diff --git a/datalad_next/commands/tree.py b/datalad_next/commands/tree.py
index c6662587..41f3553c 100644
--- a/datalad_next/commands/tree.py
+++ b/datalad_next/commands/tree.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     NoDatasetFound
 )
 
-from datalad.local.subdatasets import Subdatasets
+from datalad_next.iter_collections import iter_submodules
 from datalad_next.constraints import (
     EnsureBool,
     EnsureDataset,
@@ -608,22 +608,10 @@ def get_subds_paths(ds_path: Path):
     # submodules. Since we need to run it to (A) calculate dataset depth and
     # (B) detect non-installed datasets, we cache results, so that the list of
     # subdatasets is computed only once for each parent dataset.
-
-    def res_filter(res):
-        return res.get('status') == 'ok' and res.get('type') == 'dataset'
-
-    # call subdatasets command instead of dataset method `ds.subdatasets()`
-    # to avoid potentially expensive import of full datalad API
-    return Subdatasets.__call__(
-        dataset=ds_path,
-        recursive=False,
-        state='any',  # include not-installed subdatasets
-        result_filter=res_filter,
-        on_failure='ignore',
-        result_xfm='paths',
-        result_renderer='disabled',
-        return_type='list'
-    )
+    return [
+        str(ds_path / sm.path)
+        for sm in iter_submodules(ds_path)
+    ]
 
 
 @lru_cache()
diff --git a/datalad_next/iter_collections/__init__.py b/datalad_next/iter_collections/__init__.py
index 72843ab1..26ee9fb0 100644
--- a/datalad_next/iter_collections/__init__.py
+++ b/datalad_next/iter_collections/__init__.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
    iter_gitstatus
    iter_gittree
    iter_gitworktree
+   iter_submodules
    iter_tar
    iter_zip
    TarfileItem
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@
     # TODO move to datalad_next.types?
     GitWorktreeFileSystemItem,
     iter_gitworktree,
+    iter_submodules,
 )
 from .annexworktree import (
     iter_annexworktree,
diff --git a/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitstatus.py b/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitstatus.py
index aa37e907..f5c31f62 100644
--- a/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitstatus.py
+++ b/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitstatus.py
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 )
 from datalad_next.repo_utils import (
     get_worktree_head,
-    iter_submodules,
 )
 
 from .gitdiff import (
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@
     GitTreeItem,
     GitTreeItemType,
     iter_gitworktree,
+    iter_submodules,
     lsfiles_untracked_args,
     _git_ls_files,
 )
diff --git a/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitworktree.py b/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitworktree.py
index c7f6a18b..3ba3e925 100644
--- a/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitworktree.py
+++ b/datalad_next/iter_collections/gitworktree.py
@@ -235,6 +235,28 @@ def iter_gitworktree(
         # report in the next loop iteration
 
 
+def iter_submodules(
+    path: Path,
+) -> Generator[GitTreeItem, None, None]:
+    """Given a path, report all submodules of a repository worktree underneath
+
+    This is a thin convenience wrapper around ``iter_gitworktree()``.
+    """
+    for item in iter_gitworktree(
+        path,
+        untracked=None,
+        link_target=False,
+        fp=False,
+        recursive='repository',
+    ):
+        # exclude non-submodules, or a submodule that was found at
+        # the root path -- which would indicate that the submodule
+        # itself it not around, only its record in the parent
+        if item.gittype == GitTreeItemType.submodule \
+                and item.name != PurePath('.'):
+            yield item
+
+
 def _get_item(
     basepath: Path,
     link_target: bool,
diff --git a/datalad_next/repo_utils/__init__.py b/datalad_next/repo_utils/__init__.py
index d1160e89..612e5ef4 100644
--- a/datalad_next/repo_utils/__init__.py
+++ b/datalad_next/repo_utils/__init__.py
@@ -1,74 +1,12 @@
 """Common repository operations
-"""
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from pathlib import (
-    Path,
-    PurePath,
-)
-from typing import Generator
-
-from datalad_next.exceptions import CapturedException
-from datalad_next.iter_collections.gitworktree import (
-    GitTreeItem,
-    GitTreeItemType,
-    iter_gitworktree,
-)
-from datalad_next.runners import (
-    CommandError,
-    call_git_lines,
-)
-
-
-def iter_submodules(
-    path: Path,
-) -> Generator[GitTreeItem, None, None]:
-    """Given a path, report all submodules of a repository underneath it"""
-    for item in iter_gitworktree(
-        path,
-        untracked=None,
-        link_target=False,
-        fp=False,
-        recursive='repository',
-    ):
-        # exclude non-submodules, or a submodule that was found at
-        # the root path -- which would indicate that the submodule
-        # itself it not around, only its record in the parent
-        if item.gittype == GitTreeItemType.submodule \
-                and item.name != PurePath('.'):
-            yield item
 
+.. currentmodule:: datalad_next.repo_utils
+.. autosummary::
+   :toctree: generated
 
-def get_worktree_head(
-    path: Path,
-) -> tuple[str | None, str | None]:
-    try:
-        HEAD = call_git_lines(
-            # we add the pathspec disambiguator to get cleaner error messages
-            # (and we only report the first item below, to take it off again)
-            ['rev-parse', '-q', '--symbolic-full-name', 'HEAD', '--'],
-            cwd=path,
-        )[0]
-    except (NotADirectoryError, FileNotFoundError) as e:
-        raise ValueError('path not found') from e
-    except CommandError as e:
-        CapturedException(e)
-        if 'fatal: not a git repository' in e.stderr:
-            raise ValueError(f'no Git repository at {path!r}') from e
-        elif 'fatal: bad revision' in e.stderr:
-            return (None, None)
-        else:
-            # no idea reraise
-            raise
+   get_worktree_head
+"""
 
-    if HEAD.startswith('refs/heads/adjusted/'):
-        # this is a git-annex adjusted branch. do the comparison against
-        # its basis. it is not meaningful to track the managed branch in
-        # a superdataset
-        return (
-            HEAD,
-            # replace 'refs/heads' with 'refs/basis'
-            f'refs/basis/{HEAD[11:]}',
-        )
-    else:
-        return (HEAD, None)
+from .worktree import (
+    get_worktree_head,
+)
diff --git a/datalad_next/repo_utils/worktree.py b/datalad_next/repo_utils/worktree.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..938841af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/datalad_next/repo_utils/worktree.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from datalad_next.exceptions import CapturedException
+from datalad_next.runners import (
+    CommandError,
+    call_git_lines,
+)
+
+
+def get_worktree_head(
+    path: Path,
+) -> tuple[str | None, str | None]:
+    try:
+        HEAD = call_git_lines(
+            # we add the pathspec disambiguator to get cleaner error messages
+            # (and we only report the first item below, to take it off again)
+            ['rev-parse', '-q', '--symbolic-full-name', 'HEAD', '--'],
+            cwd=path,
+        )[0]
+    except (NotADirectoryError, FileNotFoundError) as e:
+        raise ValueError('path not found') from e
+    except CommandError as e:
+        CapturedException(e)
+        if 'fatal: not a git repository' in e.stderr:
+            raise ValueError(f'no Git repository at {path!r}') from e
+        elif 'fatal: bad revision' in e.stderr:
+            return (None, None)
+        else:
+            # no idea reraise
+            raise
+
+    if HEAD.startswith('refs/heads/adjusted/'):
+        # this is a git-annex adjusted branch. do the comparison against
+        # its basis. it is not meaningful to track the managed branch in
+        # a superdataset
+        return (
+            HEAD,
+            # replace 'refs/heads' with 'refs/basis'
+            f'refs/basis/{HEAD[11:]}',
+        )
+    else:
+        return (HEAD, None)
+
diff --git a/docs/source/pyutils.rst b/docs/source/pyutils.rst
index 48453603..78adfbb7 100644
--- a/docs/source/pyutils.rst
+++ b/docs/source/pyutils.rst
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ packages.
    iterable_subprocess
    itertools
    iter_collections
+   repo_utils
    runners
    tests
    tests.fixtures