diff --git a/kernel/rtlil.cc b/kernel/rtlil.cc
index 2b985df40..cbb349a11 100644
--- a/kernel/rtlil.cc
+++ b/kernel/rtlil.cc
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::operator !=(const RTLIL::Const &other) const
 
 std::vector<RTLIL::State>& RTLIL::Const::bits_internal()
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	return get_bits();
 }
 
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ std::vector<RTLIL::State> RTLIL::Const::to_bits() const
 
 bool RTLIL::Const::as_bool() const
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	for (size_t i = 0; i < bv.size(); i++)
 		if (bv[i] == State::S1)
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::as_bool() const
 
 int RTLIL::Const::as_int(bool is_signed) const
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	int32_t ret = 0;
 	for (size_t i = 0; i < bv.size() && i < 32; i++)
@@ -460,7 +460,7 @@ std::optional<int> RTLIL::Const::as_int_compress(bool is_signed) const
 
 std::string RTLIL::Const::as_string(const char* any) const
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	std::string ret;
 	ret.reserve(bv.size());
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ std::string RTLIL::Const::decode_string() const
 	if (auto str = get_if_str())
 		return *str;
 
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	const int n = GetSize(bv);
 	const int n_over_8 = n / 8;
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::empty() const {
 	}
 }
 
-void RTLIL::Const::bitvectorize() const {
+void RTLIL::Const::bitvectorize_internal() const {
 	if (tag == backing_tag::bits)
 		return;
 
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ void RTLIL::Const::bitvectorize() const {
 }
 
 void RTLIL::Const::append(const RTLIL::Const &other) {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	bv.insert(bv.end(), other.begin(), other.end());
 }
@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ RTLIL::State RTLIL::Const::const_iterator::operator*() const {
 
 bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_zero() const
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_fully_zero");
 
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_zero() const
 
 bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_ones() const
 {
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_fully_ones");
 
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_def() const
 {
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_fully_def");
 
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 
 	for (const auto &bit : bv)
@@ -631,7 +631,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_undef() const
 {
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_fully_undef");
 
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 
 	for (const auto &bit : bv)
@@ -645,7 +645,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::is_fully_undef_x_only() const
 {
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_fully_undef_x_only");
 
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 
 	for (const auto &bit : bv)
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ bool RTLIL::Const::is_onehot(int *pos) const
 {
 	cover("kernel.rtlil.const.is_onehot");
 
-	bitvectorize();
+	bitvectorize_internal();
 	bitvectype& bv = get_bits();
 
 	bool found = false;
diff --git a/kernel/rtlil.h b/kernel/rtlil.h
index 2ffb56052..c1890452c 100644
--- a/kernel/rtlil.h
+++ b/kernel/rtlil.h
@@ -739,6 +739,7 @@ private:
 	bitvectype& get_bits() const;
 	std::string& get_str() const;
 	std::vector<RTLIL::State>& bits_internal();
+	void bitvectorize_internal() const;
 
 public:
 	Const() : flags(RTLIL::CONST_FLAG_NONE), tag(backing_tag::bits), bits_(std::vector<RTLIL::State>()) {}
@@ -767,8 +768,11 @@ public:
 	bool operator ==(const RTLIL::Const &other) const;
 	bool operator !=(const RTLIL::Const &other) const;
 
-	[[deprecated]]
+	[[deprecated("Don't use direct access to the internal std::vector<State>, that's an implementation detail.")]]
 	std::vector<RTLIL::State>& bits() { return bits_internal(); }
+	[[deprecated("Don't call bitvectorize() directly, it's an implementation detail.")]]
+	void bitvectorize() const { bitvectorize_internal(); }
+
 	bool as_bool() const;
 
 	// Convert the constant value to a C++ int.
@@ -797,7 +801,6 @@ public:
 	std::string decode_string() const;
 	int size() const;
 	bool empty() const;
-	void bitvectorize() const;
 
 	void append(const RTLIL::Const &other);
 	void set(int i, RTLIL::State state) {