diff --git a/distarray/dist/decorators.py b/distarray/dist/decorators.py
index 32accfc9..62b7aaa5 100644
--- a/distarray/dist/decorators.py
+++ b/distarray/dist/decorators.py
@@ -130,10 +130,10 @@ def process_return_value(self, context, result_key):
             client and return it.  If all but one of the pulled values is None,
             return that non-None value only.
         """
-        type_key = context._generate_key()
-        type_statement = "{} = str(type({}))".format(type_key, result_key)
-        context._execute(type_statement, targets=context.targets)
-        result_type_str = context._pull(type_key, targets=context.targets)
+        def get_type_str(key):
+            return str(type(key))
+        result_type_str = context.apply(get_type_str, args=(result_key,),
+                                        targets=context.targets)
 
         def is_NoneType(typestring):
             return (typestring == "<type 'NoneType'>" or
diff --git a/distarray/dist/distarray.py b/distarray/dist/distarray.py
index 25294c25..fa079e07 100644
--- a/distarray/dist/distarray.py
+++ b/distarray/dist/distarray.py
@@ -245,9 +245,7 @@ def targets(self):
     def tondarray(self):
         """Returns the distributed array as an ndarray."""
         arr = np.empty(self.shape, dtype=self.dtype)
-        local_name = self.context._generate_key()
-        self.context._execute('%s = %s.copy()' % (local_name, self.key), targets=self.targets)
-        local_arrays = self.context._pull(local_name, targets=self.targets)
+        local_arrays = self.get_localarrays()
         for local_array in local_arrays:
             maps = (list(ax_map.global_iter) for ax_map in
                     local_array.distribution)
@@ -323,11 +321,9 @@ def get_ndarrays(self):
             one ndarray per process
 
         """
-        key = self.context._generate_key()
-        self.context._execute('%s = %s.get_localarray()' % (key, self.key),
-                              targets=self.targets)
-        result = self.context._pull(key, targets=self.targets)
-        return result
+        def get(key):
+            return key.get_localarray()
+        return self.context.apply(get, args=(self.key,), targets=self.targets)
 
     def get_localarrays(self):
         """Pull the LocalArray objects from the engines.
@@ -338,15 +334,14 @@ def get_localarrays(self):
             one localarray per process
 
         """
-        result = self.context._pull(self.key, targets=self.targets)
-        return result
+        def get(key):
+            return key.copy()
+        return self.context.apply(get, args=(self.key,), targets=self.targets)
 
     def get_localshapes(self):
-        key = self.context._generate_key()
-        self.context._execute('%s = %s.local_shape' % (key, self.key),
-                              targets=self.targets)
-        result = self.context._pull(key, targets=self.targets)
-        return result
+        def get(key):
+            return key.local_shape
+        return self.context.apply(get, args=(self.key,), targets=self.targets)
 
     # Binary operators