diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 707092f99b..d7265ccc8f 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1358,7 +1358,15 @@ static struct ref_store *main_ref_store;
 /* A linked list of ref_stores for submodules: */
 static struct ref_store *submodule_ref_stores;
 
-struct ref_store *lookup_ref_store(const char *submodule)
+/*
+ * Return the ref_store instance for the specified submodule (or the
+ * main repository if submodule is NULL). If that ref_store hasn't
+ * been initialized yet, return NULL.
+ *
+ * For backwards compatibility, submodule=="" is treated the same as
+ * submodule==NULL.
+ */
+static struct ref_store *lookup_ref_store(const char *submodule)
 {
 	struct ref_store *refs;
 
@@ -1373,7 +1381,14 @@ struct ref_store *lookup_ref_store(const char *submodule)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *submodule)
+/*
+ * Create, record, and return a ref_store instance for the specified
+ * submodule (or the main repository if submodule is NULL).
+ *
+ * For backwards compatibility, submodule=="" is treated the same as
+ * submodule==NULL.
+ */
+static struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *submodule)
 {
 	const char *be_name = "files";
 	struct ref_storage_be *be = find_ref_storage_backend(be_name);
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index 708b26082a..d8a7eb1841 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -652,25 +652,6 @@ void base_ref_store_init(struct ref_store *refs,
 			 const struct ref_storage_be *be,
 			 const char *submodule);
 
-/*
- * Create, record, and return a ref_store instance for the specified
- * submodule (or the main repository if submodule is NULL).
- *
- * For backwards compatibility, submodule=="" is treated the same as
- * submodule==NULL.
- */
-struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *submodule);
-
-/*
- * Return the ref_store instance for the specified submodule (or the
- * main repository if submodule is NULL). If that ref_store hasn't
- * been initialized yet, return NULL.
- *
- * For backwards compatibility, submodule=="" is treated the same as
- * submodule==NULL.
- */
-struct ref_store *lookup_ref_store(const char *submodule);
-
 /*
  * Return the ref_store instance for the specified submodule. For the
  * main repository, use submodule==NULL; such a call cannot fail. For