diff --git a/toolchain/check/context.h b/toolchain/check/context.h
index c6197cc4c88b..878f9652237f 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/context.h
+++ b/toolchain/check/context.h
@@ -227,14 +227,24 @@ class Context {
   // complete, or `false` if it could not be completed. A complete type has
   // known object and value representations.
   //
-  // If the type is not complete, `diagnoser` is invoked to diagnose the issue.
-  // The builder it returns will be annotated to describe the reason why the
-  // type is not complete.
+  // If the type is not complete, `diagnoser` is invoked to diagnose the issue,
+  // if a `diagnoser` is provided. The builder it returns will be annotated to
+  // describe the reason why the type is not complete.
   auto TryToCompleteType(
       SemIR::TypeId type_id,
       std::optional<llvm::function_ref<auto()->DiagnosticBuilder>> diagnoser =
           std::nullopt) -> bool;
 
+  // Returns the type `type_id` as a complete type, or produces an incomplete
+  // type error and returns an error type. This is a convenience wrapper around
+  // TryToCompleteType.
+  auto AsCompleteType(SemIR::TypeId type_id,
+                      llvm::function_ref<auto()->DiagnosticBuilder> diagnoser)
+      -> SemIR::TypeId {
+    return TryToCompleteType(type_id, diagnoser) ? type_id
+                                                 : SemIR::TypeId::Error;
+  }
+
   // Gets a builtin type. The returned type will be complete.
   auto GetBuiltinType(SemIR::BuiltinKind kind) -> SemIR::TypeId;
 
diff --git a/toolchain/check/handle_binding_pattern.cpp b/toolchain/check/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
index 39770f181f61..27fde6128b87 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/check/handle_binding_pattern.cpp
@@ -67,18 +67,16 @@ auto HandleBindingPattern(Context& context, Parse::NodeId parse_node) -> bool {
     case Parse::NodeKind::VariableIntroducer: {
       // A `var` declaration at class scope introduces a field.
       auto enclosing_class_decl = context.GetCurrentScopeAs<SemIR::ClassDecl>();
-      if (!context.TryToCompleteType(cast_type_id, [&] {
-            CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInVarDecl, Error,
-                              "{0} has incomplete type `{1}`.",
-                              llvm::StringLiteral, std::string);
-            return context.emitter().Build(
-                type_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInVarDecl,
-                enclosing_class_decl ? llvm::StringLiteral("Field")
-                                     : llvm::StringLiteral("Variable"),
-                context.sem_ir().StringifyType(cast_type_id));
-          })) {
-        cast_type_id = SemIR::TypeId::Error;
-      }
+      cast_type_id = context.AsCompleteType(cast_type_id, [&] {
+        CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInVarDecl, Error,
+                          "{0} has incomplete type `{1}`.", llvm::StringLiteral,
+                          std::string);
+        return context.emitter().Build(
+            type_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInVarDecl,
+            enclosing_class_decl ? llvm::StringLiteral("Field")
+                                 : llvm::StringLiteral("Variable"),
+            context.sem_ir().StringifyType(cast_type_id));
+      });
       SemIR::InstId value_id = SemIR::InstId::Invalid;
       SemIR::TypeId value_type_id = cast_type_id;
       if (context_parse_node_kind == Parse::NodeKind::ReturnedModifier) {
@@ -126,16 +124,14 @@ auto HandleBindingPattern(Context& context, Parse::NodeId parse_node) -> bool {
       break;
 
     case Parse::NodeKind::LetIntroducer:
-      if (!context.TryToCompleteType(cast_type_id, [&] {
-            CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInLetDecl, Error,
-                              "`let` binding has incomplete type `{0}`.",
-                              std::string);
-            return context.emitter().Build(
-                type_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInLetDecl,
-                context.sem_ir().StringifyType(cast_type_id));
-          })) {
-        cast_type_id = SemIR::TypeId::Error;
-      }
+      cast_type_id = context.AsCompleteType(cast_type_id, [&] {
+        CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInLetDecl, Error,
+                          "`let` binding has incomplete type `{0}`.",
+                          std::string);
+        return context.emitter().Build(
+            type_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInLetDecl,
+            context.sem_ir().StringifyType(cast_type_id));
+      });
       // Create the instruction, but don't add it to a block until after we've
       // formed its initializer.
       // TODO: For general pattern parsing, we'll need to create a block to hold
diff --git a/toolchain/check/handle_class.cpp b/toolchain/check/handle_class.cpp
index a4b0f3e6001b..40eaff043b27 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/handle_class.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/check/handle_class.cpp
@@ -214,15 +214,13 @@ auto HandleBaseDecl(Context& context, Parse::NodeId parse_node) -> bool {
   }
 
   auto base_type_id = ExprAsType(context, parse_node, base_type_expr_id);
-  if (!context.TryToCompleteType(base_type_id, [&] {
-        CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInBaseDecl, Error,
-                          "Base `{0}` is an incomplete type.", std::string);
-        return context.emitter().Build(
-            parse_node, IncompleteTypeInBaseDecl,
-            context.sem_ir().StringifyType(base_type_id));
-      })) {
-    base_type_id = SemIR::TypeId::Error;
-  }
+  base_type_id = context.AsCompleteType(base_type_id, [&] {
+    CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInBaseDecl, Error,
+                      "Base `{0}` is an incomplete type.", std::string);
+    return context.emitter().Build(
+        parse_node, IncompleteTypeInBaseDecl,
+        context.sem_ir().StringifyType(base_type_id));
+  });
 
   if (base_type_id != SemIR::TypeId::Error) {
     // For now, we treat all types that aren't introduced by a `class`
diff --git a/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp b/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
index 0879d18f054e..d80a708b09cb 100644
--- a/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
+++ b/toolchain/check/handle_function.cpp
@@ -62,17 +62,16 @@ static auto BuildFunctionDecl(Context& context, bool is_definition)
     auto return_node_copy = return_node;
     return_type_id = context.insts().Get(return_storage_id).type_id();
 
-    if (!context.TryToCompleteType(return_type_id, [&] {
-          CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInFunctionReturnType, Error,
-                            "Function returns incomplete type `{0}`.",
-                            std::string);
-          return context.emitter().Build(
-              return_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInFunctionReturnType,
-              context.sem_ir().StringifyType(return_type_id));
-        })) {
-      return_type_id = SemIR::TypeId::Error;
-    } else if (!SemIR::GetInitRepr(context.sem_ir(), return_type_id)
-                    .has_return_slot()) {
+    return_type_id = context.AsCompleteType(return_type_id, [&] {
+      CARBON_DIAGNOSTIC(IncompleteTypeInFunctionReturnType, Error,
+                        "Function returns incomplete type `{0}`.", std::string);
+      return context.emitter().Build(
+          return_node_copy, IncompleteTypeInFunctionReturnType,
+          context.sem_ir().StringifyType(return_type_id));
+    });
+
+    if (!SemIR::GetInitRepr(context.sem_ir(), return_type_id)
+             .has_return_slot()) {
       // The function only has a return slot if it uses in-place initialization.
     } else {
       return_slot_id = return_storage_id;