diff --git a/R/standalone-sfext-utils.R b/R/standalone-sfext-utils.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bca6e67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/standalone-sfext-utils.R
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+# ---
+# repo: elipousson/sfext
+# file: standalone-sfext-utils.R
+# last-updated: 2023-09-08
+# license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
+# imports: [cli, rlang, sf, units]
+# ---
+#
+# This file provides a set of helper functions for check the class of sf objects
+# and related object types and wrappers for key `{sf}` functions that suppress
+# excess warnings and allow NULL inputs
+#
+# ## Changelog
+#
+# 2023-09-08:
+# * First version of simple helpers and wrappers.
+#
+# nocov start
+
+.is_sfg <- function(x) {
+  inherits(x, "sfg")
+}
+
+.is_sfc <- function(x) {
+  inherits(x, "sfc")
+}
+
+.is_sf <- function(x) {
+  inherits(x, "sf")
+}
+
+.is_sfish <- function(x, class = c("sfc", "sfg")) {
+  inherits(x, c("sf", class))
+}
+
+.is_bbox <- function(x) {
+  inherits(x, "bbox")
+}
+
+.is_units <- function(x) {
+  inherits(x, "units")
+}
+
+.cli_vec_or <- function(x,
+                        style = c(
+                          cli::builtin_theme()$span.val,
+                          "vec-last" = " or "
+                        )) {
+  cli::cli_vec(nm, style = style)
+}
+
+.check_sf <- function(x,
+                      ...,
+                      allow_empty = TRUE,
+                      allow_null = FALSE,
+                      allow_class = NULL,
+                      allow_bbox = FALSE,
+                      arg = caller_arg(x),
+                      call = caller_env()) {
+  if (allow_null && is.null(x)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  if (!allow_empty && .is_sfish(x) && sf::st_is_empty(x)) {
+    message <- "{.arg {arg}} can't contain any empty feature geometries."
+    cli::cli_abort(message, ..., call = call)
+  }
+
+  allow_class <- c("sf", allow_class)
+
+  if (allow_bbox) {
+    allow_class <- c(allow_class, "bbox")
+  }
+
+  if (inherits_any(x, class = allow_class)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  message <- "{.arg {arg}} must be a {allow_class} object,
+  not a {.obj_simple_type {x}}"
+
+  if (length(allow_class) > 1) {
+    message <- "{.arg {arg}} must be a {.cli_vec_or(allow_class)} object,
+    not a {.obj_simple_type {x}}"
+  }
+
+  cli::cli_abort(message, ..., call = call)
+}
+
+.check_sfish <- function(x,
+                         ...,
+                         allow_empty = TRUE,
+                         allow_null = FALSE,
+                         allow_class = c("sfc", "sfg"),
+                         allow_bbox = FALSE,
+                         arg = caller_arg(x),
+                         call = caller_env()) {
+  .check_sf(
+    x,
+    ...,
+    allow_empty = allow_empty,
+    allow_null = allow_null,
+    allow_class = allow_class,
+    allow_bbox = allow_bbox,
+    arg = arg,
+    call = call
+  )
+}
+
+.sf_transform <- function(x,
+                          crs = NULL,
+                          ...,
+                          allow_null = TRUE,
+                          arg = caller_arg(x),
+                          call = caller_env()) {
+  .check_sfish(
+    x,
+    arg = arg,
+    allow_null = alllow_null,
+    allow_bbox = TRUE,
+    call = call
+  )
+
+  if (.is_bbox(x)) {
+    .bbox_transform(x, crs = crs, ...)
+  }
+
+  if (is.null(x) || is.null(crs)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  sf::st_transform(x, crs = sf::st_crs(crs), ...)
+}
+
+.bbox_transform <- function(x, crs = NULL, ..., allow_null = TRUE) {
+  if (allow_null && (is_null(crs) || is_null(x))) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  sf::st_bbox(sf::st_transform(sf::st_as_sfc(bbox), crs = sf::st_crs(crs), ...))
+}
+
+.sf_centroid <- function(x,
+                         ...,
+                         crs = NULL,
+                         allow_null = TRUE,
+                         arg = caller_arg(x),
+                         call = caller_env()) {
+  .check_sfish(x, arg = arg, allow_null = alllow_null, call = call)
+
+  if (is.null(x)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  x <- suppressWarnings(sf::st_centroid(x, ...))
+  .sf_transform(x, crs = crs, allow_null = allow_null)
+}
+
+.sf_point_on_surface <- function(x,
+                                 ...,
+                                 crs = NULL,
+                                 allow_null = TRUE,
+                                 arg = caller_arg(x),
+                                 call = caller_env()) {
+  .check_sfish(x, arg = arg, allow_null = alllow_null, call = call)
+
+  if (is.null(x)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  x <- suppressWarnings(sf::st_point_on_surface(x, ...))
+  .sf_transform(x, crs = crs, allow_null = allow_null)
+}
+
+.sf_buffer <- function(x,
+                       dist = NULL,
+                       unit = NULL,
+                       ...,
+                       crs = NULL,
+                       allow_null = TRUE,
+                       arg = caller_arg(x),
+                       call = caller_env()) {
+  .check_sfish(x, arg = arg, allow_null = alllow_null, call = call)
+
+  if (is.null(x)) {
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  if (!is.null(dist)) {
+    if (!is.null(unit) && !.is_units(dist)) {
+      dist <- units::as_units(dist, unit)
+    }
+
+    x <- sf::st_buffer(x, dist = dist, ...)
+  }
+
+  .sf_transform(x, crs = crs)
+}
+
+# nocov end
diff --git a/R/utils-check.R b/R/utils-check.R
index fce2c23..44dfa99 100644
--- a/R/utils-check.R
+++ b/R/utils-check.R
@@ -190,10 +190,7 @@ check_has_name <- function(x,
   n_nm <- length(nm)
 
   if (allow_any) {
-    nm <- cli::cli_vec(
-      nm,
-      style = c(cli::builtin_theme()$span.val, "vec-last" = " or ")
-    )
+    nm <- .cli_vec_or(nm)
     message <- "{.arg {arg}} must have any of the {name}{qty(n_nm)}{?s} {.val {nm}}"
   } else {
     message <- c(