diff --git a/include/workspace.h b/include/workspace.h
index 8ef20215f..8158f71b6 100644
--- a/include/workspace.h
+++ b/include/workspace.h
@@ -57,11 +57,8 @@ bool output_triggers_assignment(Output *output, struct Workspace_Assignment *ass
  * creating the workspace if necessary (by allocating the necessary amount of
  * memory and initializing the data structures correctly).
  *
- * If created is not NULL, *created will be set to whether or not the
- * workspace has just been created.
- *
  */
-Con *workspace_get(const char *num, bool *created);
+Con *workspace_get(const char *num);
 
 /**
  * Extracts workspace names from keybindings (e.g. “web” from “bindsym $mod+1
diff --git a/src/commands.c b/src/commands.c
index 3f8c2695e..a9c90b9ae 100644
--- a/src/commands.c
+++ b/src/commands.c
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ void cmd_move_con_to_workspace_name(I3_CMD, const char *name, const char *no_aut
 
     LOG("should move window to workspace %s\n", name);
     /* get the workspace */
-    Con *ws = workspace_get(name, NULL);
+    Con *ws = workspace_get(name);
 
     if (no_auto_back_and_forth == NULL) {
         ws = maybe_auto_back_and_forth_workspace(ws);
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ void cmd_move_con_to_workspace_number(I3_CMD, const char *which, const char *no_
 
     Con *ws = get_existing_workspace_by_num(parsed_num);
     if (!ws) {
-        ws = workspace_get(which, NULL);
+        ws = workspace_get(which);
     }
 
     if (no_auto_back_and_forth == NULL) {
@@ -1399,7 +1399,7 @@ void cmd_focus(I3_CMD) {
 
     CMD_FOCUS_WARN_CHILDREN;
 
-    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL);
+    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch");
     owindow *current;
     TAILQ_FOREACH (current, &owindows, owindows) {
         Con *ws = con_get_workspace(current->con);
diff --git a/src/con.c b/src/con.c
index 3621c6624..196850735 100644
--- a/src/con.c
+++ b/src/con.c
@@ -1370,7 +1370,7 @@ bool con_move_to_mark(Con *con, const char *mark) {
     }
 
     /* For target containers in the scratchpad, we just send the window to the scratchpad. */
-    if (con_get_workspace(target) == workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL)) {
+    if (con_get_workspace(target) == workspace_get("__i3_scratch")) {
         DLOG("target container is in the scratchpad, moving container to scratchpad.\n");
         scratchpad_move(con);
         return true;
diff --git a/src/handlers.c b/src/handlers.c
index b74e589dc..eba5fe297 100644
--- a/src/handlers.c
+++ b/src/handlers.c
@@ -727,7 +727,7 @@ static void handle_client_message(xcb_client_message_event_t *event) {
             return;
         }
 
-        if (con_is_internal(ws) && ws != workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL)) {
+        if (con_is_internal(ws) && ws != workspace_get("__i3_scratch")) {
             DLOG("Workspace is internal but not scratchpad, ignoring _NET_ACTIVE_WINDOW\n");
             return;
         }
diff --git a/src/manage.c b/src/manage.c
index 50fec4696..13e67d940 100644
--- a/src/manage.c
+++ b/src/manage.c
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ void manage_window(xcb_window_t window, xcb_get_window_attributes_cookie_t cooki
             /* A_TO_WORKSPACE type assignment or fallback from A_TO_WORKSPACE_NUMBER
              * when the target workspace number does not exist yet. */
             if (!assigned_ws) {
-                assigned_ws = workspace_get(assignment->dest.workspace, NULL);
+                assigned_ws = workspace_get(assignment->dest.workspace);
             }
 
             nc = con_descend_tiling_focused(assigned_ws);
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ void manage_window(xcb_window_t window, xcb_get_window_attributes_cookie_t cooki
         } else if (startup_ws) {
             /* If it was started on a specific workspace, we want to open it there. */
             DLOG("Using workspace on which this application was started (%s)\n", startup_ws);
-            nc = con_descend_tiling_focused(workspace_get(startup_ws, NULL));
+            nc = con_descend_tiling_focused(workspace_get(startup_ws));
             DLOG("focused on ws %s: %p / %s\n", startup_ws, nc, nc->name);
             if (nc->type == CT_WORKSPACE)
                 nc = tree_open_con(nc, cwindow);
diff --git a/src/scratchpad.c b/src/scratchpad.c
index e8d70be73..24cde6125 100644
--- a/src/scratchpad.c
+++ b/src/scratchpad.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ void scratchpad_move(Con *con) {
     }
     DLOG("should move con %p to __i3_scratch\n", con);
 
-    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL);
+    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch");
     if (con_get_workspace(con) == __i3_scratch) {
         DLOG("This window is already on __i3_scratch.\n");
         return;
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ void scratchpad_move(Con *con) {
  */
 bool scratchpad_show(Con *con) {
     DLOG("should show scratchpad window %p\n", con);
-    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL);
+    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch");
     Con *floating;
 
     /* If this was 'scratchpad show' without criteria, we check if the
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ static int _lcm(const int m, const int n) {
  *
  */
 void scratchpad_fix_resolution(void) {
-    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch", NULL);
+    Con *__i3_scratch = workspace_get("__i3_scratch");
     Con *__i3_output = con_get_output(__i3_scratch);
     DLOG("Current resolution: (%d, %d) %d x %d\n",
          __i3_output->rect.x, __i3_output->rect.y,
diff --git a/src/workspace.c b/src/workspace.c
index f48599c7e..406d35adc 100644
--- a/src/workspace.c
+++ b/src/workspace.c
@@ -122,52 +122,45 @@ bool output_triggers_assignment(Output *output, struct Workspace_Assignment *ass
  * memory and initializing the data structures correctly).
  *
  */
-Con *workspace_get(const char *num, bool *created) {
+Con *workspace_get(const char *num) {
     Con *workspace = get_existing_workspace_by_name(num);
+    if (workspace) {
+        return workspace;
+    }
 
-    if (workspace == NULL) {
-        LOG("Creating new workspace \"%s\"\n", num);
-
-        /* We set workspace->num to the number if this workspace’s name begins
-         * with a positive number. Otherwise it’s a named ws and num will be
-         * -1. */
-        long parsed_num = ws_name_to_number(num);
+    LOG("Creating new workspace \"%s\"\n", num);
 
-        Con *output = get_assigned_output(num, parsed_num);
-        /* if an assignment is not found, we create this workspace on the current output */
-        if (!output) {
-            output = con_get_output(focused);
-        }
+    /* We set workspace->num to the number if this workspace’s name begins with
+     * a positive number. Otherwise it’s a named ws and num will be 1. */
+    const long parsed_num = ws_name_to_number(num);
 
-        Con *content = output_get_content(output);
-        LOG("got output %p with content %p\n", output, content);
-        /* We need to attach this container after setting its type. con_attach
-         * will handle CT_WORKSPACEs differently */
-        workspace = con_new(NULL, NULL);
-        char *name;
-        sasprintf(&name, "[i3 con] workspace %s", num);
-        x_set_name(workspace, name);
-        free(name);
-        workspace->type = CT_WORKSPACE;
-        FREE(workspace->name);
-        workspace->name = sstrdup(num);
-        workspace->workspace_layout = config.default_layout;
-        workspace->num = parsed_num;
-        LOG("num = %d\n", workspace->num);
-
-        workspace->parent = content;
-        _workspace_apply_default_orientation(workspace);
-
-        con_attach(workspace, content, false);
-
-        ipc_send_workspace_event("init", workspace, NULL);
-        ewmh_update_desktop_properties();
-        if (created != NULL)
-            *created = true;
-    } else if (created != NULL) {
-        *created = false;
+    Con *output = get_assigned_output(num, parsed_num);
+    /* if an assignment is not found, we create this workspace on the current output */
+    if (!output) {
+        output = con_get_output(focused);
     }
 
+    /* No parent because we need to attach this container after setting its
+     * type. con_attach will handle CT_WORKSPACEs differently. */
+    workspace = con_new(NULL, NULL);
+
+    char *name;
+    sasprintf(&name, "[i3 con] workspace %s", num);
+    x_set_name(workspace, name);
+    free(name);
+
+    FREE(workspace->name);
+    workspace->name = sstrdup(num);
+    workspace->workspace_layout = config.default_layout;
+    workspace->num = parsed_num;
+    workspace->type = CT_WORKSPACE;
+
+    con_attach(workspace, output_get_content(output), false);
+    _workspace_apply_default_orientation(workspace);
+
+    ipc_send_workspace_event("init", workspace, NULL);
+    ewmh_update_desktop_properties();
+
     return workspace;
 }
 
@@ -552,9 +545,7 @@ void workspace_show(Con *workspace) {
  *
  */
 void workspace_show_by_name(const char *num) {
-    Con *workspace;
-    workspace = workspace_get(num, NULL);
-    workspace_show(workspace);
+    workspace_show(workspace_get(num));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -821,10 +812,7 @@ Con *workspace_back_and_forth_get(void) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    Con *workspace;
-    workspace = workspace_get(previous_workspace_name, NULL);
-
-    return workspace;
+    return workspace_get(previous_workspace_name);
 }
 
 static bool get_urgency_flag(Con *con) {
@@ -1011,7 +999,7 @@ void workspace_move_to_output(Con *ws, Output *output) {
 
             /* so create the workspace referenced to by this assignment */
             DLOG("Creating workspace from assignment %s.\n", assignment->name);
-            workspace_get(assignment->name, NULL);
+            workspace_get(assignment->name);
             used_assignment = true;
             break;
         }