diff --git a/builtin/symbolic-ref.c b/builtin/symbolic-ref.c
index a61fa3c0f8..c9defe4d2e 100644
--- a/builtin/symbolic-ref.c
+++ b/builtin/symbolic-ref.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "gettext.h"
 #include "refs.h"
 #include "parse-options.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
 
 static const char * const git_symbolic_ref_usage[] = {
 	N_("git symbolic-ref [-m <reason>] <name> <ref>"),
diff --git a/builtin/unpack-objects.c b/builtin/unpack-objects.c
index b4b46ae729..0510e60e6e 100644
--- a/builtin/unpack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/unpack-objects.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "blob.h"
 #include "commit.h"
 #include "replace-object.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
 #include "tag.h"
 #include "tree.h"
 #include "tree-walk.h"
diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index 1889da7986..fe9e86bad0 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -677,9 +677,6 @@ void set_warn_routine(report_fn routine);
 report_fn get_warn_routine(void);
 void set_die_is_recursing_routine(int (*routine)(void));
 
-int starts_with(const char *str, const char *prefix);
-int istarts_with(const char *str, const char *prefix);
-
 /*
  * If the string "str" begins with the string found in "prefix", return 1.
  * The "out" parameter is set to "str + strlen(prefix)" (i.e., to the point in
@@ -708,29 +705,6 @@ static inline int skip_prefix(const char *str, const char *prefix,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/*
- * If the string "str" is the same as the string in "prefix", then the "arg"
- * parameter is set to the "def" parameter and 1 is returned.
- * If the string "str" begins with the string found in "prefix" and then a
- * "=" sign, then the "arg" parameter is set to "str + strlen(prefix) + 1"
- * (i.e., to the point in the string right after the prefix and the "=" sign),
- * and 1 is returned.
- *
- * Otherwise, return 0 and leave "arg" untouched.
- *
- * When we accept both a "--key" and a "--key=<val>" option, this function
- * can be used instead of !strcmp(arg, "--key") and then
- * skip_prefix(arg, "--key=", &arg) to parse such an option.
- */
-int skip_to_optional_arg_default(const char *str, const char *prefix,
-				 const char **arg, const char *def);
-
-static inline int skip_to_optional_arg(const char *str, const char *prefix,
-				       const char **arg)
-{
-	return skip_to_optional_arg_default(str, prefix, arg, "");
-}
-
 /*
  * Like skip_prefix, but promises never to read past "len" bytes of the input
  * buffer, and returns the remaining number of bytes in "out" via "outlen".
@@ -775,12 +749,6 @@ static inline int strip_suffix(const char *str, const char *suffix, size_t *len)
 	return strip_suffix_mem(str, len, suffix);
 }
 
-static inline int ends_with(const char *str, const char *suffix)
-{
-	size_t len;
-	return strip_suffix(str, suffix, &len);
-}
-
 #define SWAP(a, b) do {						\
 	void *_swap_a_ptr = &(a);				\
 	void *_swap_b_ptr = &(b);				\
diff --git a/strbuf.h b/strbuf.h
index 8903195416..28b3038e83 100644
--- a/strbuf.h
+++ b/strbuf.h
@@ -698,4 +698,36 @@ char *xstrvfmt(const char *fmt, va_list ap);
 __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)))
 char *xstrfmt(const char *fmt, ...);
 
+int starts_with(const char *str, const char *prefix);
+int istarts_with(const char *str, const char *prefix);
+
+/*
+ * If the string "str" is the same as the string in "prefix", then the "arg"
+ * parameter is set to the "def" parameter and 1 is returned.
+ * If the string "str" begins with the string found in "prefix" and then a
+ * "=" sign, then the "arg" parameter is set to "str + strlen(prefix) + 1"
+ * (i.e., to the point in the string right after the prefix and the "=" sign),
+ * and 1 is returned.
+ *
+ * Otherwise, return 0 and leave "arg" untouched.
+ *
+ * When we accept both a "--key" and a "--key=<val>" option, this function
+ * can be used instead of !strcmp(arg, "--key") and then
+ * skip_prefix(arg, "--key=", &arg) to parse such an option.
+ */
+int skip_to_optional_arg_default(const char *str, const char *prefix,
+				 const char **arg, const char *def);
+
+static inline int skip_to_optional_arg(const char *str, const char *prefix,
+				       const char **arg)
+{
+	return skip_to_optional_arg_default(str, prefix, arg, "");
+}
+
+static inline int ends_with(const char *str, const char *suffix)
+{
+	size_t len;
+	return strip_suffix(str, suffix, &len);
+}
+
 #endif /* STRBUF_H */
diff --git a/versioncmp.c b/versioncmp.c
index 74cc7c43f0..45e676cbca 100644
--- a/versioncmp.c
+++ b/versioncmp.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "config.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
 #include "versioncmp.h"
 
