diff --git a/lib/pure/bitops.nim b/lib/pure/bitops.nim
index 0d3351ee51..3ba110d392 100644
--- a/lib/pure/bitops.nim
+++ b/lib/pure/bitops.nim
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
 import std/macros
 import std/private/since
-from std/private/bitops_utils import forwardImpl, castToUnsigned
+include std/private/bitops_utils
 
 func bitnot*[T: SomeInteger](x: T): T {.magic: "BitnotI".}
   ## Computes the `bitwise complement` of the integer `x`.
diff --git a/lib/std/private/bitops_utils.nim b/lib/std/private/bitops_utils.nim
index 0b94844167..980333dc3d 100644
--- a/lib/std/private/bitops_utils.nim
+++ b/lib/std/private/bitops_utils.nim
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-template forwardImpl*(impl, arg) {.dirty.} =
+template forwardImpl(impl, arg) {.dirty.} =
   when sizeof(x) <= 4:
     when x is SomeSignedInt:
       impl(cast[uint32](x.int32))
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ template forwardImpl*(impl, arg) {.dirty.} =
 # import std/typetraits
 # template castToUnsigned*(x: SomeInteger): auto = cast[toUnsigned(typeof(x))](x)
 
-template castToUnsigned*(x: int8): uint8 = cast[uint8](x)
-template castToUnsigned*(x: int16): uint16 = cast[uint16](x)
-template castToUnsigned*(x: int32): uint32 = cast[uint32](x)
-template castToUnsigned*(x: int64): uint64 = cast[uint64](x)
-template castToUnsigned*(x: int): uint = cast[uint](x)
-template castToUnsigned*[T: SomeUnsignedInt](x: T): T = x
+template castToUnsigned(x: int8): uint8 = cast[uint8](x)
+template castToUnsigned(x: int16): uint16 = cast[uint16](x)
+template castToUnsigned(x: int32): uint32 = cast[uint32](x)
+template castToUnsigned(x: int64): uint64 = cast[uint64](x)
+template castToUnsigned(x: int): uint = cast[uint](x)
+template castToUnsigned[T: SomeUnsignedInt](x: T): T = x
diff --git a/lib/system/countbits_impl.nim b/lib/system/countbits_impl.nim
index d16f06ae79..976e6b3762 100644
--- a/lib/system/countbits_impl.nim
+++ b/lib/system/countbits_impl.nim
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 ## Contains the used algorithms for counting bits.
 
-from std/private/bitops_utils import forwardImpl, castToUnsigned
+include std/private/bitops_utils
 
 const useBuiltins* = not defined(noIntrinsicsBitOpts)
 const noUndefined* = defined(noUndefinedBitOpts)