diff --git a/src/shared/extension-release.c b/src/shared/extension-release.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5eecf5a3236
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/extension-release.c
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+
+#include "alloc-util.h"
+#include "env-util.h"
+#include "extension-release.h"
+#include "log.h"
+#include "os-util.h"
+#include "strv.h"
+
+int extension_release_validate(
+                const char *name,
+                const char *host_os_release_id,
+                const char *host_os_release_version_id,
+                const char *host_os_release_sysext_level,
+                char **extension_release) {
+
+        const char *extension_release_id = NULL, *extension_release_sysext_level = NULL;
+
+        assert(name);
+        assert(!isempty(host_os_release_id));
+
+        /* Now that we can look into the extension image, let's see if the OS version is compatible */
+        if (strv_isempty(extension_release)) {
+                log_debug("Extension '%s' carries no extension-release data, ignoring extension.", name);
+                return 0;
+        }
+
+        extension_release_id = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "ID");
+        if (isempty(extension_release_id)) {
+                log_debug("Extension '%s' does not contain ID in extension-release but requested to match '%s'",
+                          name, strna(host_os_release_id));
+                return 0;
+        }
+
+        if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_id, extension_release_id)) {
+                log_debug("Extension '%s' is for OS '%s', but deployed on top of '%s'.",
+                          name, strna(extension_release_id), strna(host_os_release_id));
+                return 0;
+        }
+
+        /* Rolling releases do not typically set VERSION_ID (eg: ArchLinux) */
+        if (isempty(host_os_release_version_id) && isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level)) {
+                log_debug("No version info on the host (rolling release?), but ID in %s matched.", name);
+                return 1;
+        }
+
+        /* If the extension has a sysext API level declared, then it must match the host API
+         * level. Otherwise, compare OS version as a whole */
+        extension_release_sysext_level = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "SYSEXT_LEVEL");
+        if (!isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level) && !isempty(extension_release_sysext_level)) {
+                if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_sysext_level, extension_release_sysext_level)) {
+                        log_debug("Extension '%s' is for sysext API level '%s', but running on sysext API level '%s'",
+                                  name, strna(extension_release_sysext_level), strna(host_os_release_sysext_level));
+                        return 0;
+                }
+        } else if (!isempty(host_os_release_version_id)) {
+                const char *extension_release_version_id;
+
+                extension_release_version_id = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "VERSION_ID");
+                if (isempty(extension_release_version_id)) {
+                        log_debug("Extension '%s' does not contain VERSION_ID in extension-release but requested to match '%s'",
+                                  name, strna(host_os_release_version_id));
+                        return 0;
+                }
+
+                if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_version_id, extension_release_version_id)) {
+                        log_debug("Extension '%s' is for OS '%s', but deployed on top of '%s'.",
+                                  name, strna(extension_release_version_id), strna(host_os_release_version_id));
+                        return 0;
+                }
+        } else if (isempty(host_os_release_version_id) && isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level)) {
+                /* Rolling releases do not typically set VERSION_ID (eg: ArchLinux) */
+                log_debug("No version info on the host (rolling release?), but ID in %s matched.", name);
+                return 1;
+        }
+
+        log_debug("Version info of extension '%s' matches host.", name);
+        return 1;
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/extension-release.h b/src/shared/extension-release.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5c77010b0e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/extension-release.h
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+#pragma once
+
+/* Given an image name (for logging purposes), a set of os-release values from the host and a key-value pair
+ * vector of extension-release variables, check that the distro and (system extension level or distro
+ * version) match and return 1, and 0 otherwise. */
+int extension_release_validate(
+                const char *name,
+                const char *host_os_release_id,
+                const char *host_os_release_version_id,
+                const char *host_os_release_sysext_level,
+                char **extension_release);
diff --git a/src/shared/meson.build b/src/shared/meson.build
index 6d9a5c5b65c..dfa3275b049 100644
--- a/src/shared/meson.build
+++ b/src/shared/meson.build
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ shared_sources = files('''
         exec-util.h
         exit-status.c
         exit-status.h
+        extension-release.c
+        extension-release.h
         fdset.c
         fdset.h
         fileio-label.c
diff --git a/src/shared/os-util.c b/src/shared/os-util.c
index 9aed3b5df4d..3405c9aeaf0 100644
--- a/src/shared/os-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/os-util.c
@@ -193,74 +193,3 @@ int load_extension_release_pairs(const char *root, const char *extension, char *
 
         return load_env_file_pairs(f, p, ret);
 }
-
-int extension_release_validate(
-                const char *name,
-                const char *host_os_release_id,
-                const char *host_os_release_version_id,
-                const char *host_os_release_sysext_level,
-                char **extension_release) {
-
-        const char *extension_release_id = NULL, *extension_release_sysext_level = NULL;
-
-        assert(name);
-        assert(!isempty(host_os_release_id));
-
-        /* Now that we can look into the extension image, let's see if the OS version is compatible */
-        if (strv_isempty(extension_release)) {
-                log_debug("Extension '%s' carries no extension-release data, ignoring extension.", name);
-                return 0;
-        }
-
-        extension_release_id = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "ID");
-        if (isempty(extension_release_id)) {
-                log_debug("Extension '%s' does not contain ID in extension-release but requested to match '%s'",
-                          name, strna(host_os_release_id));
-                return 0;
-        }
-
-        if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_id, extension_release_id)) {
-                log_debug("Extension '%s' is for OS '%s', but deployed on top of '%s'.",
-                          name, strna(extension_release_id), strna(host_os_release_id));
-                return 0;
-        }
-
-        /* Rolling releases do not typically set VERSION_ID (eg: ArchLinux) */
-        if (isempty(host_os_release_version_id) && isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level)) {
-                log_debug("No version info on the host (rolling release?), but ID in %s matched.", name);
-                return 1;
-        }
-
-        /* If the extension has a sysext API level declared, then it must match the host API
-         * level. Otherwise, compare OS version as a whole */
-        extension_release_sysext_level = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "SYSEXT_LEVEL");
-        if (!isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level) && !isempty(extension_release_sysext_level)) {
-                if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_sysext_level, extension_release_sysext_level)) {
-                        log_debug("Extension '%s' is for sysext API level '%s', but running on sysext API level '%s'",
-                                  name, strna(extension_release_sysext_level), strna(host_os_release_sysext_level));
-                        return 0;
-                }
-        } else if (!isempty(host_os_release_version_id)) {
-                const char *extension_release_version_id;
-
-                extension_release_version_id = strv_env_pairs_get(extension_release, "VERSION_ID");
-                if (isempty(extension_release_version_id)) {
-                        log_debug("Extension '%s' does not contain VERSION_ID in extension-release but requested to match '%s'",
-                                  name, strna(host_os_release_version_id));
-                        return 0;
-                }
-
-                if (!streq_ptr(host_os_release_version_id, extension_release_version_id)) {
-                        log_debug("Extension '%s' is for OS '%s', but deployed on top of '%s'.",
-                                  name, strna(extension_release_version_id), strna(host_os_release_version_id));
-                        return 0;
-                }
-        } else if (isempty(host_os_release_version_id) && isempty(host_os_release_sysext_level)) {
-                /* Rolling releases do not typically set VERSION_ID (eg: ArchLinux) */
-                log_debug("No version info on the host (rolling release?), but ID in %s matched.", name);
-                return 1;
-        }
-
-        log_debug("Version info of extension '%s' matches host.", name);
-        return 1;
-}
diff --git a/src/shared/os-util.h b/src/shared/os-util.h
index d4bff5e48ef..bdb9e6adea9 100644
--- a/src/shared/os-util.h
+++ b/src/shared/os-util.h
@@ -26,8 +26,3 @@ int parse_os_release(const char *root, ...) _sentinel_;
 int load_extension_release_pairs(const char *root, const char *extension, char ***ret);
 int load_os_release_pairs(const char *root, char ***ret);
 int load_os_release_pairs_with_prefix(const char *root, const char *prefix, char ***ret);
-
-/* Given an image name (for logging purposes), a set of os-release values from the host
- * and a key-value pair vector of extension-release variables, check that the distro and
- * (system extension level or distro version) match and return 1, and 0 otherwise. */
-int extension_release_validate(const char *name, const char *host_os_release_id, const char *host_os_release_version_id, const char *host_os_release_sysext_level, char **extension_release);
diff --git a/src/sysext/sysext.c b/src/sysext/sysext.c
index cd824887bf7..e06108d3a12 100644
--- a/src/sysext/sysext.c
+++ b/src/sysext/sysext.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "dissect-image.h"
 #include "env-util.h"
 #include "escape.h"
+#include "extension-release.h"
 #include "fd-util.h"
 #include "fileio.h"
 #include "format-table.h"