diff --git a/hgext3rd/shareutil.py b/hgext3rd/shareutil.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hgext3rd/shareutil.py
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# shareutil.py - useful utility methods for accessing shared repos
+#
+# Copyright 2017 Facebook, Inc.
+#
+# This software may be used and distributed according to the terms of the
+# GNU General Public License version 2 or any later version.
+
+from __future__ import absolute_import
+
+from mercurial import (
+    hg,
+)
+
+def getsrcrepo(repo):
+    '''returns main repo in case of shared woking copy
+    '''
+    if repo.sharedpath == repo.path:
+        return repo
+
+    # the sharedpath always ends in the .hg; we want the path to the repo
+    source = repo.vfs.split(repo.sharedpath)[0]
+    srcurl, branches = hg.parseurl(source)
+    srcrepo = hg.repository(repo.ui, srcurl)
+    if srcrepo.local():
+        return srcrepo
+    else:
+        return repo
diff --git a/infinitepush/backupcommands.py b/infinitepush/backupcommands.py
--- a/infinitepush/backupcommands.py
+++ b/infinitepush/backupcommands.py
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@
 from mercurial.node import bin, hex, nullrev, short
 from mercurial.i18n import _
 
+from hgext3rd import shareutil
+
 osutil = policy.importmod(r'osutil')
 
 cmdtable = {}
@@ -133,7 +135,7 @@
     try:
         # Wait at most 30 seconds, because that's the average backup time
         timeout = 30
-        srcrepo = _getsrcrepo(repo)
+        srcrepo = shareutil.getsrcrepo(repo)
         with lockmod.lock(srcrepo.vfs, _backuplockname, timeout=timeout):
             return _dobackup(ui, repo, dest, **opts)
     except error.LockHeld as e:
@@ -265,7 +267,7 @@
         raise error.Abort('timeout should be integer')
 
     try:
-        repo = _getsrcrepo(repo)
+        repo = shareutil.getsrcrepo(repo)
         with lockmod.lock(repo.vfs, _backuplockname, timeout=timeout):
             pass
     except error.LockHeld as e:
@@ -407,7 +409,7 @@
     ui.status(_('starting backup %s\n') % time.strftime('%H:%M:%S %d %b %Y %Z'))
     start = time.time()
     # to handle multiple working copies correctly
-    repo = _getsrcrepo(repo)
+    repo = shareutil.getsrcrepo(repo)
     currentbkpgenerationvalue = _readbackupgenerationfile(repo.vfs)
     newbkpgenerationvalue = ui.configint('infinitepushbackup',
                                          'backupgeneration', 0)
@@ -820,7 +822,7 @@
     return repo.vfs.tryunlink(_backupstatefile)
 
 def _readlocalbackupstate(ui, repo):
-    repo = _getsrcrepo(repo)
+    repo = shareutil.getsrcrepo(repo)
     if not _localbackupstateexists(repo):
         return backupstate()
 
@@ -967,18 +969,3 @@
         if second.get(book) != hexnode:
             result[book] = hexnode
     return result
-
-def _getsrcrepo(repo):
-    '''returns main repo in case of shared woking copy
-    '''
-    if repo.sharedpath == repo.path:
-        return repo
-
-    # the sharedpath always ends in the .hg; we want the path to the repo
-    source = repo.vfs.split(repo.sharedpath)[0]
-    srcurl, branches = hg.parseurl(source)
-    srcrepo = hg.repository(repo.ui, srcurl)
-    if srcrepo.local():
-        return srcrepo
-    else:
-        return repo