diff --git a/builtin/pull.c b/builtin/pull.c
index 8bbfcce729..a68a9955de 100644
--- a/builtin/pull.c
+++ b/builtin/pull.c
@@ -738,7 +738,8 @@ static const char *get_tracking_branch(const char *remote, const char *refspec)
 	const char *spec_src;
 	const char *merge_branch;
 
-	refspec_item_init_or_die(&spec, refspec, 1);
+	if (!refspec_item_init(&spec, refspec, 1))
+		die(_("invalid refspec '%s'"), refspec);
 	spec_src = spec.src;
 	if (!*spec_src || !strcmp(spec_src, "HEAD"))
 		spec_src = "HEAD";
diff --git a/refspec.c b/refspec.c
index f6be0c54d7..3aeb697505 100644
--- a/refspec.c
+++ b/refspec.c
@@ -160,13 +160,6 @@ int refspec_item_init(struct refspec_item *item, const char *refspec, int fetch)
 	return parse_refspec(item, refspec, fetch);
 }
 
-void refspec_item_init_or_die(struct refspec_item *item, const char *refspec,
-			      int fetch)
-{
-	if (!refspec_item_init(item, refspec, fetch))
-		die(_("invalid refspec '%s'"), refspec);
-}
-
 void refspec_item_clear(struct refspec_item *item)
 {
 	FREE_AND_NULL(item->src);
@@ -194,7 +187,8 @@ void refspec_append(struct refspec *rs, const char *refspec)
 {
 	struct refspec_item item;
 
-	refspec_item_init_or_die(&item, refspec, rs->fetch);
+	if (!refspec_item_init(&item, refspec, rs->fetch))
+		die(_("invalid refspec '%s'"), refspec);
 
 	ALLOC_GROW(rs->items, rs->nr + 1, rs->alloc);
 	rs->items[rs->nr] = item;
diff --git a/refspec.h b/refspec.h
index 7db68e56c8..614f34554e 100644
--- a/refspec.h
+++ b/refspec.h
@@ -49,8 +49,6 @@ struct refspec {
 
 int refspec_item_init(struct refspec_item *item, const char *refspec,
 		      int fetch);
-void refspec_item_init_or_die(struct refspec_item *item, const char *refspec,
-			      int fetch);
 void refspec_item_clear(struct refspec_item *item);
 void refspec_init_fetch(struct refspec *rs);
 void refspec_init_push(struct refspec *rs);