diff --git a/core/images/archive/reference.go b/core/images/archive/reference.go
index 8d8b548cf..e167f2d5e 100644
--- a/core/images/archive/reference.go
+++ b/core/images/archive/reference.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 	distref "github.com/distribution/reference"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
 )
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/handler.go b/core/remotes/docker/handler.go
index 3b1e98c65..615869a22 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/handler.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/handler.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/content"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/images"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/labels"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 	"github.com/containerd/log"
 	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
 )
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/handler_test.go b/core/remotes/docker/handler_test.go
index 1cba56acf..10026e703 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/handler_test.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/handler_test.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/labels"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 )
 
 func TestAppendDistributionLabel(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/pusher_test.go b/core/remotes/docker/pusher_test.go
index 9b01a9aa4..22de402f9 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/pusher_test.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/pusher_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/content"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/remotes"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/errdefs"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 	"github.com/containerd/log/logtest"
 	"github.com/opencontainers/go-digest"
 	ocispec "github.com/opencontainers/image-spec/specs-go/v1"
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/resolver.go b/core/remotes/docker/resolver.go
index 70bf5a60d..ecff062fc 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/resolver.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/resolver.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/remotes/docker/schema1" //nolint:staticcheck // Ignore SA1019. Need to keep deprecated package for compatibility.
 	remoteerrors "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/remotes/errors"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/errdefs"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/tracing"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/version"
 	"github.com/containerd/log"
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/scope.go b/core/remotes/docker/scope.go
index fe9304915..8135498bd 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/scope.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/scope.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 )
 
 // RepositoryScope returns a repository scope string such as "repository:foo/bar:pull"
diff --git a/core/remotes/docker/scope_test.go b/core/remotes/docker/scope_test.go
index dbee7c4b3..c986f7b56 100644
--- a/core/remotes/docker/scope_test.go
+++ b/core/remotes/docker/scope_test.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/reference"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/reference"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
diff --git a/reference/docker/helpers_deprecated.go b/pkg/reference/docker/helpers_deprecated.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/docker/helpers_deprecated.go
rename to pkg/reference/docker/helpers_deprecated.go
diff --git a/reference/docker/normalize_deprecated.go b/pkg/reference/docker/normalize_deprecated.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/docker/normalize_deprecated.go
rename to pkg/reference/docker/normalize_deprecated.go
diff --git a/reference/docker/reference_deprecated.go b/pkg/reference/docker/reference_deprecated.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/docker/reference_deprecated.go
rename to pkg/reference/docker/reference_deprecated.go
diff --git a/reference/docker/regexp_deprecated.go b/pkg/reference/docker/regexp_deprecated.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/docker/regexp_deprecated.go
rename to pkg/reference/docker/regexp_deprecated.go
diff --git a/reference/docker/sort_deprecated.go b/pkg/reference/docker/sort_deprecated.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/docker/sort_deprecated.go
rename to pkg/reference/docker/sort_deprecated.go
diff --git a/reference/reference.go b/pkg/reference/reference.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/reference.go
rename to pkg/reference/reference.go
diff --git a/reference/reference_test.go b/pkg/reference/reference_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from reference/reference_test.go
rename to pkg/reference/reference_test.go