diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/dataflow/internal/FlowSummaryImpl.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/dataflow/internal/FlowSummaryImpl.qll
index 5a34f2bedc9..7198ce58351 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/dataflow/internal/FlowSummaryImpl.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/dataflow/internal/FlowSummaryImpl.qll
@@ -12,14 +12,6 @@ private import semmle.code.cpp.dataflow.ExternalFlow
 private import semmle.code.cpp.ir.IR
 
 module Input implements InputSig<DataFlowImplSpecific::CppDataFlow> {
-  /**
-   * Gets a string representing a level of indirection, for example for
-   * `indirection = 2`, the result is `**`.
-   */
-  private bindingset[indirection] string indirectionString(int indirection) {
-    result = concat(int i | i in [1 .. indirection] | "*")
-  }
-
   class SummarizedCallableBase = Function;
 
   ArgumentPosition callbackSelfParameterPosition() { result = TDirectPosition(-1) }
@@ -33,7 +25,7 @@ module Input implements InputSig<DataFlowImplSpecific::CppDataFlow> {
   string encodeReturn(ReturnKind rk, string arg) {
     rk != getStandardReturnValueKind() and
     result = "ReturnValue" and
-    arg = indirectionString(rk.(NormalReturnKind).getIndirectionIndex())
+    arg = repeatStars(rk.(NormalReturnKind).getIndirectionIndex())
   }
 
   string encodeContent(ContentSet cs, string arg) {
@@ -41,7 +33,7 @@ module Input implements InputSig<DataFlowImplSpecific::CppDataFlow> {
       cs.isSingleton(c) and
       // FieldContent indices have 0 for the address, 1 for content, so we need to subtract one.
       result = "Field" and
-      arg = indirectionString(c.getIndirectionIndex() - 1) + c.getField().getName()
+      arg = repeatStars(c.getIndirectionIndex() - 1) + c.getField().getName()
     )
   }
 
@@ -58,7 +50,7 @@ module Input implements InputSig<DataFlowImplSpecific::CppDataFlow> {
    */
   private bindingset[argString] TPosition decodePosition(string argString) {
     exists(int indirection, string posString, int pos |
-      argString = indirectionString(indirection) + posString and
+      argString = repeatStars(indirection) + posString and
       pos = AccessPath::parseInt(posString) and
       (
         pos >= 0 and indirection = 0 and result = TDirectPosition(pos)
@@ -98,7 +90,7 @@ module Input implements InputSig<DataFlowImplSpecific::CppDataFlow> {
       result.isSingleton(c) and
       token.getName() = c.getField().getName() and
       // FieldContent indices have 0 for the address, 1 for content, so we need to subtract one.
-      token.getAnArgument() = indirectionString(c.getIndirectionIndex() - 1)
+      token.getAnArgument() = repeatStars(c.getIndirectionIndex() - 1)
     )
   }
 }
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowPrivate.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowPrivate.qll
index 185f82df898..04e2eee6311 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowPrivate.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowPrivate.qll
@@ -80,15 +80,6 @@ module NodeStars {
     result = n.(FinalParameterNode).getIndirectionIndex()
   }
 
-  private int maxNumberOfIndirections() { result = max(getNumberOfIndirections(_)) }
-
-  private string repeatStars(int n) {
-    n = 0 and result = ""
-    or
-    n = [1 .. maxNumberOfIndirections()] and
-    result = "*" + repeatStars(n - 1)
-  }
-
   /**
    * Gets the number of stars (i.e., `*`s) needed to produce the `toString`
    * output for `n`.
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowUtil.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowUtil.qll
index d848d1bccf7..5da6bec500c 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowUtil.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/DataFlowUtil.qll
@@ -2363,16 +2363,15 @@ class Content extends TContent {
   abstract predicate impliesClearOf(Content c);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Gets a string consisting of `n` star characters ("*"), where n >= 0. This is
+ * used to represent indirection.
+ */
+bindingset[n] string repeatStars(int n) {
+  result = concat(int i | i in [1 .. n] | "*")
+}
+
 private module ContentStars {
-  private int maxNumberOfIndirections() { result = max(any(Content c).getIndirectionIndex()) }
-
-  private string repeatStars(int n) {
-    n = 0 and result = ""
-    or
-    n = [1 .. maxNumberOfIndirections()] and
-    result = "*" + repeatStars(n - 1)
-  }
-
   /**
    * Gets the number of stars (i.e., `*`s) needed to produce the `toString`
    * output for `c`.
diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/SsaInternals.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/SsaInternals.qll
index cd2233841f2..7eb84aefe3f 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/SsaInternals.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/ir/dataflow/internal/SsaInternals.qll
@@ -19,15 +19,6 @@ private module SourceVariables {
       ind = [0 .. countIndirectionsForCppType(base.getLanguageType()) + 1]
     }
 
-  private int maxNumberOfIndirections() { result = max(SourceVariable sv | | sv.getIndirection()) }
-
-  private string repeatStars(int n) {
-    n = 0 and result = ""
-    or
-    n = [1 .. maxNumberOfIndirections()] and
-    result = "*" + repeatStars(n - 1)
-  }
-
   class SourceVariable extends TSourceVariable {
     BaseSourceVariable base;
     int ind;