diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
index dc0baef7..0ff30b15 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
@@ -2486,14 +2486,14 @@ checkout_file_from_input (GFile          *file,
   return ret;
 }
 
-static gboolean
-checkout_tree (OstreeRepo               *self,
-               OstreeRepoCheckoutMode    mode,
-               GFile                    *destination,
-               OstreeRepoFile           *source,
-               GFileInfo                *source_info,
-               GCancellable             *cancellable,
-               GError                  **error)
+gboolean
+ostree_repo_checkout_tree (OstreeRepo               *self,
+                           OstreeRepoCheckoutMode    mode,
+                           GFile                    *destination,
+                           OstreeRepoFile           *source,
+                           GFileInfo                *source_info,
+                           GCancellable             *cancellable,
+                           GError                  **error)
 {
   OstreeRepoPrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
@@ -2541,7 +2541,8 @@ checkout_tree (OstreeRepo               *self,
 
       if (type == G_FILE_TYPE_DIRECTORY)
         {
-          if (!checkout_tree (self, mode, dest_path, (OstreeRepoFile*)src_child, file_info, cancellable, error))
+          if (!ostree_repo_checkout_tree (self, mode, dest_path, (OstreeRepoFile*)src_child, file_info,
+                                          cancellable, error))
             goto out;
         }
       else
@@ -2620,43 +2621,6 @@ checkout_tree (OstreeRepo               *self,
   return ret;
 }
 
-gboolean
-ostree_repo_checkout (OstreeRepo              *self,
-                      OstreeRepoCheckoutMode   mode,
-                      const char              *ref,
-                      GFile                   *destination,
-                      GCancellable            *cancellable,
-                      GError                 **error)
-{
-  gboolean ret = FALSE;
-  char *resolved = NULL;
-  OstreeRepoFile *root = NULL;
-  GFileInfo *root_info = NULL;
-
-  if (!ostree_repo_resolve_rev (self, ref, FALSE, &resolved, error))
-    goto out;
-
-  root = (OstreeRepoFile*)ostree_repo_file_new_root (self, resolved);
-  if (!ostree_repo_file_ensure_resolved (root, error))
-    goto out;
-
-  root_info = g_file_query_info ((GFile*)root, OSTREE_GIO_FAST_QUERYINFO,
-                                 G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
-                                 NULL, error);
-  if (!root_info)
-    goto out;
-
-  if (!checkout_tree (self, mode, destination, root, root_info, cancellable, error))
-    goto out;
-
-  ret = TRUE;
- out:
-  g_free (resolved);
-  g_clear_object (&root);
-  g_clear_object (&root_info);
-  return ret;
-}
-
 static gboolean
 get_file_checksum (GFile  *f,
                    GFileInfo *f_info,
diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.h b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.h
index 002b02e9..9166db76 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.h
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.h
@@ -205,12 +205,14 @@ typedef enum {
   OSTREE_REPO_CHECKOUT_MODE_USER
 } OstreeRepoCheckoutMode;
 
-gboolean      ostree_repo_checkout (OstreeRepo              *self,
-                                    OstreeRepoCheckoutMode   mode,
-                                    const char              *ref,
-                                    GFile                   *destination,
-                                    GCancellable            *cancellable,
-                                    GError                 **error);
+gboolean
+ostree_repo_checkout_tree (OstreeRepo               *self,
+                           OstreeRepoCheckoutMode    mode,
+                           GFile                    *destination,
+                           OstreeRepoFile           *source,
+                           GFileInfo                *source_info,
+                           GCancellable             *cancellable,
+                           GError                  **error);
 
 gboolean       ostree_repo_read_commit (OstreeRepo *self,
                                         const char *rev,
diff --git a/src/ostree/ot-builtin-checkout.c b/src/ostree/ot-builtin-checkout.c
index 05260231..e7cc20a1 100644
--- a/src/ostree/ot-builtin-checkout.c
+++ b/src/ostree/ot-builtin-checkout.c
@@ -38,10 +38,14 @@ gboolean
 ostree_builtin_checkout (int argc, char **argv, GFile *repo_path, GError **error)
 {
   GOptionContext *context;
+  GCancellable *cancellable = NULL;
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
   OstreeRepo *repo = NULL;
   const char *commit;
+  char *resolved_commit = NULL;
   const char *destination;
+  OstreeRepoFile *root = NULL;
+  GFileInfo *root_info = NULL;
   GFile *destf = NULL;
 
   context = g_option_context_new ("COMMIT DESTINATION - Check out a commit into a filesystem tree");
@@ -68,16 +72,32 @@ ostree_builtin_checkout (int argc, char **argv, GFile *repo_path, GError **error
   destination = argv[2];
 
   destf = ot_gfile_new_for_path (destination);
-  
-  if (!ostree_repo_checkout (repo, user_mode ? OSTREE_REPO_CHECKOUT_MODE_USER : 0,
-                             commit, destf, NULL, error))
+
+  if (!ostree_repo_resolve_rev (repo, commit, FALSE, &resolved_commit, error))
+    goto out;
+
+  root = (OstreeRepoFile*)ostree_repo_file_new_root (repo, resolved_commit);
+  if (!ostree_repo_file_ensure_resolved (root, error))
+    goto out;
+
+  root_info = g_file_query_info ((GFile*)root, OSTREE_GIO_FAST_QUERYINFO,
+                                 G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
+                                 cancellable, error);
+  if (!root_info)
+    goto out;
+
+  if (!ostree_repo_checkout_tree (repo, user_mode ? OSTREE_REPO_CHECKOUT_MODE_USER : 0,
+                                  destf, root, root_info, cancellable, error))
     goto out;
 
   ret = TRUE;
  out:
+  g_free (resolved_commit);
   if (context)
     g_option_context_free (context);
   g_clear_object (&repo);
   g_clear_object (&destf);
+  g_clear_object (&root);
+  g_clear_object (&root_info);
   return ret;
 }