diff --git a/src/basic/path-util.c b/src/basic/path-util.c
index 979c6f2c9d..94527eff4c 100644
--- a/src/basic/path-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/path-util.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #include "string-util.h"
 #include "strv.h"
 #include "time-util.h"
-#include "utf8.h"
 
 int path_split_and_make_absolute(const char *p, char ***ret) {
         char **l;
@@ -373,52 +372,6 @@ char *path_simplify(char *path) {
         return path;
 }
 
-int path_simplify_and_warn(
-                char *path,
-                unsigned flag,
-                const char *unit,
-                const char *filename,
-                unsigned line,
-                const char *lvalue) {
-
-        bool fatal = flag & PATH_CHECK_FATAL;
-
-        assert(!FLAGS_SET(flag, PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE | PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE));
-
-        if (!utf8_is_valid(path))
-                return log_syntax_invalid_utf8(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, path);
-
-        if (flag & (PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE | PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE)) {
-                bool absolute;
-
-                absolute = path_is_absolute(path);
-
-                if (!absolute && (flag & PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE))
-                        return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
-                                          "%s= path is not absolute%s: %s",
-                                          lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
-
-                if (absolute && (flag & PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE))
-                        return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
-                                          "%s= path is absolute%s: %s",
-                                          lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
-        }
-
-        path_simplify(path);
-
-        if (!path_is_valid(path))
-                return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
-                                  "%s= path has invalid length (%zu bytes)%s.",
-                                  lvalue, strlen(path), fatal ? "" : ", ignoring");
-
-        if (!path_is_normalized(path))
-                return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
-                                  "%s= path is not normalized%s: %s",
-                                  lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
-
-        return 0;
-}
-
 char *path_startswith_full(const char *path, const char *prefix, bool accept_dot_dot) {
         assert(path);
         assert(prefix);
diff --git a/src/basic/path-util.h b/src/basic/path-util.h
index 2f55b3abb1..553aa4fb58 100644
--- a/src/basic/path-util.h
+++ b/src/basic/path-util.h
@@ -77,14 +77,6 @@ char* path_extend_internal(char **x, ...);
 
 char* path_simplify(char *path);
 
-enum {
-        PATH_CHECK_FATAL    = 1 << 0,  /* If not set, then error message is appended with 'ignoring'. */
-        PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE = 1 << 1,
-        PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE = 1 << 2,
-};
-
-int path_simplify_and_warn(char *path, unsigned flag, const char *unit, const char *filename, unsigned line, const char *lvalue);
-
 static inline bool path_equal_ptr(const char *a, const char *b) {
         return !!a == !!b && (!a || path_equal(a, b));
 }
diff --git a/src/core/load-fragment.c b/src/core/load-fragment.c
index 66e0c01c23..b81db4617b 100644
--- a/src/core/load-fragment.c
+++ b/src/core/load-fragment.c
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 #include "mountpoint-util.h"
 #include "nulstr-util.h"
 #include "parse-socket-bind-item.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "path-util.h"
 #include "percent-util.h"
diff --git a/src/journal-remote/journal-upload.c b/src/journal-remote/journal-upload.c
index db6cedfb16..2ad175c248 100644
--- a/src/journal-remote/journal-upload.c
+++ b/src/journal-remote/journal-upload.c
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@
 #include "main-func.h"
 #include "mkdir.h"
 #include "parse-argument.h"
-#include "parse-util.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "pretty-print.h"
 #include "process-util.h"
 #include "rlimit-util.h"
diff --git a/src/network/netdev/macsec.c b/src/network/netdev/macsec.c
index ac626495bc..03ac92daaf 100644
--- a/src/network/netdev/macsec.c
+++ b/src/network/netdev/macsec.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "memory-util.h"
 #include "netlink-util.h"
 #include "networkd-manager.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "socket-util.h"
 #include "string-table.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
diff --git a/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c b/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
index 32525e6200..fc2c6288ae 100644
--- a/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
+++ b/src/network/netdev/wireguard.c
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@
 #include "networkd-route-util.h"
 #include "networkd-route.h"
 #include "networkd-util.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
 #include "random-util.h"
 #include "resolve-private.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
diff --git a/src/partition/repart.c b/src/partition/repart.c
index 118ab6c7d0..b6ac17c75e 100644
--- a/src/partition/repart.c
+++ b/src/partition/repart.c
@@ -46,8 +46,7 @@
 #include "mount-util.h"
 #include "mountpoint-util.h"
 #include "parse-argument.h"
-#include "parse-util.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "pretty-print.h"
 #include "proc-cmdline.h"
 #include "process-util.h"
diff --git a/src/shared/conf-parser.c b/src/shared/conf-parser.c
index aeea0a02d5..6c105e7fd2 100644
--- a/src/shared/conf-parser.c
+++ b/src/shared/conf-parser.c
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "macro.h"
 #include "missing_network.h"
 #include "nulstr-util.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "path-util.h"
 #include "percent-util.h"
diff --git a/src/shared/meson.build b/src/shared/meson.build
index 4333c9a0a9..8f1f3b40a9 100644
--- a/src/shared/meson.build
+++ b/src/shared/meson.build
@@ -245,6 +245,8 @@ shared_sources = files(
         'pager.h',
         'parse-argument.c',
         'parse-argument.h',
+        'parse-helpers.c',
+        'parse-helpers.h',
         'parse-socket-bind-item.c',
         'parse-socket-bind-item.h',
         'pcre2-dlopen.c',
diff --git a/src/shared/parse-helpers.c b/src/shared/parse-helpers.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5ebe366265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/parse-helpers.c
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+
+#include "log.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
+#include "path-util.h"
+#include "utf8.h"
+
+int path_simplify_and_warn(
+                char *path,
+                unsigned flag,
+                const char *unit,
+                const char *filename,
+                unsigned line,
+                const char *lvalue) {
+
+        bool fatal = flag & PATH_CHECK_FATAL;
+
+        assert(!FLAGS_SET(flag, PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE | PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE));
+
+        if (!utf8_is_valid(path))
+                return log_syntax_invalid_utf8(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, path);
+
+        if (flag & (PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE | PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE)) {
+                bool absolute;
+
+                absolute = path_is_absolute(path);
+
+                if (!absolute && (flag & PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE))
+                        return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
+                                          "%s= path is not absolute%s: %s",
+                                          lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
+
+                if (absolute && (flag & PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE))
+                        return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
+                                          "%s= path is absolute%s: %s",
+                                          lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
+        }
+
+        path_simplify(path);
+
+        if (!path_is_valid(path))
+                return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
+                                  "%s= path has invalid length (%zu bytes)%s.",
+                                  lvalue, strlen(path), fatal ? "" : ", ignoring");
+
+        if (!path_is_normalized(path))
+                return log_syntax(unit, LOG_ERR, filename, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EINVAL),
+                                  "%s= path is not normalized%s: %s",
+                                  lvalue, fatal ? "" : ", ignoring", path);
+
+        return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/parse-helpers.h b/src/shared/parse-helpers.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8b1d33498c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shared/parse-helpers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+#pragma once
+
+enum {
+        PATH_CHECK_FATAL    = 1 << 0,  /* If not set, then error message is appended with 'ignoring'. */
+        PATH_CHECK_ABSOLUTE = 1 << 1,
+        PATH_CHECK_RELATIVE = 1 << 2,
+};
+
+int path_simplify_and_warn(
+                char *path,
+                unsigned flag,
+                const char *unit,
+                const char *filename,
+                unsigned line,
+                const char *lvalue);
diff --git a/src/sysupdate/sysupdate-transfer.c b/src/sysupdate/sysupdate-transfer.c
index a9fceed601..e5bbbadc16 100644
--- a/src/sysupdate/sysupdate-transfer.c
+++ b/src/sysupdate/sysupdate-transfer.c
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 #include "gpt.h"
 #include "hexdecoct.h"
 #include "install-file.h"
+#include "parse-helpers.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
-#include "path-util.h"
 #include "process-util.h"
 #include "rm-rf.h"
 #include "specifier.h"