diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 6ccb764229..8d601dd6f7 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -514,6 +514,8 @@ struct ref {
 #define REF_HEADS	(1u << 1)
 #define REF_TAGS	(1u << 2)
 
+extern struct ref *find_ref_by_name(struct ref *list, const char *name);
+
 #define CONNECT_VERBOSE       (1u << 0)
 extern struct child_process *git_connect(int fd[2], const char *url, const char *prog, int flags);
 extern int finish_connect(struct child_process *conn);
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index aff02cd09d..387c588c74 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1445,3 +1445,11 @@ int update_ref(const char *action, const char *refname,
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
+
+struct ref *find_ref_by_name(struct ref *list, const char *name)
+{
+	for ( ; list; list = list->next)
+		if (!strcmp(list->name, name))
+			return list;
+	return NULL;
+}
diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c
index 09b7aad525..bb01059083 100644
--- a/remote.c
+++ b/remote.c
@@ -696,14 +696,6 @@ static int match_explicit_refs(struct ref *src, struct ref *dst,
 	return -errs;
 }
 
-static struct ref *find_ref_by_name(struct ref *list, const char *name)
-{
-	for ( ; list; list = list->next)
-		if (!strcmp(list->name, name))
-			return list;
-	return NULL;
-}
-
 static const struct refspec *check_pattern_match(const struct refspec *rs,
 						 int rs_nr,
 						 const struct ref *src)