diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/ActionInputHelper.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/ActionInputHelper.java
index f7a9e0734a44e8..23eab4188037c9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/ActionInputHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/ActionInputHelper.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact.ArtifactExpander;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact.SpecialArtifact;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact.TreeFileArtifact;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.Path;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.vfs.PathFragment;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -218,4 +219,14 @@ public static List<ActionInput> expandArtifacts(Iterable<? extends ActionInput>
   public static Iterable<String> toExecPaths(Iterable<? extends ActionInput> artifacts) {
     return Iterables.transform(artifacts, EXEC_PATH_STRING_FORMATTER);
   }
+
+  /** Returns the {@link Path} for an {@link ActionInput}. */
+  public static Path toPath(ActionInput input, Path execRoot) {
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(input, "input");
+    Preconditions.checkNotNull(execRoot, "execRoot");
+
+    return (input instanceof Artifact)
+        ? ((Artifact) input).getPath()
+        : execRoot.getRelative(input.getExecPath());
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/SingleBuildFileCache.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/SingleBuildFileCache.java
index 683024e7a7fd6e..ee1ad40ebfb75c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/SingleBuildFileCache.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/exec/SingleBuildFileCache.java
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import com.google.common.cache.Cache;
 import com.google.common.cache.CacheBuilder;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionInput;
-import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionInputHelper;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.DigestOfDirectoryException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.FileArtifactValue;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.MetadataProvider;
@@ -60,10 +60,7 @@ public FileArtifactValue getMetadata(ActionInput input) throws IOException {
           .get(
               input.getExecPathString(),
               () -> {
-                Path path =
-                    (input instanceof Artifact)
-                        ? ((Artifact) input).getPath()
-                        : execRoot.getRelative(input.getExecPath());
+                Path path = ActionInputHelper.toPath(input, execRoot);
                 try {
                   FileArtifactValue metadata = FileArtifactValue.create(path);
                   if (metadata.getType().isDirectory()) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/TreeNodeRepository.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/TreeNodeRepository.java
index f684ac5fb96309..1336a3fa47bbcc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/TreeNodeRepository.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/TreeNodeRepository.java
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ private TreeNode buildParentNode(
       Preconditions.checkArgument(
           inputsStart == inputsEnd - 1, "Encountered two inputs with the same path.");
       ActionInput input = inputs.get(inputsStart);
-      Path leafPath = execRoot.getRelative(input.getExecPathString());
+      Path leafPath = ActionInputHelper.toPath(input, execRoot);
       if (!(input instanceof VirtualActionInput) && uploadSymlinks) {
         FileStatus stat = leafPath.stat(Symlinks.NOFOLLOW);
         if (stat.isSymbolicLink()) {
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ private synchronized Directory getOrComputeDirectory(TreeNode node) throws IOExc
           if (uploadSymlinks) {
             // We need to stat the input to check whether it is a symlink.
             // getInputMetadata only gives target metadata.
-            Path inputPath = execRoot.getRelative(input.getExecPath());
+            Path inputPath = ActionInputHelper.toPath(input, execRoot);
             FileStatus stat = inputPath.stat(Symlinks.NOFOLLOW);
             if (stat.isSymbolicLink()) {
               PathFragment target = inputPath.readSymbolicLink();