diff --git a/include/asterisk/astobj2.h b/include/asterisk/astobj2.h
index 495733a6d0d99ab980a92d03d033431f36874fbb..b43c5ee94380531b81a9d6bc43d331735b6b0c17 100644
--- a/include/asterisk/astobj2.h
+++ b/include/asterisk/astobj2.h
@@ -1938,54 +1938,4 @@ void __ao2_cleanup_debug(void *obj, const char *file, int line, const char *func
 #endif
 void ao2_iterator_cleanup(struct ao2_iterator *iter);
 
-
-/* XXX TODO BUGBUG and all the other things...
- * These functions should eventually be moved elsewhere, but the utils folder
- * won't compile with them in strings.h
- */
-
-/*!
- * \since 12
- * \brief Allocates a hash container for bare strings
- *
- * \param buckets The number of buckets to use for the hash container
- *
- * \retval AO2 container for strings
- * \retval NULL if allocation failed
- */
-#define ast_str_container_alloc(buckets) ast_str_container_alloc_options(AO2_ALLOC_OPT_LOCK_MUTEX, buckets)
-
-/*!
- * \since 12
- * \brief Allocates a hash container for bare strings
- *
- * \param opts Options to be provided to the container
- * \param buckets The number of buckets to use for the hash container
- *
- * \retval AO2 container for strings
- * \retval NULL if allocation failed
- */
-struct ao2_container *ast_str_container_alloc_options(enum ao2_container_opts opts, int buckets);
-
-/*!
- * \since 12
- * \brief Adds a string to a string container allocated by ast_str_container_alloc
- *
- * \param str_container The container to which to add a string
- * \param add The string to add to the container
- *
- * \retval zero on success
- * \retval non-zero if the operation failed
- */
-int ast_str_container_add(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *add);
-
-/*!
- * \since 12
- * \brief Removes a string from a string container allocated by ast_str_container_alloc
- *
- * \param str_container The container from which to remove a string
- * \param remove The string to remove from the container
- */
-void ast_str_container_remove(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *remove);
-
 #endif /* _ASTERISK_ASTOBJ2_H */
diff --git a/include/asterisk/strings.h b/include/asterisk/strings.h
index 30d2503d82211c6c5c0b7343bee5cfaee79080a3..fc92d4889f5567bd8341c7190a766e3954445df4 100644
--- a/include/asterisk/strings.h
+++ b/include/asterisk/strings.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 
 #include "asterisk/utils.h"
 #include "asterisk/threadstorage.h"
+#include "asterisk/astobj2.h"
 
 #if defined(DEBUG_OPAQUE)
 #define __AST_STR_USED used2
@@ -1109,4 +1110,48 @@ static force_inline char *attribute_pure ast_str_to_upper(char *str)
 	return str_orig;
 }
 
+/*!
+ * \since 12
+ * \brief Allocates a hash container for bare strings
+ *
+ * \param buckets The number of buckets to use for the hash container
+ *
+ * \retval AO2 container for strings
+ * \retval NULL if allocation failed
+ */
+#define ast_str_container_alloc(buckets) ast_str_container_alloc_options(AO2_ALLOC_OPT_LOCK_MUTEX, buckets)
+
+/*!
+ * \since 12
+ * \brief Allocates a hash container for bare strings
+ *
+ * \param opts Options to be provided to the container
+ * \param buckets The number of buckets to use for the hash container
+ *
+ * \retval AO2 container for strings
+ * \retval NULL if allocation failed
+ */
+struct ao2_container *ast_str_container_alloc_options(enum ao2_container_opts opts, int buckets);
+
+/*!
+ * \since 12
+ * \brief Adds a string to a string container allocated by ast_str_container_alloc
+ *
+ * \param str_container The container to which to add a string
+ * \param add The string to add to the container
+ *
+ * \retval zero on success
+ * \retval non-zero if the operation failed
+ */
+int ast_str_container_add(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *add);
+
+/*!
+ * \since 12
+ * \brief Removes a string from a string container allocated by ast_str_container_alloc
+ *
+ * \param str_container The container from which to remove a string
+ * \param remove The string to remove from the container
+ */
+void ast_str_container_remove(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *remove);
+
 #endif /* _ASTERISK_STRINGS_H */
diff --git a/main/astobj2.c b/main/astobj2.c
index 5bfba4e68ad51eb6d840cca80cac6a18a393384b..bbe77859d1979821695e8292890e3ea76ac2c534 100644
--- a/main/astobj2.c
+++ b/main/astobj2.c
@@ -5797,40 +5797,3 @@ int astobj2_init(void)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/* XXX TODO BUGBUG and all the other things...
- * These functions should eventually be moved elsewhere, but the utils folder
- * won't compile with them in strings.h
- */
-static int str_hash(const void *obj, const int flags)
-{
-	return ast_str_hash(obj);
-}
-
-static int str_cmp(void *lhs, void *rhs, int flags)
-{
-	return strcmp(lhs, rhs) ? 0 : CMP_MATCH;
-}
-
-struct ao2_container *ast_str_container_alloc_options(enum ao2_container_opts opts, int buckets)
-{
-	return ao2_container_alloc_options(opts, buckets, str_hash, str_cmp);
-}
-
-int ast_str_container_add(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *add)
-{
-	RAII_VAR(char *, ao2_add, ao2_alloc(strlen(add) + 1, NULL), ao2_cleanup);
-
-	if (!ao2_add) {
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	/* safe strcpy */
-	strcpy(ao2_add, add);
-	ao2_link(str_container, ao2_add);
-	return 0;
-}
-
-void ast_str_container_remove(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *remove)
-{
-	ao2_find(str_container, remove, OBJ_KEY | OBJ_NODATA | OBJ_UNLINK);
-}
diff --git a/main/strings.c b/main/strings.c
index d004da2278f2504284064f3f8ebba85d591f17b8..6633d5982b4a7513dd786289182c73b5fc3ebbfc 100644
--- a/main/strings.c
+++ b/main/strings.c
@@ -160,4 +160,36 @@ char *__ast_str_helper2(struct ast_str **buf, ssize_t maxlen, const char *src, s
 	return (*buf)->__AST_STR_STR;
 }
 
+static int str_hash(const void *obj, const int flags)
+{
+	return ast_str_hash(obj);
+}
+
+static int str_cmp(void *lhs, void *rhs, int flags)
+{
+	return strcmp(lhs, rhs) ? 0 : CMP_MATCH;
+}
+
+struct ao2_container *ast_str_container_alloc_options(enum ao2_container_opts opts, int buckets)
+{
+	return ao2_container_alloc_options(opts, buckets, str_hash, str_cmp);
+}
 
+int ast_str_container_add(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *add)
+{
+	RAII_VAR(char *, ao2_add, ao2_alloc(strlen(add) + 1, NULL), ao2_cleanup);
+
+	if (!ao2_add) {
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	/* safe strcpy */
+	strcpy(ao2_add, add);
+	ao2_link(str_container, ao2_add);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void ast_str_container_remove(struct ao2_container *str_container, const char *remove)
+{
+	ao2_find(str_container, remove, OBJ_KEY | OBJ_NODATA | OBJ_UNLINK);
+}
diff --git a/utils/Makefile b/utils/Makefile
index e60917b6a6320819500a88d23ca32cc4244bb3c3..11905fb5cb061406bf33490b0b16ad268aa62124 100644
--- a/utils/Makefile
+++ b/utils/Makefile
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ threadstorage.c: $(ASTTOPDIR)/main/threadstorage.c
 	$(CMD_PREFIX) cp "$<" "$@"
 
 
-refcounter: refcounter.o md5.o hashtab.o lock.o utils.o strings.o sha1.o strcompat.o threadstorage.o clicompat.o poll.o version.o
+refcounter: refcounter.o md5.o hashtab.o lock.o utils.o strings.o sha1.o strcompat.o threadstorage.o clicompat.o poll.o version.o astobj2.o
 refcounter.o: _ASTCFLAGS+=-O0
 
 extconf.o: extconf.c
diff --git a/utils/refcounter.c b/utils/refcounter.c
index fab906c5077cb920b69a95125e8377874f7a19f5..2f17b9c85da04f623a37a4258a28b1c3313177e8 100644
--- a/utils/refcounter.c
+++ b/utils/refcounter.c
@@ -310,4 +310,13 @@ void *__ast_bt_destroy(struct ast_bt *bt)
 {
 	return NULL;
 }
+
+void ast_log_backtrace(void)
+{
+}
+
+int ast_register_atexit(void (*func)(void))
+{
+	return 0;
+}
 #endif