diff --git a/src/chain.h b/src/chain.h
index 559183468a..a68ec5a6d9 100644
--- a/src/chain.h
+++ b/src/chain.h
@@ -334,12 +334,12 @@ public:
     SERIALIZE_METHODS(CDiskBlockIndex, obj)
     {
         int _nVersion = s.GetVersion();
-        if (!(s.GetType() & SER_GETHASH)) READWRITE(VARINT(_nVersion, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
+        if (!(s.GetType() & SER_GETHASH)) READWRITE(VARINT_MODE(_nVersion, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
 
-        READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nHeight, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
+        READWRITE(VARINT_MODE(obj.nHeight, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
         READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nStatus));
         READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nTx));
-        if (obj.nStatus & (BLOCK_HAVE_DATA | BLOCK_HAVE_UNDO)) READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nFile, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
+        if (obj.nStatus & (BLOCK_HAVE_DATA | BLOCK_HAVE_UNDO)) READWRITE(VARINT_MODE(obj.nFile, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
         if (obj.nStatus & BLOCK_HAVE_DATA) READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nDataPos));
         if (obj.nStatus & BLOCK_HAVE_UNDO) READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nUndoPos));
 
diff --git a/src/flatfile.h b/src/flatfile.h
index e1f0da2161..1a41ae91ee 100644
--- a/src/flatfile.h
+++ b/src/flatfile.h
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ struct FlatFilePos
 
     SERIALIZE_METHODS(FlatFilePos, obj)
     {
-        READWRITE(VARINT(obj.nFile, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED), VARINT(obj.nPos));
+        READWRITE(VARINT_MODE(obj.nFile, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED), VARINT(obj.nPos));
     }
 
     FlatFilePos() : nFile(-1), nPos(0) {}
diff --git a/src/node/coinstats.cpp b/src/node/coinstats.cpp
index 8f8a74fca9..bef24e0ce7 100644
--- a/src/node/coinstats.cpp
+++ b/src/node/coinstats.cpp
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ static void ApplyHash(CCoinsStats& stats, CHashWriter& ss, const uint256& hash,
 
     ss << VARINT(it->first + 1);
     ss << it->second.out.scriptPubKey;
-    ss << VARINT(it->second.out.nValue, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(it->second.out.nValue, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
 
     if (it == std::prev(outputs.end())) {
         ss << VARINT(0u);
diff --git a/src/serialize.h b/src/serialize.h
index 17a569d2b2..367cbc302f 100644
--- a/src/serialize.h
+++ b/src/serialize.h
@@ -619,7 +619,8 @@ static inline Wrapper<Formatter, T&> Using(T&& t) { return Wrapper<Formatter, T&
 
 #define DYNBITSET(obj) Using<DynamicBitSetFormatter>(obj)
 #define AUTOBITSET(obj) Using<AutoBitSetFormatter>(obj)
-#define VARINT(obj, ...) Using<VarIntFormatter<__VA_ARGS__>>(obj)
+#define VARINT_MODE(obj, mode) Using<VarIntFormatter<mode>>(obj)
+#define VARINT(obj) Using<VarIntFormatter<VarIntMode::DEFAULT>>(obj)
 #define COMPACTSIZE(obj) Using<CompactSizeFormatter<true>>(obj)
 #define LIMITED_STRING(obj,n) Using<LimitedStringFormatter<n>>(obj)
 
@@ -659,7 +660,7 @@ struct AutoBitSetFormatter
 };
 
 /** Serialization wrapper class for integers in VarInt format. */
-template<VarIntMode Mode=VarIntMode::DEFAULT>
+template<VarIntMode Mode>
 struct VarIntFormatter
 {
     template<typename Stream, typename I> void Ser(Stream &s, I v)
diff --git a/src/test/serialize_tests.cpp b/src/test/serialize_tests.cpp
index 58f7a4dfb3..3974f445f4 100644
--- a/src/test/serialize_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/serialize_tests.cpp
@@ -179,8 +179,8 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(varints)
     CDataStream ss(SER_DISK, 0);
     CDataStream::size_type size = 0;
     for (int i = 0; i < 100000; i++) {
-        ss << VARINT(i, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
-        size += ::GetSerializeSize(VARINT(i, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED), 0);
+        ss << VARINT_MODE(i, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
+        size += ::GetSerializeSize(VARINT_MODE(i, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED), 0);
         BOOST_CHECK(size == ss.size());
     }
 
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(varints)
     // decode
     for (int i = 0; i < 100000; i++) {
         int j = -1;
-        ss >> VARINT(j, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
+        ss >> VARINT_MODE(j, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED);
         BOOST_CHECK_MESSAGE(i == j, "decoded:" << j << " expected:" << i);
     }
 
@@ -207,21 +207,21 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(varints)
 BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE(varints_bitpatterns)
 {
     CDataStream ss(SER_DISK, 0);
-    ss << VARINT(0, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "00"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0x7f, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "7f"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT((int8_t)0x7f, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "7f"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0x80, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "8000"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "00"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0x7f, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "7f"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE((int8_t)0x7f, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "7f"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0x80, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "8000"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT((uint8_t)0x80); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "8000"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0x1234, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "a334"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT((int16_t)0x1234, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "a334"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0xffff, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "82fe7f"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0x1234, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "a334"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE((int16_t)0x1234, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "a334"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0xffff, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "82fe7f"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT((uint16_t)0xffff); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "82fe7f"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0x123456, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "c7e756"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT((int32_t)0x123456, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "c7e756"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0x123456, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "c7e756"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE((int32_t)0x123456, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "c7e756"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT(0x80123456U); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "86ffc7e756"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT((uint32_t)0x80123456U); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "86ffc7e756"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT(0xffffffff); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "8efefefe7f"); ss.clear();
-    ss << VARINT(0x7fffffffffffffffLL, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "fefefefefefefefe7f"); ss.clear();
+    ss << VARINT_MODE(0x7fffffffffffffffLL, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "fefefefefefefefe7f"); ss.clear();
     ss << VARINT(0xffffffffffffffffULL); BOOST_CHECK_EQUAL(HexStr(ss), "80fefefefefefefefe7f"); ss.clear();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/txdb.cpp b/src/txdb.cpp
index 259f399b1f..c3f91881f2 100644
--- a/src/txdb.cpp
+++ b/src/txdb.cpp
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ public:
                 ::Unserialize(s, Using<TxOutCompression>(vout[i]));
         }
         // coinbase height
-        ::Unserialize(s, VARINT(nHeight, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
+        ::Unserialize(s, VARINT_MODE(nHeight, VarIntMode::NONNEGATIVE_SIGNED));
     }
 };