Yeah, but the whole point is really repeating local variables vs capturing self: # This wouldn't work because it binds the block to Foo, and the @bar #

Yeah, but the whole point is really repeating local variables vs capturing self: # This wouldn't work because it binds the block to Foo, and the @bar # would lookup inside Foo instead of the proper context: Foo.search { bar == @bar } # This works fine though: Foo.search { |s| s.bar == @bar } Besides, if you're setting accessor, it can get a little weird: # Explicit and nice: Foo.search { |s| s.foo = 123 } # This actually sets a local variable: Foo.search { foo = 123 } # In order to fix it, we're back to the explicit one: Foo.search { self.foo = 123 } There is no silver bullet here, and I believe the best way is to provide both techniques and let the user decide.