diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -2885,7 +2885,7 @@ def debugrevspec(ui, repo, expr, **opts)
             weight, optimizedtree = revset.optimize(newtree, True)
             ui.note("* optimized:\n", revset.prettyformat(optimizedtree), "\n")
     func = revset.match(ui, expr)
-    for c in func(repo, revset.spanset(repo)):
+    for c in func(repo):
         ui.write("%s\n" % c)
 
 @command('debugsetparents', [], _('REV1 [REV2]'))
diff --git a/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py b/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
--- a/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
+++ b/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ def _search(web, req, tmpl):
 
         mfunc = revset.match(web.repo.ui, revdef)
         try:
-            revs = mfunc(web.repo, revset.spanset(web.repo))
+            revs = mfunc(web.repo)
             return MODE_REVSET, revs
             # ParseError: wrongly placed tokens, wrongs arguments, etc
             # RepoLookupError: no such revision, e.g. in 'revision:'
diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ class localrepository(object):
         '''Return a list of revisions matching the given revset'''
         expr = revset.formatspec(expr, *args)
         m = revset.match(None, expr)
-        return m(self, revset.spanset(self))
+        return m(self)
 
     def set(self, expr, *args):
         '''
diff --git a/mercurial/revset.py b/mercurial/revset.py
--- a/mercurial/revset.py
+++ b/mercurial/revset.py
@@ -2448,7 +2448,9 @@ def match(ui, spec, repo=None):
         tree = findaliases(ui, tree, showwarning=ui.warn)
     tree = foldconcat(tree)
     weight, tree = optimize(tree, True)
-    def mfunc(repo, subset):
+    def mfunc(repo, subset=None):
+        if subset is None:
+            subset = spanset(repo)
         if util.safehasattr(subset, 'isascending'):
             result = getset(repo, subset, tree)
         else:
diff --git a/mercurial/scmutil.py b/mercurial/scmutil.py
--- a/mercurial/scmutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/scmutil.py
@@ -672,11 +672,11 @@ def revrange(repo, revs):
         # fall through to new-style queries if old-style fails
         m = revset.match(repo.ui, spec, repo)
         if seen or l:
-            dl = [r for r in m(repo, revset.spanset(repo)) if r not in seen]
+            dl = [r for r in m(repo) if r not in seen]
             l = l + revset.baseset(dl)
             seen.update(dl)
         else:
-            l = m(repo, revset.spanset(repo))
+            l = m(repo)
 
     return l
 
diff --git a/mercurial/templater.py b/mercurial/templater.py
--- a/mercurial/templater.py
+++ b/mercurial/templater.py
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ def revset(context, mapping, args):
 
     def query(expr):
         m = revsetmod.match(repo.ui, expr)
-        return m(repo, revsetmod.spanset(repo))
+        return m(repo)
 
     if len(args) > 1:
         formatargs = list([a[0](context, mapping, a[1]) for a in args[1:]])