diff --git a/osclib/stagingapi.py b/osclib/stagingapi.py
index 620169d9..929b8cbc 100644
--- a/osclib/stagingapi.py
+++ b/osclib/stagingapi.py
@@ -1826,3 +1826,16 @@ class StagingAPI(object):
             return meta.find(xpath) is not None
 
         return False
+
+    # recursively detect underlying projects
+    def expand_project_repo(self, project, repo, repos):
+        repos.append([project, repo])
+        url = self.makeurl(['source', project, '_meta'])
+        meta = ET.parse(self.retried_GET(url)).getroot()
+        for path in meta.findall('.//repository[@name="{}"]/path'.format(repo)):
+            self.expand_project_repo(path.get('project', project), path.get('repository'), repos)
+        return repos
+
+    def expanded_repos(self, repo):
+        return self.expand_project_repo(self.project, repo, [])
+        
diff --git a/pkglistgen.py b/pkglistgen.py
index 3d0d10b6..f46c4578 100755
--- a/pkglistgen.py
+++ b/pkglistgen.py
@@ -526,16 +526,8 @@ class PkgListGen(ToolBase.ToolBase):
         for e in excludes:
             g.ignore(self.groups[e])
 
-    def expand_project_repo(self, project, repo, repos):
-        repos.append([project, repo])
-        url = makeurl(self.apiurl, ['source', project, '_meta'])
-        meta = ET.parse(http_GET(url)).getroot()
-        for path in meta.findall('.//repository[@name="{}"]/path'.format(repo)):
-            self.expand_project_repo(path.get('project', project), path.get('repository'), repos)
-        return repos
-
     def expand_repos(self, project, repo):
-        return self.expand_project_repo(project, repo, [])
+        return StagingAPI(self.apiurl, project).expanded_repos('standard')
 
     def _check_supplements(self):
         tocheck = set()
diff --git a/repo_checker.py b/repo_checker.py
index 7be4c779..f95b5f4d 100755
--- a/repo_checker.py
+++ b/repo_checker.py
@@ -225,17 +225,6 @@ class RepoChecker(ReviewBot.ReviewBot):
         self.logger.debug('requests: {} skipped, {} queued'.format(
             count_before - len(self.requests), len(self.requests)))
 
-    def expand_project_repo(self, api, project, repo, repos):
-        repos.append([project, repo])
-        url = api.makeurl(['source', project, '_meta'])
-        meta = ET.parse(api.retried_GET(url)).getroot()
-        for path in meta.findall('.//repository[@name="{}"]/path'.format(repo)):
-            self.expand_project_repo(api, path.get('project', project), path.get('repository'), repos)
-        return repos
-
-    def expand_repos(self, api, project, repo):
-        return self.expand_project_repo(api, project, repo, [])
-
     def ensure_group(self, request, action):
         project = action.tgt_project
         group = self.requests_map[int(request.reqid)]
@@ -265,12 +254,12 @@ class RepoChecker(ReviewBot.ReviewBot):
                 continue
 
             # Only bother if staging can match arch, but layered first.
-            repos = self.expand_repos(self.staging_api(project), project, 'standard')
+            repos = self.staging_api(project).expanded_repos('standard')
             for layered_project, repo in reversed(repos):
                 if repo != 'standard':
                     raise "We assume all is standard"
                 directories.insert(0, self.mirror(layered_project, arch))
-                
+
             whitelist = self.binary_whitelist(project, arch, group)
 
             # Perform checks on group.