diff --git a/source3/include/ctdbd_conn.h b/source3/include/ctdbd_conn.h
index 123294ff782..7ae2ec40139 100644
--- a/source3/include/ctdbd_conn.h
+++ b/source3/include/ctdbd_conn.h
@@ -104,6 +104,10 @@ int register_with_ctdbd(struct ctdbd_connection *conn, uint64_t srvid,
 			void *private_data);
 int ctdbd_probe(const char *sockname, int timeout);
 
+struct ctdb_req_header;
+void ctdbd_prep_hdr_next_reqid(
+	struct ctdbd_connection *conn, struct ctdb_req_header *hdr);
+
 struct tevent_req *ctdbd_parse_send(TALLOC_CTX *mem_ctx,
 				    struct tevent_context *ev,
 				    struct ctdbd_connection *conn,
diff --git a/source3/lib/ctdbd_conn.c b/source3/lib/ctdbd_conn.c
index 35e5e34f49c..20f47aae173 100644
--- a/source3/lib/ctdbd_conn.c
+++ b/source3/lib/ctdbd_conn.c
@@ -1839,6 +1839,17 @@ static int ctdbd_connection_destructor(struct ctdbd_connection *c)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+void ctdbd_prep_hdr_next_reqid(
+	struct ctdbd_connection *conn, struct ctdb_req_header *hdr)
+{
+	*hdr = (struct ctdb_req_header) {
+		.ctdb_magic = CTDB_MAGIC,
+		.ctdb_version = CTDB_PROTOCOL,
+		.reqid = ctdbd_next_reqid(conn),
+		.destnode = CTDB_CURRENT_NODE,
+	};
+}
+
 struct ctdbd_parse_state {
 	struct tevent_context *ev;
 	struct ctdbd_connection *conn;