diff --git a/src/scripting/backend/codegen.cpp b/src/scripting/backend/codegen.cpp
index bcaa374c2..1b1672545 100644
--- a/src/scripting/backend/codegen.cpp
+++ b/src/scripting/backend/codegen.cpp
@@ -89,37 +89,6 @@ static const FLOP FxFlops[] =
 	{ NAME_TanH,	FLOP_TANH,		[](double v) { return g_tanh(v); } },
 };
 
-
-//==========================================================================
-//
-// [ZZ] Magic methods to be used in vmexec.h for runtime checking of scope
-//
-//==========================================================================
-
-// this can be imported in vmexec.h
-void FScopeBarrier_ValidateNew(PClass* cls, PFunction* callingfunc)
-{
-	int outerside = callingfunc->Variants.Size() ? FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(callingfunc->Variants[0].Flags) : FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual;
-	if (outerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
-		outerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(callingfunc->OwningClass->ObjectFlags);
-	int innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(cls->ObjectFlags);
-	if ((outerside != innerside) && (innerside != FScopeBarrier::Side_PlainData)) // "cannot construct ui class ... from data context"
-		ThrowAbortException(X_OTHER, "Cannot construct %s class %s from %s context", FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(innerside), cls->TypeName.GetChars(), FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(outerside));
-}
-// this can be imported in vmexec.h
-void FScopeBarrier_ValidateCall(PFunction* calledfunc, PFunction* callingfunc, PClass* selftype)
-{
-	// [ZZ] anonymous blocks have 0 variants, so give them Side_Virtual.
-	int outerside = callingfunc->Variants.Size() ? FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(callingfunc->Variants[0].Flags) : FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual;
-	if (outerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
-		outerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(callingfunc->OwningClass->ObjectFlags);
-	int innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(calledfunc->Variants[0].Flags);
-	if (innerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
-		innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(selftype->ObjectFlags);
-	if ((outerside != innerside) && (innerside != FScopeBarrier::Side_PlainData))
-		ThrowAbortException(X_OTHER, "Cannot call %s function %s from %s context", FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(innerside), calledfunc->SymbolName.GetChars(), FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(outerside));
-}
-
 //==========================================================================
 //
 // FCompileContext
diff --git a/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.cpp b/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.cpp
index fda9de3c3..ad104f317 100644
--- a/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.cpp
+++ b/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#include "scopebarrier.h"
 #include "dobject.h"
+#include "scopebarrier.h"
 
 
 // Note: the same object can't be both UI and Play. This is checked explicitly in the field construction and will cause esoteric errors here if found.
@@ -171,3 +171,27 @@ void FScopeBarrier::AddFlags(int flags1, int flags2, const char* name)
 		if (name) callerror.Format("Can't call %s function %s from %s context", StringFromSide(sideto), name, StringFromSide(sidefrom));
 	}
 }
+
+// these are for vmexec.h
+void FScopeBarrier::ValidateNew(PClass* cls, PFunction* callingfunc)
+{
+	int outerside = callingfunc->Variants.Size() ? FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(callingfunc->Variants[0].Flags) : FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual;
+	if (outerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
+		outerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(callingfunc->OwningClass->ObjectFlags);
+	int innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(cls->ObjectFlags);
+	if ((outerside != innerside) && (innerside != FScopeBarrier::Side_PlainData)) // "cannot construct ui class ... from data context"
+		ThrowAbortException(X_OTHER, "Cannot construct %s class %s from %s context", FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(innerside), cls->TypeName.GetChars(), FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(outerside));
+}
+// this can be imported in vmexec.h
+void FScopeBarrier::ValidateCall(PFunction* calledfunc, PFunction* callingfunc, PClass* selftype)
+{
+	// [ZZ] anonymous blocks have 0 variants, so give them Side_Virtual.
+	int outerside = callingfunc->Variants.Size() ? FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(callingfunc->Variants[0].Flags) : FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual;
+	if (outerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
+		outerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(callingfunc->OwningClass->ObjectFlags);
+	int innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromFlags(calledfunc->Variants[0].Flags);
+	if (innerside == FScopeBarrier::Side_Virtual)
+		innerside = FScopeBarrier::SideFromObjectFlags(selftype->ObjectFlags);
+	if ((outerside != innerside) && (innerside != FScopeBarrier::Side_PlainData))
+		ThrowAbortException(X_OTHER, "Cannot call %s function %s from %s context", FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(innerside), calledfunc->SymbolName.GetChars(), FScopeBarrier::StringFromSide(outerside));
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.h b/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.h
index 514db7a97..db8a5044a 100644
--- a/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.h
+++ b/src/scripting/backend/scopebarrier.h
@@ -51,5 +51,9 @@ struct FScopeBarrier
 	// This is used for comparing a.b.c.d access - if non-allowed field is seen anywhere in the chain, anything after it is non-allowed.
 	// This struct is used so that the logic is in a single place.
 	void AddFlags(int flags1, int flags2, const char* name);
+
+	// this is called from vmexec.h
+	static void ValidateNew(PClass* cls, PFunction* callingfunc);
+	static void ValidateCall(PFunction* calledfunc, PFunction* callingfunc, PClass* selftype);
 };
 
diff --git a/src/scripting/vm/vm.h b/src/scripting/vm/vm.h
index 6c66c7b85..02f048a1c 100644
--- a/src/scripting/vm/vm.h
+++ b/src/scripting/vm/vm.h
@@ -7,11 +7,8 @@
 #include "cmdlib.h"
 #include "doomerrors.h"
 #include "memarena.h"
+#include "scripting/backend/scopebarrier.h"
 
-// [ZZ] there are serious circular references between this and the rest of ZScript code, so it needs to be done like this
-//		these are used in vmexec.h
-void FScopeBarrier_ValidateNew(PClass* cls, PFunction* callingfunc);
-void FScopeBarrier_ValidateCall(PFunction* calledfunc, PFunction* callingfunc, PClass* selftype);
 class DObject;
 
 extern FMemArena ClassDataAllocator;
diff --git a/src/scripting/vm/vmexec.h b/src/scripting/vm/vmexec.h
index cdf598649..0281be3df 100644
--- a/src/scripting/vm/vmexec.h
+++ b/src/scripting/vm/vmexec.h
@@ -673,7 +673,7 @@ begin:
 				PFunction* callingfunc = (PFunction*)(reg.param + f->NumParam - b)[1].a;
 				DObject* dobj = (DObject*)(reg.param + f->NumParam - b)[2].a; // this is the self pointer. it should be in, since Side_Virtual functions are always non-static methods.
 				PClass* selftype = dobj->GetClass();
-				FScopeBarrier_ValidateCall(calledfunc, callingfunc, selftype);
+				FScopeBarrier::ValidateCall(calledfunc, callingfunc, selftype);
 				b -= 2;
 			}
 #endif
@@ -821,7 +821,7 @@ begin:
 		if (cls->ObjectFlags & OF_Abstract) ThrowAbortException(X_OTHER, "Cannot instantiate abstract class %s", cls->TypeName.GetChars());
 		// [ZZ] validate readonly and between scope construction
 		if (callingfunc)
-			FScopeBarrier_ValidateNew(cls, callingfunc);
+			FScopeBarrier::ValidateNew(cls, callingfunc);
 		reg.a[a] = cls->CreateNew();
 		reg.atag[a] = ATAG_OBJECT;
 		NEXTOP;