diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 28dedd06df..58208420b3 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -441,6 +441,7 @@
     AM_CONDITIONAL([BUILD_FUZZTARGETS], [test "x$enable_fuzztargets" = "xyes"])
     AC_PROG_CXX
     AS_IF([test "x$enable_fuzztargets" = "xyes"], [
+        AC_DEFINE([FUZZ], [1], [Fuzz targets are enabled])
         AC_DEFINE([AFLFUZZ_NO_RANDOM], [1], [Disable all use of random functions])
         CFLAGS_ORIG=$CFLAGS
         CFLAGS="-Werror"
@@ -478,9 +479,6 @@ return 0;
   # enable the running of unit tests
     AC_ARG_ENABLE(unittests,
            AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-unittests], [Enable compilation of the unit tests]),[enable_unittests=$enableval],[enable_unittests=no])
-    AS_IF([test "x$enable_fuzztargets" = "xyes"], [
-        export enable_unittests="yes"
-    ])
     AS_IF([test "x$enable_unittests" = "xyes"], [
         AC_DEFINE([UNITTESTS],[1],[Enable built-in unittests])
     ])
diff --git a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_applayerprotodetectgetproto.c b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_applayerprotodetectgetproto.c
index 27b271924e..4c6320879d 100644
--- a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_applayerprotodetectgetproto.c
+++ b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_applayerprotodetectgetproto.c
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
         alpd_tctx = AppLayerProtoDetectGetCtxThread();
     }
 
-    f = UTHBuildFlow(AF_INET, "1.2.3.4", "5.6.7.8", (data[2] << 8) | data[3], (data[4] << 8) | data[5]);
+    f = TestHelperBuildFlow(AF_INET, "1.2.3.4", "5.6.7.8", (data[2] << 8) | data[3], (data[4] << 8) | data[5]);
     if (f == NULL) {
         return 0;
     }
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
             }
         }
     }
-    UTHFreeFlow(f);
+    FlowFree(f);
 
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_decodepcapfile.c b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_decodepcapfile.c
index 28cf661f6e..3b77f2b425 100644
--- a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_decodepcapfile.c
+++ b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_decodepcapfile.c
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
     }
 
     //rewrite buffer to a file as libpcap does not have buffer inputs
-    if (UTHbufferToFile("/tmp/fuzz.pcap", data, size) < 0) {
+    if (TestHelperBufferToFile("/tmp/fuzz.pcap", data, size) < 0) {
         return 0;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_sigpcap.c b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_sigpcap.c
index bce14c3fbc..92b407f1f8 100644
--- a/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_sigpcap.c
+++ b/src/tests/fuzz/fuzz_sigpcap.c
@@ -119,11 +119,11 @@ int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
     }
     if (pos > 0 && pos < size) {
         // dump signatures to a file so as to reuse SigLoadSignatures
-        if (UTHbufferToFile(suricata.sig_file, data, pos-1) < 0) {
+        if (TestHelperBufferToFile(suricata.sig_file, data, pos-1) < 0) {
             return 0;
         }
     } else {
-        if (UTHbufferToFile(suricata.sig_file, data, pos) < 0) {
+        if (TestHelperBufferToFile(suricata.sig_file, data, pos) < 0) {
             return 0;
         }
     }
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
     size -= pos;
 
     //rewrite buffer to a file as libpcap does not have buffer inputs
-    if (UTHbufferToFile("/tmp/fuzz.pcap", data, size) < 0) {
+    if (TestHelperBufferToFile("/tmp/fuzz.pcap", data, size) < 0) {
         return 0;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/util-unittest-helper.c b/src/util-unittest-helper.c
index 0078df7e9f..1afccfdf4b 100644
--- a/src/util-unittest-helper.c
+++ b/src/util-unittest-helper.c
@@ -45,6 +45,80 @@
 #include "util-unittest.h"
 #include "util-unittest-helper.h"
 
+#if defined(UNITTESTS) || defined(FUZZ)
+Flow *TestHelperBuildFlow(int family, const char *src, const char *dst, Port sp, Port dp)
+{
+    struct in_addr in;
+
+    Flow *f = SCMalloc(sizeof(Flow));
+    if (unlikely(f == NULL)) {
+        printf("FlowAlloc failed\n");
+        ;
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    memset(f, 0x00, sizeof(Flow));
+
+    FLOW_INITIALIZE(f);
+
+    if (family == AF_INET) {
+        f->flags |= FLOW_IPV4;
+    } else if (family == AF_INET6) {
+        f->flags |= FLOW_IPV6;
+    }
+
+    if (src != NULL) {
+        if (family == AF_INET) {
+            if (inet_pton(AF_INET, src, &in) != 1) {
+                printf("invalid address %s\n", src);
+                SCFree(f);
+                return NULL;
+            }
+            f->src.addr_data32[0] = in.s_addr;
+        } else {
+            BUG_ON(1);
+        }
+    }
+    if (dst != NULL) {
+        if (family == AF_INET) {
+            if (inet_pton(AF_INET, dst, &in) != 1) {
+                printf("invalid address %s\n", dst);
+                SCFree(f);
+                return NULL;
+            }
+            f->dst.addr_data32[0] = in.s_addr;
+        } else {
+            BUG_ON(1);
+        }
+    }
+
+    f->sp = sp;
+    f->dp = dp;
+
+    return f;
+}
+/** \brief writes the contents of a buffer into a file */
+int TestHelperBufferToFile(const char *name, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
+{
+    if (remove(name) != 0) {
+        if (errno != ENOENT) {
+            printf("failed remove, errno=%d\n", errno);
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+    FILE *fd = fopen(name, "wb");
+    if (fd == NULL) {
+        printf("failed open, errno=%d\n", errno);
+        return -2;
+    }
+    if (fwrite (data, 1, size, fd) != size) {
+        fclose(fd);
+        return -3;
+    }
+    fclose(fd);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+#endif
 #ifdef UNITTESTS
 
 /**
@@ -445,53 +519,7 @@ void UTHAssignFlow(Packet *p, Flow *f)
 
 Flow *UTHBuildFlow(int family, const char *src, const char *dst, Port sp, Port dp)
 {
-    struct in_addr in;
-
-    Flow *f = SCMalloc(sizeof(Flow));
-    if (unlikely(f == NULL)) {
-        printf("FlowAlloc failed\n");
-        ;
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    memset(f, 0x00, sizeof(Flow));
-
-    FLOW_INITIALIZE(f);
-
-    if (family == AF_INET) {
-        f->flags |= FLOW_IPV4;
-    } else if (family == AF_INET6) {
-        f->flags |= FLOW_IPV6;
-    }
-
-    if (src != NULL) {
-        if (family == AF_INET) {
-            if (inet_pton(AF_INET, src, &in) != 1) {
-                printf("invalid address %s\n", src);
-                SCFree(f);
-                return NULL;
-            }
-            f->src.addr_data32[0] = in.s_addr;
-        } else {
-            BUG_ON(1);
-        }
-    }
-    if (dst != NULL) {
-        if (family == AF_INET) {
-            if (inet_pton(AF_INET, dst, &in) != 1) {
-                printf("invalid address %s\n", dst);
-                SCFree(f);
-                return NULL;
-            }
-            f->dst.addr_data32[0] = in.s_addr;
-        } else {
-            BUG_ON(1);
-        }
-    }
-
-    f->sp = sp;
-    f->dp = dp;
-
-    return f;
+    return TestHelperBuildFlow(family, src, dst, sp, dp);
 }
 
 void UTHFreeFlow(Flow *flow)
@@ -942,28 +970,6 @@ int UTHParseSignature(const char *str, bool expect)
     PASS;
 }
 
-/** \brief writes the contents of a buffer into a file */
-int UTHbufferToFile(const char * name, const uint8_t *data, size_t size) {
-    FILE * fd;
-    if (remove(name) != 0) {
-        if (errno != ENOENT) {
-            printf("failed remove, errno=%d\n", errno);
-            return -1;
-        }
-    }
-    fd = fopen(name, "wb");
-    if (fd == NULL) {
-        printf("failed open, errno=%d\n", errno);
-        return -2;
-    }
-    if (fwrite (data, 1, size, fd) != size) {
-        fclose(fd);
-        return -3;
-    }
-    fclose(fd);
-    return 0;
-}
-
 /*
  * unittests for the unittest helpers
  */
diff --git a/src/util-unittest-helper.h b/src/util-unittest-helper.h
index 05e7963ffd..fcecec3056 100644
--- a/src/util-unittest-helper.h
+++ b/src/util-unittest-helper.h
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@
 #ifndef __UTIL_UNITTEST_HELPER__
 #define __UTIL_UNITTEST_HELPER__
 
+#if defined(UNITTESTS) || defined(FUZZ)
+Flow *TestHelperBuildFlow(int family, const char *src, const char *dst, Port sp, Port dp);
+int TestHelperBufferToFile(const char *name, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+#endif
 #ifdef UNITTESTS
 uint32_t UTHSetIPv4Address(const char *);
 
@@ -63,7 +67,6 @@ Packet *UTHBuildPacketIPV6Real(uint8_t *, uint16_t , uint8_t ipproto, const char
 
 void * UTHmemsearch(const void *big, size_t big_len, const void *little, size_t little_len);
 int UTHParseSignature(const char *str, bool expect);
-int UTHbufferToFile(const char * name, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
 #endif
 
 void UTHRegisterTests(void);