diff --git a/include/maxscale/semaphore.hh b/include/maxscale/semaphore.hh
index 1d4478c97..0ae95d4da 100644
--- a/include/maxscale/semaphore.hh
+++ b/include/maxscale/semaphore.hh
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 #include <maxscale/ccdefs.hh>
 #include <errno.h>
-#include <maxscale/semaphore.h>
+#include <maxbase/semaphore.h>
 #include <maxscale/debug.h>
 
 namespace maxscale
diff --git a/include/maxscale/semaphore.h b/maxutils/maxbase/include/maxbase/semaphore.h
similarity index 85%
rename from include/maxscale/semaphore.h
rename to maxutils/maxbase/include/maxbase/semaphore.h
index 6dbb03497..579f835d2 100644
--- a/include/maxscale/semaphore.h
+++ b/maxutils/maxbase/include/maxbase/semaphore.h
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
  */
 
 // As a minimal preparation for other environments than Linux, components
-// include <maxscale/semaphore.h>,  instead of including <semaphore.h>
+// include <maxbase/semaphore.h>,  instead of including <semaphore.h>
 // directly.
-#include <maxscale/cdefs.h>
+#include <maxbase/cdefs.h>
 #include <semaphore.h>
diff --git a/server/core/housekeeper.cc b/server/core/housekeeper.cc
index cc21b4284..351ad95c8 100644
--- a/server/core/housekeeper.cc
+++ b/server/core/housekeeper.cc
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <thread>
 
+#include <maxbase/semaphore.h>
 #include <maxscale/alloc.h>
 #include <maxscale/atomic.h>
 #include <maxscale/clock.h>
@@ -25,7 +26,6 @@
 #include <maxscale/housekeeper.h>
 #include <maxscale/json_api.h>
 #include <maxscale/query_classifier.h>
-#include <maxscale/semaphore.h>
 #include <maxscale/spinlock.h>
 #include <maxscale/spinlock.hh>