diff --git a/build.gradle.kts b/build.gradle.kts
index c48133b2db8..7ece3b2009b 100644
--- a/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/build.gradle.kts
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ extra["compilerModules"] = arrayOf(
     ":js:js.translator",
     ":js:js.dce",
     ":native:frontend.native",
+    ":native:kotlin-native-utils",
     ":compiler",
     ":kotlin-build-common",
     ":core:metadata",
@@ -559,6 +560,10 @@ tasks {
 //        dependsOn(":js:js.tests:wasmTest")
     }
 
+    register("nativeCompilerTest") {
+        dependsOn(":native:kotlin-native-utils:test")
+    }
+
     register("firCompilerTest") {
         dependsOn(":compiler:fir:raw-fir:psi2fir:test")
         dependsOn(":compiler:fir:raw-fir:light-tree2fir:test")
@@ -600,6 +605,7 @@ tasks {
         dependsOn("jvmCompilerTest")
         dependsOn("jsCompilerTest")
         dependsOn("wasmCompilerTest")
+        dependsOn("nativeCompilerTest")
         dependsOn("firCompilerTest")
 
         dependsOn("scriptingTest")
@@ -612,7 +618,6 @@ tasks {
 
     register("toolsTest") {
         dependsOn(":tools:kotlinp:test")
-        dependsOn(":native:kotlin-native-utils:test")
         dependsOn(":native:kotlin-klib-commonizer:test")
     }
 
diff --git a/idea/idea-native/build.gradle.kts b/idea/idea-native/build.gradle.kts
index 7fcff5a7451..5794e58878e 100644
--- a/idea/idea-native/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/idea/idea-native/build.gradle.kts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ dependencies {
     compile(project(":idea:idea-jvm"))
     compile(project(":compiler:frontend"))
     compile(project(":native:frontend.native"))
-    compile(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
 
     compileOnly(intellijDep())
     Platform[192].orHigher {
diff --git a/libraries/tools/kotlin-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts b/libraries/tools/kotlin-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
index 9f3ec95272b..fa3307ebb40 100644
--- a/libraries/tools/kotlin-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/libraries/tools/kotlin-gradle-plugin/build.gradle.kts
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ dependencies {
     compileOnly(project(":daemon-common"))
 
     compile(kotlinStdlib())
-    compile(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
     compile(project(":kotlin-util-klib"))
+    compileOnly(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
     compileOnly(project(":kotlin-reflect-api"))
     compileOnly(project(":kotlin-android-extensions"))
     compileOnly(project(":kotlin-build-common"))
diff --git a/native/commonizer-embeddable/build.gradle.kts b/native/commonizer-embeddable/build.gradle.kts
index b3401e9fded..a0d4a779e31 100644
--- a/native/commonizer-embeddable/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/native/commonizer-embeddable/build.gradle.kts
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ dependencies {
     embedded(project(":native:kotlin-klib-commonizer")) { isTransitive = false }
     runtime(kotlinStdlib())
     runtime(project(":kotlin-compiler-embeddable"))
-    runtime(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
 }
 
 sourceSets {
diff --git a/native/commonizer/build.gradle.kts b/native/commonizer/build.gradle.kts
index 56d679db12e..48865f47ca9 100644
--- a/native/commonizer/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/native/commonizer/build.gradle.kts
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ dependencies {
     mavenCompileScope(project(":kotlin-compiler"))
 
     compile(kotlinStdlib())
-    compile(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
 
     testCompile(commonDep("junit:junit"))
     testCompile(projectTests(":compiler:tests-common"))
diff --git a/native/frontend/build.gradle.kts b/native/frontend/build.gradle.kts
index cf6702886b0..b9729dae68b 100644
--- a/native/frontend/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/native/frontend/build.gradle.kts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ dependencies {
     compileOnly(project(":compiler:frontend"))
     compileOnly(project(":compiler:frontend.java"))
     compileOnly(intellijCoreDep()) { includeJars("intellij-core") }
+    compile(project(":native:kotlin-native-utils"))
 }
 
 sourceSets {
diff --git a/native/utils/build.gradle.kts b/native/utils/build.gradle.kts
index 6ffa804e5b3..1fbf58a8622 100644
--- a/native/utils/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/native/utils/build.gradle.kts
@@ -6,19 +6,21 @@ plugins {
 description = "Kotlin/Native utils"
 
 dependencies {
-    compile(kotlinStdlib())
+    compileOnly(kotlinStdlib())
     compile(project(":kotlin-util-io"))
 
     testCompile(commonDep("junit:junit"))
     testCompileOnly(project(":kotlin-reflect-api"))
-    testRuntime(project(":kotlin-reflect"))}
+    testRuntime(project(":kotlin-reflect"))
+}
 
 sourceSets {
     "main" { projectDefault() }
     "test" { projectDefault() }
 }
 
+// TODO: this single known external consumer of this artifact is Kotlin/Native backend,
+//  so publishing could be stopped after migration to monorepo
 publish()
 
 standardPublicJars()
-