diff --git a/tree-diff.c b/tree-diff.c
index 281b48c7c0..23f4478cee 100644
--- a/tree-diff.c
+++ b/tree-diff.c
@@ -82,118 +82,6 @@ static int compare_tree_entry(struct tree_desc *t1, struct tree_desc *t2, const
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/*
- * Is a tree entry interesting given the pathspec we have?
- *
- * Pre-condition: baselen == 0 || base[baselen-1] == '/'
- *
- * Return:
- *  - 2 for "yes, and all subsequent entries will be"
- *  - 1 for yes
- *  - zero for no
- *  - negative for "no, and no subsequent entries will be either"
- */
-static int tree_entry_interesting(const struct name_entry *entry, const char *base, int baselen, const struct pathspec *ps)
-{
-	int i;
-	int pathlen;
-	int never_interesting = -1;
-
-	if (!ps || !ps->nr)
-		return 2;
-
-	pathlen = tree_entry_len(entry->path, entry->sha1);
-
-	for (i = 0; i < ps->nr; i++) {
-		const struct pathspec_item *item = ps->items+i;
-		const char *match = item->match;
-		int matchlen = item->len;
-		int m = -1; /* signals that we haven't called strncmp() */
-
-		if (baselen >= matchlen) {
-			/* If it doesn't match, move along... */
-			if (strncmp(base, match, matchlen))
-				continue;
-
-			/*
-			 * If the base is a subdirectory of a path which
-			 * was specified, all of them are interesting.
-			 */
-			if (!matchlen ||
-			    base[matchlen] == '/' ||
-			    match[matchlen - 1] == '/')
-				return 2;
-
-			/* Just a random prefix match */
-			continue;
-		}
-
-		/* Does the base match? */
-		if (strncmp(base, match, baselen))
-			continue;
-
-		match += baselen;
-		matchlen -= baselen;
-
-		if (never_interesting) {
-			/*
-			 * We have not seen any match that sorts later
-			 * than the current path.
-			 */
-
-			/*
-			 * Does match sort strictly earlier than path
-			 * with their common parts?
-			 */
-			m = strncmp(match, entry->path,
-				    (matchlen < pathlen) ? matchlen : pathlen);
-			if (m < 0)
-				continue;
-
-			/*
-			 * If we come here even once, that means there is at
-			 * least one pathspec that would sort equal to or
-			 * later than the path we are currently looking at.
-			 * In other words, if we have never reached this point
-			 * after iterating all pathspecs, it means all
-			 * pathspecs are either outside of base, or inside the
-			 * base but sorts strictly earlier than the current
-			 * one.  In either case, they will never match the
-			 * subsequent entries.  In such a case, we initialized
-			 * the variable to -1 and that is what will be
-			 * returned, allowing the caller to terminate early.
-			 */
-			never_interesting = 0;
-		}
-
-		if (pathlen > matchlen)
-			continue;
-
-		if (matchlen > pathlen) {
-			if (match[pathlen] != '/')
-				continue;
-			if (!S_ISDIR(entry->mode))
-				continue;
-		}
-
-		if (m == -1)
-			/*
-			 * we cheated and did not do strncmp(), so we do
-			 * that here.
-			 */
-			m = strncmp(match, entry->path, pathlen);
-
-		/*
-		 * If common part matched earlier then it is a hit,
-		 * because we rejected the case where path is not a
-		 * leading directory and is shorter than match.
-		 */
-		if (!m)
-			return 1;
-	}
-	return never_interesting; /* No matches */
-}
-
 /* A whole sub-tree went away or appeared */
 static void show_tree(struct diff_options *opt, const char *prefix, struct tree_desc *desc, const char *base, int baselen)
 {
diff --git a/tree-walk.c b/tree-walk.c
index a9bbf4e235..522bb6b8f6 100644
--- a/tree-walk.c
+++ b/tree-walk.c
@@ -455,3 +455,117 @@ int get_tree_entry(const unsigned char *tree_sha1, const char *name, unsigned ch
 	free(tree);
 	return retval;
 }
+
+/*
+ * Is a tree entry interesting given the pathspec we have?
+ *
+ * Pre-condition: baselen == 0 || base[baselen-1] == '/'
+ *
+ * Return:
+ *  - 2 for "yes, and all subsequent entries will be"
+ *  - 1 for yes
+ *  - zero for no
+ *  - negative for "no, and no subsequent entries will be either"
+ */
+int tree_entry_interesting(const struct name_entry *entry,
+			   const char *base, int baselen,
+			   const struct pathspec *ps)
+{
+	int i;
+	int pathlen;
+	int never_interesting = -1;
+
+	if (!ps || !ps->nr)
+		return 2;
+
+	pathlen = tree_entry_len(entry->path, entry->sha1);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < ps->nr; i++) {
+		const struct pathspec_item *item = ps->items+i;
+		const char *match = item->match;
+		int matchlen = item->len;
+		int m = -1; /* signals that we haven't called strncmp() */
+
+		if (baselen >= matchlen) {
+			/* If it doesn't match, move along... */
+			if (strncmp(base, match, matchlen))
+				continue;
+
+			/*
+			 * If the base is a subdirectory of a path which
+			 * was specified, all of them are interesting.
+			 */
+			if (!matchlen ||
+			    base[matchlen] == '/' ||
+			    match[matchlen - 1] == '/')
+				return 2;
+
+			/* Just a random prefix match */
+			continue;
+		}
+
+		/* Does the base match? */
+		if (strncmp(base, match, baselen))
+			continue;
+
+		match += baselen;
+		matchlen -= baselen;
+
+		if (never_interesting) {
+			/*
+			 * We have not seen any match that sorts later
+			 * than the current path.
+			 */
+
+			/*
+			 * Does match sort strictly earlier than path
+			 * with their common parts?
+			 */
+			m = strncmp(match, entry->path,
+				    (matchlen < pathlen) ? matchlen : pathlen);
+			if (m < 0)
+				continue;
+
+			/*
+			 * If we come here even once, that means there is at
+			 * least one pathspec that would sort equal to or
+			 * later than the path we are currently looking at.
+			 * In other words, if we have never reached this point
+			 * after iterating all pathspecs, it means all
+			 * pathspecs are either outside of base, or inside the
+			 * base but sorts strictly earlier than the current
+			 * one.  In either case, they will never match the
+			 * subsequent entries.  In such a case, we initialized
+			 * the variable to -1 and that is what will be
+			 * returned, allowing the caller to terminate early.
+			 */
+			never_interesting = 0;
+		}
+
+		if (pathlen > matchlen)
+			continue;
+
+		if (matchlen > pathlen) {
+			if (match[pathlen] != '/')
+				continue;
+			if (!S_ISDIR(entry->mode))
+				continue;
+		}
+
+		if (m == -1)
+			/*
+			 * we cheated and did not do strncmp(), so we do
+			 * that here.
+			 */
+			m = strncmp(match, entry->path, pathlen);
+
+		/*
+		 * If common part matched earlier then it is a hit,
+		 * because we rejected the case where path is not a
+		 * leading directory and is shorter than match.
+		 */
+		if (!m)
+			return 1;
+	}
+	return never_interesting; /* No matches */
+}
diff --git a/tree-walk.h b/tree-walk.h
index 7e3e0b5ad1..c12f0a2978 100644
--- a/tree-walk.h
+++ b/tree-walk.h
@@ -60,4 +60,6 @@ static inline int traverse_path_len(const struct traverse_info *info, const stru
 	return info->pathlen + tree_entry_len(n->path, n->sha1);
 }
 
+extern int tree_entry_interesting(const struct name_entry *, const char *, int, const struct pathspec *ps);
+
 #endif