diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index 59ad6f54dd..361beb6619 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -2756,7 +2756,7 @@ static int ref_kind_from_refname(const char *refname)
 			return ref_kind[i].kind;
 	}
 
-	if (is_pseudoref(get_main_ref_store(the_repository), refname))
+	if (is_root_ref(get_main_ref_store(the_repository), refname))
 		return FILTER_REFS_PSEUDOREFS;
 
 	return FILTER_REFS_OTHERS;
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 55d2e0b2cb..434c4da7ce 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ int is_per_worktree_ref(const char *refname)
 	       starts_with(refname, "refs/rewritten/");
 }
 
-static int is_pseudoref_syntax(const char *refname)
+static int is_root_ref_syntax(const char *refname)
 {
 	const char *c;
 
@@ -853,16 +853,12 @@ static int is_pseudoref_syntax(const char *refname)
 			return 0;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * HEAD is not a pseudoref, but it certainly uses the
-	 * pseudoref syntax.
-	 */
 	return 1;
 }
 
-int is_pseudoref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname)
+int is_root_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname)
 {
-	static const char *const irregular_pseudorefs[] = {
+	static const char *const irregular_root_refs[] = {
 		"AUTO_MERGE",
 		"BISECT_EXPECTED_REV",
 		"NOTES_MERGE_PARTIAL",
@@ -872,7 +868,7 @@ int is_pseudoref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname)
 	struct object_id oid;
 	size_t i;
 
-	if (!is_pseudoref_syntax(refname))
+	if (!is_root_ref_syntax(refname))
 		return 0;
 
 	if (ends_with(refname, "_HEAD")) {
@@ -882,8 +878,8 @@ int is_pseudoref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname)
 		return !is_null_oid(&oid);
 	}
 
-	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(irregular_pseudorefs); i++)
-		if (!strcmp(refname, irregular_pseudorefs[i])) {
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(irregular_root_refs); i++)
+		if (!strcmp(refname, irregular_root_refs[i])) {
 			refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(refs, refname,
 						RESOLVE_REF_READING | RESOLVE_REF_NO_RECURSE,
 						&oid, NULL);
@@ -902,7 +898,7 @@ int is_headref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname)
 }
 
 static int is_current_worktree_ref(const char *ref) {
-	return is_pseudoref_syntax(ref) || is_per_worktree_ref(ref);
+	return is_root_ref_syntax(ref) || is_per_worktree_ref(ref);
 }
 
 enum ref_worktree_type parse_worktree_ref(const char *maybe_worktree_ref,
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index d278775e08..d0374c3275 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -1051,7 +1051,33 @@ extern struct ref_namespace_info ref_namespace[NAMESPACE__COUNT];
  */
 void update_ref_namespace(enum ref_namespace namespace, char *ref);
 
-int is_pseudoref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname);
+/*
+ * Check whether the reference is an existing root reference.
+ *
+ * A root ref is a reference that lives in the root of the reference hierarchy.
+ * These references must conform to special syntax:
+ *
+ *   - Their name must be all-uppercase or underscores ("_").
+ *
+ *   - Their name must end with "_HEAD".
+ *
+ *   - Their name may not contain a slash.
+ *
+ * There is a special set of irregular root refs that exist due to historic
+ * reasons, only. This list shall not be expanded in the future:
+ *
+ *   - AUTO_MERGE
+ *
+ *   - BISECT_EXPECTED_REV
+ *
+ *   - NOTES_MERGE_PARTIAL
+ *
+ *   - NOTES_MERGE_REF
+ *
+ *   - MERGE_AUTOSTASH
+ */
+int is_root_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname);
+
 int is_headref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *refname);
 
 #endif /* REFS_H */
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index a098d14ea0..0fcb601444 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ static void add_pseudoref_and_head_entries(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		strbuf_addstr(&refname, de->d_name);
 
 		dtype = get_dtype(de, &path, 1);
-		if (dtype == DT_REG && (is_pseudoref(ref_store, de->d_name) ||
+		if (dtype == DT_REG && (is_root_ref(ref_store, de->d_name) ||
 								is_headref(ref_store, de->d_name)))
 			loose_fill_ref_dir_regular_file(refs, refname.buf, dir);
 
diff --git a/refs/reftable-backend.c b/refs/reftable-backend.c
index 1cda48c504..5a5e64fe69 100644
--- a/refs/reftable-backend.c
+++ b/refs/reftable-backend.c
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ static int reftable_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 		 */
 		if (!starts_with(iter->ref.refname, "refs/") &&
 		    !(iter->flags & DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_ROOT_REFS &&
-		     (is_pseudoref(&iter->refs->base, iter->ref.refname) ||
+		     (is_root_ref(&iter->refs->base, iter->ref.refname) ||
 		      is_headref(&iter->refs->base, iter->ref.refname)))) {
 			continue;
 		}