diff --git a/tools/podio-vis b/tools/podio-vis
index 58d9e061f..a39f38b9f 100755
--- a/tools/podio-vis
+++ b/tools/podio-vis
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import os
 import sys
 import argparse
 import yaml
+from podio_class_generator import read_upstream_edm
 from podio_gen.generator_utils import DefinitionError
 from podio_gen.podio_config_reader import PodioConfigReader
 
@@ -15,31 +16,6 @@ except ImportError:
     sys.exit(1)
 
 
-def read_upstream_edm(name_path):
-    """Read an upstream EDM yaml definition file to make the types that are defined
-    in that available to the current EDM"""
-    if name_path is None:
-        return None
-
-    try:
-        name, path = name_path.split(":")
-    except ValueError as err:
-        raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError(
-            "upstream-edm argument needs to be the upstream package "
-            "name and the upstream edm yaml file separated by a colon"
-        ) from err
-
-    if not os.path.isfile(path):
-        raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError(f"{path} needs to be an EDM yaml file")
-
-    try:
-        return PodioConfigReader.read(path, name)
-    except DefinitionError as err:
-        raise argparse.ArgumentTypeError(
-            f"{path} does not contain a valid datamodel definition"
-        ) from err
-
-
 class ModelToGraphviz:
     """Class to transform a data model description into a graphical representation"""