diff --git a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
index 201c586b2156bf3bf53a280c4939167f2abf071d..0c5b0057d20f31d8f5b8770997e9abf90c96fdc5 100644
--- a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.c
@@ -1058,17 +1058,23 @@ cleanup:
 
 
 bool
-virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap)
+virDomainSnapshotDefIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotDefPtr def)
 {
     int i;
 
-    if (snap->def->memory == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
+    if (def->memory == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
         return true;
 
-    for (i = 0; i < snap->def->ndisks; i++) {
-        if (snap->def->disks[i].snapshot == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
+    for (i = 0; i < def->ndisks; i++) {
+        if (def->disks[i].snapshot == VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_EXTERNAL)
             return true;
     }
 
     return false;
 }
+
+bool
+virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap)
+{
+    return virDomainSnapshotDefIsExternal(snap->def);
+}
diff --git a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
index b0f87603af52e9c8dd416afd702fa01a1b5ec1ad..f1d5995a5d007e6167d916c55e3e64537d7627cb 100644
--- a/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/snapshot_conf.h
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ int virDomainListSnapshots(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
                            virDomainSnapshotPtr **snaps,
                            unsigned int flags);
 
+bool virDomainSnapshotDefIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotDefPtr def);
 bool virDomainSnapshotIsExternal(virDomainSnapshotObjPtr snap);
 
 VIR_ENUM_DECL(virDomainSnapshotLocation)
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 56366610b68aae9ae508c2e53d99a9fbbd8f090d..ac530fa7115bd54906c38b40faf7e1c43af639ed 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1097,6 +1097,7 @@ virDomainSnapshotAlignDisks;
 virDomainSnapshotAssignDef;
 virDomainSnapshotDefFormat;
 virDomainSnapshotDefFree;
+virDomainSnapshotDefIsExternal;
 virDomainSnapshotDefParseString;
 virDomainSnapshotDropParent;
 virDomainSnapshotFindByName;