diff --git a/src/PYTHON/python_impl.cpp b/src/PYTHON/python_impl.cpp
index 2e043dab73..61092e90ed 100644
--- a/src/PYTHON/python_impl.cpp
+++ b/src/PYTHON/python_impl.cpp
@@ -47,12 +47,6 @@ enum{NONE,INT,DOUBLE,STRING,PTR};
 
 PythonImpl::PythonImpl(LAMMPS *lmp) : Pointers(lmp)
 {
-  ninput = noutput = 0;
-  istr = nullptr;
-  ostr = nullptr;
-  format = nullptr;
-  length_longstr = 0;
-
   // pfuncs stores interface info for each Python function
 
   nfunc = 0;
@@ -168,11 +162,12 @@ void PythonImpl::command(int narg, char **arg)
 
   // parse optional args, invoke is not allowed in this mode
 
-  ninput = noutput = 0;
-  istr = nullptr;
-  ostr = nullptr;
-  format = nullptr;
-  length_longstr = 0;
+  int ninput = 0;
+  int noutput = 0;
+  char **istr = nullptr;
+  char *ostr = nullptr;
+  char *format = nullptr;
+  int length_longstr = 0;
   char *pyfile = nullptr;
   char *herestr = nullptr;
   int existflag = 0;
@@ -223,7 +218,7 @@ void PythonImpl::command(int narg, char **arg)
 
   // create or overwrite entry in pfuncs vector with name = arg[0]
 
-  int ifunc = create_entry(arg[0]);
+  int ifunc = create_entry(arg[0],ninput,noutput,length_longstr, istr, ostr, format);
 
   PyUtils::GIL lock;
 
@@ -409,7 +404,8 @@ char *PythonImpl::long_string(int ifunc)
 
 /* ------------------------------------------------------------------ */
 
-int PythonImpl::create_entry(char *name)
+int PythonImpl::create_entry(char *name, int ninput, int noutput, int length_longstr,
+                             char **istr, char *ostr, char *format)
 {
   // ifunc = index to entry by name in pfuncs vector, can be old or new
   // free old vectors if overwriting old pfunc
diff --git a/src/PYTHON/python_impl.h b/src/PYTHON/python_impl.h
index 0190e8d7c2..dd215fdedf 100644
--- a/src/PYTHON/python_impl.h
+++ b/src/PYTHON/python_impl.h
@@ -35,9 +35,6 @@ class PythonImpl : protected Pointers, public PythonInterface {
   bool has_minimum_version(int major, int minor);
 
  private:
-  int ninput, noutput, length_longstr;
-  char **istr;
-  char *ostr, *format;
   void *pyMain;
 
   struct PyFunc {
@@ -57,7 +54,7 @@ class PythonImpl : protected Pointers, public PythonInterface {
   PyFunc *pfuncs;
   int nfunc;
 
-  int create_entry(char *);
+  int create_entry(char *, int, int, int, char **, char *, char *);
   void deallocate(int);
 };