diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index a41a94ae55..b9a4a60646 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -2313,12 +2313,6 @@ void base_ref_store_init(struct ref_store *refs, struct repository *repo,
 	refs->gitdir = xstrdup(path);
 }
 
-/* backend functions */
-int refs_pack_refs(struct ref_store *refs, struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
-{
-	return refs->be->pack_refs(refs, opts);
-}
-
 int refs_optimize(struct ref_store *refs, struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
 {
 	return refs->be->optimize(refs, opts);
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 2dd7ac1a16..8ff591ea95 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -514,12 +514,6 @@ struct pack_refs_opts {
 	struct string_list *includes;
 };
 
-/*
- * Write a packed-refs file for the current repository.
- * flags: Combination of the above PACK_REFS_* flags.
- */
-int refs_pack_refs(struct ref_store *refs, struct pack_refs_opts *opts);
-
 /*
  * Optimize the ref store. The exact behavior is up to the backend.
  * For the files backend, this is equivalent to packing refs.
diff --git a/refs/debug.c b/refs/debug.c
index 01499b9033..40cd1d9c15 100644
--- a/refs/debug.c
+++ b/refs/debug.c
@@ -116,11 +116,11 @@ static int debug_transaction_abort(struct ref_store *refs,
 	return res;
 }
 
-static int debug_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store, struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
+static int debug_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store, struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct debug_ref_store *drefs = (struct debug_ref_store *)ref_store;
-	int res = drefs->refs->be->pack_refs(drefs->refs, opts);
-	trace_printf_key(&trace_refs, "pack_refs: %d\n", res);
+	int res = drefs->refs->be->optimize(drefs->refs, opts);
+	trace_printf_key(&trace_refs, "optimize: %d\n", res);
 	return res;
 }
 
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ struct ref_storage_be refs_be_debug = {
 	.transaction_finish = debug_transaction_finish,
 	.transaction_abort = debug_transaction_abort,
 
-	.pack_refs = debug_pack_refs,
+	.optimize = debug_optimize,
 	.rename_ref = debug_rename_ref,
 	.copy_ref = debug_copy_ref,
 
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index 5aeb454fb4..d13b87e056 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -1444,8 +1444,8 @@ static int should_pack_refs(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int files_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store,
-			   struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
+static int files_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+			  struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct files_ref_store *refs =
 		files_downcast(ref_store, REF_STORE_WRITE | REF_STORE_ODB,
@@ -1512,15 +1512,6 @@ static int files_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int files_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store, struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
-{
-	/*
-	 * For the "files" backend, "optimizing" is the same as "packing".
-	 * So, we just call the existing worker function for packing.
-	 */
-	return files_pack_refs(ref_store, opts);
-}
-
 /*
  * People using contrib's git-new-workdir have .git/logs/refs ->
  * /some/other/path/.git/logs/refs, and that may live on another device.
@@ -3975,7 +3966,6 @@ struct ref_storage_be refs_be_files = {
 	.transaction_finish = files_transaction_finish,
 	.transaction_abort = files_transaction_abort,
 
-	.pack_refs = files_pack_refs,
 	.optimize = files_optimize,
 	.rename_ref = files_rename_ref,
 	.copy_ref = files_copy_ref,
diff --git a/refs/packed-backend.c b/refs/packed-backend.c
index 1ab0c50393..20cf9fab18 100644
--- a/refs/packed-backend.c
+++ b/refs/packed-backend.c
@@ -1773,8 +1773,8 @@ cleanup:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int packed_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store UNUSED,
-			    struct pack_refs_opts *pack_opts UNUSED)
+static int packed_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store UNUSED,
+			   struct pack_refs_opts *pack_opts UNUSED)
 {
 	/*
 	 * Packed refs are already packed. It might be that loose refs
@@ -2129,7 +2129,7 @@ struct ref_storage_be refs_be_packed = {
 	.transaction_finish = packed_transaction_finish,
 	.transaction_abort = packed_transaction_abort,
 
-	.pack_refs = packed_pack_refs,
+	.optimize = packed_optimize,
 	.rename_ref = NULL,
 	.copy_ref = NULL,
 
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index 4671517dad..fc5149df5b 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -422,8 +422,6 @@ typedef int ref_transaction_commit_fn(struct ref_store *refs,
 				      struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 				      struct strbuf *err);
 
-typedef int pack_refs_fn(struct ref_store *ref_store,
-			 struct pack_refs_opts *opts);
 typedef int optimize_fn(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			struct pack_refs_opts *opts);
 typedef int rename_ref_fn(struct ref_store *ref_store,
@@ -550,7 +548,6 @@ struct ref_storage_be {
 	ref_transaction_finish_fn *transaction_finish;
 	ref_transaction_abort_fn *transaction_abort;
 
-	pack_refs_fn *pack_refs;
 	optimize_fn *optimize;
 	rename_ref_fn *rename_ref;
 	copy_ref_fn *copy_ref;
diff --git a/refs/reftable-backend.c b/refs/reftable-backend.c
index 6bbfd5618d..43cc66a48e 100644
--- a/refs/reftable-backend.c
+++ b/refs/reftable-backend.c
@@ -1700,11 +1700,11 @@ done:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int reftable_be_pack_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store,
-				 struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
+static int reftable_be_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store,
+				struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct reftable_ref_store *refs =
-		reftable_be_downcast(ref_store, REF_STORE_WRITE | REF_STORE_ODB, "pack_refs");
+		reftable_be_downcast(ref_store, REF_STORE_WRITE | REF_STORE_ODB, "optimize_refs");
 	struct reftable_stack *stack;
 	int ret;
 
@@ -1733,12 +1733,6 @@ out:
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int reftable_be_optimize(struct ref_store *ref_store,
-				struct pack_refs_opts *opts)
-{
-	return reftable_be_pack_refs(ref_store, opts);
-}
-
 struct write_create_symref_arg {
 	struct reftable_ref_store *refs;
 	struct reftable_stack *stack;
@@ -2761,7 +2755,6 @@ struct ref_storage_be refs_be_reftable = {
 	.transaction_finish = reftable_be_transaction_finish,
 	.transaction_abort = reftable_be_transaction_abort,
 
-	.pack_refs = reftable_be_pack_refs,
 	.optimize = reftable_be_optimize,
 	.rename_ref = reftable_be_rename_ref,
 	.copy_ref = reftable_be_copy_ref,