diff --git a/reftable/reader.c b/reftable/reader.c
index 9239679ad9..037417fcf6 100644
--- a/reftable/reader.c
+++ b/reftable/reader.c
@@ -579,12 +579,6 @@ void reftable_reader_init_log_iterator(struct reftable_reader *r,
 	reader_init_iter(r, it, BLOCK_TYPE_LOG);
 }
 
-void reader_close(struct reftable_reader *r)
-{
-	block_source_close(&r->source);
-	FREE_AND_NULL(r->name);
-}
-
 int reftable_reader_new(struct reftable_reader **out,
 			struct reftable_block_source *source, char const *name)
 {
@@ -655,7 +649,8 @@ void reftable_reader_free(struct reftable_reader *r)
 {
 	if (!r)
 		return;
-	reader_close(r);
+	block_source_close(&r->source);
+	FREE_AND_NULL(r->name);
 	reftable_free(r);
 }
 
diff --git a/reftable/reader.h b/reftable/reader.h
index 762cd6de66..88b4f3b421 100644
--- a/reftable/reader.h
+++ b/reftable/reader.h
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ struct reftable_reader {
 	struct reftable_reader_offsets log_offsets;
 };
 
-void reader_close(struct reftable_reader *r);
 const char *reader_name(struct reftable_reader *r);
 
 void reader_init_iter(struct reftable_reader *r,
diff --git a/reftable/stack.c b/reftable/stack.c
index c72435b059..0ac9cdf8de 100644
--- a/reftable/stack.c
+++ b/reftable/stack.c
@@ -290,7 +290,6 @@ static int reftable_stack_reload_once(struct reftable_stack *st,
 			const char *name = reader_name(cur[i]);
 			stack_filename(&table_path, st, name);
 
-			reader_close(cur[i]);
 			reftable_reader_free(cur[i]);
 
 			/* On Windows, can only unlink after closing. */
@@ -299,10 +298,8 @@ static int reftable_stack_reload_once(struct reftable_stack *st,
 	}
 
 done:
-	for (i = 0; i < new_readers_len; i++) {
-		reader_close(new_readers[i]);
+	for (i = 0; i < new_readers_len; i++)
 		reftable_reader_free(new_readers[i]);
-	}
 	reftable_free(new_readers);
 	reftable_free(cur);
 	strbuf_release(&table_path);