diff --git a/src/buffer_utils.cc b/src/buffer_utils.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..af61cb19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/buffer_utils.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#include "buffer_utils.hh"
+
+namespace Kakoune
+{
+
+CharCount get_column(const Buffer& buffer,
+                     CharCount tabstop, BufferCoord coord)
+{
+    auto& line = buffer[coord.line];
+    auto col = 0_char;
+    for (auto it = line.begin();
+         it != line.end() and coord.column > (int)(it - line.begin());
+         it = utf8::next(it))
+    {
+        if (*it == '\t')
+            col = (col / tabstop + 1) * tabstop;
+        else
+            ++col;
+    }
+    return col;
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/src/buffer_utils.hh b/src/buffer_utils.hh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16e2c764
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/buffer_utils.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#ifndef buffer_utils_hh_INCLUDED
+#define buffer_utils_hh_INCLUDED
+
+#include "buffer.hh"
+#include "selection.hh"
+
+namespace Kakoune
+{
+
+inline String content(const Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
+{
+    return buffer.string(range.min(), buffer.char_next(range.max()));
+}
+
+inline BufferIterator erase(Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
+{
+    return buffer.erase(buffer.iterator_at(range.min()),
+                        utf8::next(buffer.iterator_at(range.max())));
+}
+
+inline CharCount char_length(const Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
+{
+    return utf8::distance(buffer.iterator_at(range.min()),
+                          utf8::next(buffer.iterator_at(range.max())));
+}
+
+inline void avoid_eol(const Buffer& buffer, BufferCoord& coord)
+{
+    const auto column = coord.column;
+    const auto& line = buffer[coord.line];
+    if (column != 0 and column == line.length() - 1)
+        coord.column = line.byte_count_to(line.char_length() - 2);
+}
+
+inline void avoid_eol(const Buffer& buffer, Selection& sel)
+{
+    avoid_eol(buffer, sel.anchor());
+    avoid_eol(buffer, sel.cursor());
+}
+
+CharCount get_column(const Buffer& buffer,
+                     CharCount tabstop, BufferCoord coord);
+
+}
+
+#endif // buffer_utils_hh_INCLUDED
+
diff --git a/src/main.cc b/src/main.cc
index 3cdbf997..d23f8091 100644
--- a/src/main.cc
+++ b/src/main.cc
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "assert.hh"
 #include "buffer.hh"
 #include "buffer_manager.hh"
+#include "buffer_utils.hh"
 #include "client_manager.hh"
 #include "color_registry.hh"
 #include "command_manager.hh"
diff --git a/src/normal.cc b/src/normal.cc
index 1e2edd82..3750f4cb 100644
--- a/src/normal.cc
+++ b/src/normal.cc
@@ -1040,23 +1040,6 @@ void save_selections(Context& context, int)
                            " selections", get_color("Information") });
 }
 
-static CharCount get_column(const Buffer& buffer,
-                            CharCount tabstop, BufferCoord coord)
-{
-    auto& line = buffer[coord.line];
-    auto col = 0_char;
-    for (auto it = line.begin();
-         it != line.end() and coord.column > (int)(it - line.begin());
-         it = utf8::next(it))
-    {
-        if (*it == '\t')
-            col = (col / tabstop + 1) * tabstop;
-        else
-            ++col;
-    }
-    return col;
-}
-
 void align(Context& context, int)
 {
     auto& selections = context.selections();
diff --git a/src/selection.hh b/src/selection.hh
index 0f30c937..9c75765b 100644
--- a/src/selection.hh
+++ b/src/selection.hh
@@ -50,38 +50,6 @@ inline bool overlaps(const Selection& lhs, const Selection& rhs)
                                   : lhs.min() <= rhs.max();
 }
 
-inline String content(const Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
-{
-    return buffer.string(range.min(), buffer.char_next(range.max()));
-}
-
-inline BufferIterator erase(Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
-{
-    return buffer.erase(buffer.iterator_at(range.min()),
-                        utf8::next(buffer.iterator_at(range.max())));
-}
-
-inline CharCount char_length(const Buffer& buffer, const Selection& range)
-{
-    return utf8::distance(buffer.iterator_at(range.min()),
-                          utf8::next(buffer.iterator_at(range.max())));
-}
-
-
-inline void avoid_eol(const Buffer& buffer, BufferCoord& coord)
-{
-    const auto column = coord.column;
-    const auto& line = buffer[coord.line];
-    if (column != 0 and column == line.length() - 1)
-        coord.column = line.byte_count_to(line.char_length() - 2);
-}
-
-inline void avoid_eol(const Buffer& buffer, Selection& sel)
-{
-    avoid_eol(buffer, sel.anchor());
-    avoid_eol(buffer, sel.cursor());
-}
-
 static bool compare_selections(const Selection& lhs, const Selection& rhs)
 {
     return lhs.min() < rhs.min();
diff --git a/src/selectors.hh b/src/selectors.hh
index 51a61291..b28febef 100644
--- a/src/selectors.hh
+++ b/src/selectors.hh
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define selectors_hh_INCLUDED
 
 #include "selection.hh"
+#include "buffer_utils.hh"
 #include "unicode.hh"
 #include "utf8_iterator.hh"