diff --git a/fetch-pack.c b/fetch-pack.c
index 4e1e88eea0..42c62fcb6c 100644
--- a/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/fetch-pack.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "commit-reach.h"
 #include "commit-graph.h"
 #include "sigchain.h"
+#include "mergesort.h"
 
 static int transfer_unpack_limit = -1;
 static int fetch_unpack_limit = -1;
@@ -1010,6 +1011,13 @@ static int get_pack(struct fetch_pack_args *args,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int ref_compare_name(const struct ref *a, const struct ref *b)
+{
+	return strcmp(a->name, b->name);
+}
+
+DEFINE_LIST_SORT(static, sort_ref_list, struct ref, next);
+
 static int cmp_ref_by_name(const void *a_, const void *b_)
 {
 	const struct ref *a = *((const struct ref **)a_);
diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c
index 42a4e7106e..07cdd3dbb7 100644
--- a/remote.c
+++ b/remote.c
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 #include "dir.h"
 #include "tag.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
-#include "mergesort.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
 #include "commit-reach.h"
 #include "advice.h"
@@ -1031,27 +1030,6 @@ void free_refs(struct ref *ref)
 	}
 }
 
-int ref_compare_name(const void *va, const void *vb)
-{
-	const struct ref *a = va, *b = vb;
-	return strcmp(a->name, b->name);
-}
-
-static void *ref_list_get_next(const void *a)
-{
-	return ((const struct ref *)a)->next;
-}
-
-static void ref_list_set_next(void *a, void *next)
-{
-	((struct ref *)a)->next = next;
-}
-
-void sort_ref_list(struct ref **l, int (*cmp)(const void *, const void *))
-{
-	*l = llist_mergesort(*l, ref_list_get_next, ref_list_set_next, cmp);
-}
-
 int count_refspec_match(const char *pattern,
 			struct ref *refs,
 			struct ref **matched_ref)
diff --git a/remote.h b/remote.h
index 4a1209ae2c..af27bb7e7e 100644
--- a/remote.h
+++ b/remote.h
@@ -207,9 +207,7 @@ struct ref *find_ref_by_name(const struct ref *list, const char *name);
 struct ref *alloc_ref(const char *name);
 struct ref *copy_ref(const struct ref *ref);
 struct ref *copy_ref_list(const struct ref *ref);
-void sort_ref_list(struct ref **, int (*cmp)(const void *, const void *));
 int count_refspec_match(const char *, struct ref *refs, struct ref **matched_ref);
-int ref_compare_name(const void *, const void *);
 
 int check_ref_type(const struct ref *ref, int flags);