    const scope = createScope({ tablerowloop })
-    ctx.push(scope)
+    const scope = ctx.push({ tablerowloop })
 
     for (let idx = 0; idx < collection.length; idx++, tablerowloop.next()) {
       scope[this.variable] = collection[idx]