diff --git a/src/helper/binarybuffer.c b/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
index ab8218ca2..87b9fa795 100644
--- a/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
+++ b/src/helper/binarybuffer.c
@@ -24,12 +24,7 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-
-#include "types.h"
 #include "log.h"
-
 #include "binarybuffer.h"
 
 const unsigned char bit_reverse_table256[] =
diff --git a/src/helper/command.c b/src/helper/command.c
index ecab9bdc2..cb576bb39 100644
--- a/src/helper/command.c
+++ b/src/helper/command.c
@@ -30,22 +30,14 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "replacements.h"
+// @todo the inclusion of target.h here is a layering violation
 #include "target.h"
 #include "command.h"
 #include "configuration.h"
-
 #include "log.h"
 #include "time_support.h"
 #include "jim-eventloop.h"
 
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <ctype.h>
-#include <stdarg.h>
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include <errno.h>
 
 int fast_and_dangerous = 0;
 Jim_Interp *interp = NULL;
diff --git a/src/helper/command.h b/src/helper/command.h
index 49609a685..5fc0a283e 100644
--- a/src/helper/command.h
+++ b/src/helper/command.h
@@ -23,7 +23,16 @@
 #ifndef COMMAND_H
 #define COMMAND_H
 
+/* Integrate the JIM TCL interpretor into the command processing. */
+#if BUILD_ECOSBOARD
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
+/* Jim is provied by eCos */
+#include <cyg/jimtcl/jim.h>
+#else
+#define JIM_EMBEDDED
+#include "jim.h"
+#endif
 
 enum command_mode
 {
@@ -87,16 +96,6 @@ extern void process_jim_events(void);
 
 extern int fast_and_dangerous;
 
-/* Integrate the JIM TCL interpretor into the command processing. */
-#include <stdarg.h>
-#if BUILD_ECOSBOARD
-/* Jim is provied by eCos */
-#include <cyg/jimtcl/jim.h>
-#else
-#define JIM_EMBEDDED
-#include "jim.h"
-#endif
-
 extern Jim_Interp *interp;
 
 void register_jim(command_context_t *context, const char *name, int (*cmd)(Jim_Interp *interp, int argc, Jim_Obj *const *argv), const char *help);
diff --git a/src/helper/configuration.c b/src/helper/configuration.c
index e33a2e168..d1395e6ad 100644
--- a/src/helper/configuration.c
+++ b/src/helper/configuration.c
@@ -24,14 +24,9 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "types.h"
-#include "command.h"
 #include "configuration.h"
 #include "log.h"
 
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
 
 static size_t num_config_files;
 static char** config_file_names;
diff --git a/src/helper/configuration.h b/src/helper/configuration.h
index 109bd1004..e75c70306 100644
--- a/src/helper/configuration.h
+++ b/src/helper/configuration.h
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #define CONFIGURATION_H
 
 #include "command.h"
-#include "types.h"
 
 extern int parse_cmdline_args(struct command_context_s *cmd_ctx, int argc, char *argv[]);
 extern int parse_config_file(struct command_context_s *cmd_ctx);
diff --git a/src/helper/fileio.c b/src/helper/fileio.c
index 070c0ac5e..3a1115259 100644
--- a/src/helper/fileio.c
+++ b/src/helper/fileio.c
@@ -27,21 +27,10 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "types.h"
-#include "replacements.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "configuration.h"
-
 #include "fileio.h"
 
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <sys/stat.h>
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <ctype.h>
-
 static inline int fileio_open_local(fileio_t *fileio)
 {
 	char access[4];
diff --git a/src/helper/fileio.h b/src/helper/fileio.h
index c764082e9..36e749b26 100644
--- a/src/helper/fileio.h
+++ b/src/helper/fileio.h
@@ -28,14 +28,7 @@
 
 #define FILEIO_MAX_ERROR_STRING		(128)
 
-#include "types.h"
-
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <sys/stat.h>
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <ctype.h>
+#include "replacements.h"
 
 enum fileio_type
 {
diff --git a/src/helper/log.c b/src/helper/log.c
index b6bb3479a..794f45485 100644
--- a/src/helper/log.c
+++ b/src/helper/log.c
@@ -27,18 +27,10 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "replacements.h"
-
 #include "log.h"
-#include "configuration.h"
 #include "time_support.h"
-#include "command.h"
 #include "server.h"
 
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 
 #ifdef _DEBUG_FREE_SPACE_
diff --git a/src/helper/log.h b/src/helper/log.h
index a790018f0..4f781991c 100644
--- a/src/helper/log.h
+++ b/src/helper/log.h
@@ -29,8 +29,6 @@
 #include "replacements.h"
 #include "command.h"
 
-#include <stdarg.h>
-
 /* logging priorities 
  * LOG_LVL_SILENT - turn off all output. In lieu of try+catch this can be used as a 
  *                  feeble ersatz.
diff --git a/src/helper/options.c b/src/helper/options.c
index 109419b39..801bd11b2 100644
--- a/src/helper/options.c
+++ b/src/helper/options.c
@@ -24,18 +24,11 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "replacements.h"
-
-#include "types.h"
-#include "command.h"
 #include "configuration.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "server.h"
 
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <getopt.h>
-#include <string.h>
 
 static int help_flag, version_flag;
 
diff --git a/src/helper/time_support.c b/src/helper/time_support.c
index bc52e9ca5..7a9a80010 100644
--- a/src/helper/time_support.c
+++ b/src/helper/time_support.c
@@ -27,12 +27,9 @@
 #include "config.h"
 #endif
 
-#include "replacements.h"
 #include "time_support.h"
 #include "log.h"
 
-#include <stdlib.h>
-
 
 /* calculate difference between two struct timeval values */
 int timeval_subtract(struct timeval *result, struct timeval *x, struct timeval *y)