diff --git a/packages/app-api/src/routing/RouteResolver.ts b/packages/app-api/src/routing/RouteResolver.ts
index a5d266b2e4..f33c3886e3 100644
--- a/packages/app-api/src/routing/RouteResolver.ts
+++ b/packages/app-api/src/routing/RouteResolver.ts
@@ -21,15 +21,11 @@ import {
   AnyParams,
   RouteFunc,
   routeRefType,
-} from './types';
-import {
-  RouteRef,
-  ExternalRouteRef,
-  SubRouteRef,
   isRouteRef,
   isSubRouteRef,
   isExternalRouteRef,
-} from '@backstage/plugin-api';
+} from './types';
+import { RouteRef, ExternalRouteRef, SubRouteRef } from '@backstage/plugin-api';
 
 // Joins a list of paths together, avoiding trailing and duplicate slashes
 function joinPaths(...paths: string[]): string {
diff --git a/packages/app-api/src/routing/types.ts b/packages/app-api/src/routing/types.ts
index d379f43324..9a2d2cd9d7 100644
--- a/packages/app-api/src/routing/types.ts
+++ b/packages/app-api/src/routing/types.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 import { RouteRef, SubRouteRef, ExternalRouteRef } from '@backstage/plugin-api';
 import { getOrCreateGlobalSingleton } from '../lib/globalObject';
 
-export const routeRefType: unique symbol = getOrCreateGlobalSingleton<any>(
+type RouteRefType = Exclude<keyof RouteRef, 'params'>;
+export const routeRefType: RouteRefType = getOrCreateGlobalSingleton<any>(
   'route-ref-type',
   () => Symbol('route-ref-type'),
 );
@@ -46,3 +47,33 @@ export interface BackstageRouteObject {
   path: string;
   routeRefs: Set<RouteRef>;
 }
+
+export function isRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams>(
+  routeRef:
+    | RouteRef<Params>
+    | SubRouteRef<Params>
+    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, any>,
+): routeRef is RouteRef<Params> {
+  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'absolute';
+}
+
+export function isSubRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams>(
+  routeRef:
+    | RouteRef<Params>
+    | SubRouteRef<Params>
+    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, any>,
+): routeRef is SubRouteRef<Params> {
+  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'sub';
+}
+
+export function isExternalRouteRef<
+  Params extends AnyParams,
+  Optional extends boolean
+>(
+  routeRef:
+    | RouteRef<Params>
+    | SubRouteRef<Params>
+    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, Optional>,
+): routeRef is ExternalRouteRef<Params, Optional> {
+  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'external';
+}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.test.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.test.ts
index ffe2fdf241..68dbc531c4 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.test.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { AnyParams, ExternalRouteRef } from './types';
-import { createExternalRouteRef, isExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
-import { isSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
-import { isRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
+import { createExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
 
 describe('ExternalRouteRef', () => {
   it('should be created', () => {
@@ -27,11 +25,6 @@ describe('ExternalRouteRef', () => {
     expect(routeRef.params).toEqual([]);
     expect(routeRef.optional).toBe(false);
     expect(String(routeRef)).toBe('routeRef{type=external,id=my-route-ref}');
-    expect(isRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-    expect(isSubRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-    expect(isExternalRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(true);
-
-    expect(isRouteRef({} as ExternalRouteRef)).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('should be created as optional', () => {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
index e6af9cf8a7..c2b1fd2a03 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/ExternalRouteRef.ts
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
  */
 
 import {
-  RouteRef,
-  SubRouteRef,
   ExternalRouteRef,
   routeRefType,
   AnyParams,
@@ -70,15 +68,3 @@ export function createExternalRouteRef<
     Boolean(options.optional) as Optional,
   );
 }
-
-export function isExternalRouteRef<
-  Params extends AnyParams,
-  Optional extends boolean
->(
-  routeRef:
-    | RouteRef<Params>
-    | SubRouteRef<Params>
-    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, Optional>,
-): routeRef is ExternalRouteRef<Params, Optional> {
-  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'external';
-}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
index 4683e157b5..db42f71730 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.test.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { AnyParams, RouteRef } from './types';
-import { createRouteRef, isRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
-import { isSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
-import { isExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
+import { createRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
 
 describe('RouteRef', () => {
   it('should be created', () => {
@@ -26,11 +24,6 @@ describe('RouteRef', () => {
     });
     expect(routeRef.params).toEqual([]);
     expect(String(routeRef)).toBe('routeRef{type=absolute,id=my-route-ref}');
-    expect(isRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(true);
-    expect(isSubRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-    expect(isExternalRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-
-    expect(isRouteRef({} as RouteRef)).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('should be created with params', () => {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
index 5c641e971a..2cd18794b6 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/RouteRef.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
 
 import {
   RouteRef,
-  SubRouteRef,
-  ExternalRouteRef,
   routeRefType,
   AnyParams,
   ParamKeys,
@@ -60,12 +58,3 @@ export function createRouteRef<
     (config.params ?? []) as ParamKeys<OptionalParams<Params>>,
   );
 }
-
-export function isRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams>(
-  routeRef:
-    | RouteRef<Params>
-    | SubRouteRef<Params>
-    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, any>,
-): routeRef is RouteRef<Params> {
-  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'absolute';
-}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.test.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.test.ts
index 6d62810907..2c2eb2ac7e 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.test.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,8 @@
  */
 
 import { AnyParams, SubRouteRef } from './types';
-import { createSubRouteRef, isSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
-import { createRouteRef, isRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
-import { isExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
+import { createSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
+import { createRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
 
 const parent = createRouteRef({ id: 'parent' });
 const parentX = createRouteRef({ id: 'parent-x', params: ['x'] });
@@ -33,11 +32,6 @@ describe('SubRouteRef', () => {
     expect(routeRef.parent).toBe(parent);
     expect(routeRef.params).toEqual([]);
     expect(String(routeRef)).toBe('routeRef{type=sub,id=my-route-ref}');
-    expect(isRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-    expect(isSubRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(true);
-    expect(isExternalRouteRef(routeRef)).toBe(false);
-
-    expect(isRouteRef({} as SubRouteRef)).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('should be created with params', () => {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
index 7ddfc89c80..ca5d060164 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/SubRouteRef.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 import {
   AnyParams,
-  ExternalRouteRef,
   OptionalParams,
   ParamKeys,
   RouteRef,
@@ -117,12 +116,3 @@ export function createSubRouteRef<
   // type checking of the parent parameter overlap is tricky to express.
   return subRouteRef as any;
 }
-
-export function isSubRouteRef<Params extends AnyParams>(
-  routeRef:
-    | RouteRef<Params>
-    | SubRouteRef<Params>
-    | ExternalRouteRef<Params, any>,
-): routeRef is SubRouteRef<Params> {
-  return routeRef[routeRefType] === 'sub';
-}
diff --git a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/index.ts b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/index.ts
index cb4c0c26f2..3ac657ee8e 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/index.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-api/src/routing/index.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 export type { RouteRef, SubRouteRef, ExternalRouteRef } from './types';
-export { createRouteRef, isRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
-export { createSubRouteRef, isSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
-export { createExternalRouteRef, isExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
+export { createRouteRef } from './RouteRef';
+export { createSubRouteRef } from './SubRouteRef';
+export { createExternalRouteRef } from './ExternalRouteRef';
 export { useRouteRef } from './useRouteRef';