diff --git a/src/runner/proxypluginwrappers.cpp b/src/runner/proxypluginwrappers.cpp
index 38edfc0..7518151 100644
--- a/src/runner/proxypluginwrappers.cpp
+++ b/src/runner/proxypluginwrappers.cpp
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include "gilock.h"
 #include <QUrl>
 #include <QWidget>
-#include <sip.h>
+#include "sipApiAccess.h"
 
 namespace boost
 {
@@ -491,17 +491,6 @@ std::set<QString> IPluginPreviewWrapper::supportedExtensions() const
   } PYCATCH;
 }
 
-// right now, this is copied and pasted from apythonrunner.cpp, but it should probably be moved int oa shared header
-static const sipAPIDef *sipAPI()
-{
-  static const sipAPIDef *sipApi = nullptr;
-  if (sipApi == nullptr) {
-    sipApi = (const sipAPIDef *)PyCapsule_Import("sip._C_API", 0);
-  }
-
-  return sipApi;
-}
-
 QWidget *IPluginPreviewWrapper::genFilePreview(const QString &fileName, const QSize &maxSize) const
 {
   try {
diff --git a/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp b/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
index 2cada6b..1f1cbc2 100644
--- a/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
+++ b/src/runner/pythonrunner.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <iplugintool.h>
 #include "uibasewrappers.h"
 #include "proxypluginwrappers.h"
+#include "sipApiAccess.h"
 
 #include <Windows.h>
 #include <utility.h>
@@ -417,17 +418,6 @@ struct stdset_from_python_list
 };
 
 
-static const sipAPIDef *sipAPI()
-{
-  static const sipAPIDef *sipApi = nullptr;
-  if (sipApi == nullptr) {
-    sipApi = (const sipAPIDef *)PyCapsule_Import("sip._C_API", 0);
-  }
-
-  return sipApi;
-}
-
-
 struct IModRepositoryBridge_to_python
 {
   static PyObject *convert(IModRepositoryBridge *bridge)
diff --git a/src/runner/sipApiAccess.h b/src/runner/sipApiAccess.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a5e8954
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/runner/sipApiAccess.h
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#include <sip.h>
+
+static const sipAPIDef *sipAPI()
+{
+  static const sipAPIDef *sipApi = nullptr;
+  if (sipApi == nullptr) {
+    sipApi = (const sipAPIDef *)PyCapsule_Import("sip._C_API", 0);
+  }
+
+  return sipApi;
+}