diff --git a/localtileserver/__init__.py b/localtileserver/__init__.py
index da4261c1..2d6f04c2 100644
--- a/localtileserver/__init__.py
+++ b/localtileserver/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 # flake8: noqa: F401
 from localtileserver._version import __version__
-from localtileserver.client import TileClient, get_or_create_tile_client, open
+from localtileserver.client import TileClient, get_or_create_tile_client
 from localtileserver.helpers import hillshade, parse_shapely, polygon_to_geojson, save_new_raster
+from localtileserver.io import open
 from localtileserver.report import Report
 from localtileserver.tiler import get_cache_dir, make_vsi, purge_cache
 from localtileserver.validate import validate_cog
diff --git a/localtileserver/client.py b/localtileserver/client.py
index 901779a1..f9725f32 100644
--- a/localtileserver/client.py
+++ b/localtileserver/client.py
@@ -589,29 +589,3 @@ def get_or_create_tile_client(
             del source
         raise e
     return source, _internally_created
-
-
-def open(
-    source: Union[
-        pathlib.Path,
-        str,
-        TileClient,
-        rasterio.io.DatasetReaderBase,
-    ],
-    port: Union[int, str] = "default",
-    debug: bool = False,
-):
-    """Open a raster file as a TileClient.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    source : pathlib.Path, str, TileClient, rasterio.io.DatasetReaderBase
-        The source dataset to use for the tile client.
-    port : int
-        The port on your host machine to use for the tile server. This defaults
-        to getting an available port.
-    debug : bool
-        Run the tile server in debug mode.
-
-    """
-    return get_or_create_tile_client(source, port=port, debug=debug)[0]
diff --git a/localtileserver/io.py b/localtileserver/io.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c8f1eca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/localtileserver/io.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import pathlib
+from typing import Union
+
+import rasterio
+
+from localtileserver.client import TileClient, get_or_create_tile_client
+
+
+def open(
+    source: Union[
+        pathlib.Path,
+        str,
+        TileClient,
+        rasterio.io.DatasetReaderBase,
+    ],
+    port: Union[int, str] = "default",
+    debug: bool = False,
+):
+    """Open a raster file as a TileClient.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    source : pathlib.Path, str, TileClient, rasterio.io.DatasetReaderBase
+        The source dataset to use for the tile client.
+    port : int
+        The port on your host machine to use for the tile server. This defaults
+        to getting an available port.
+    debug : bool
+        Run the tile server in debug mode.
+
+    """
+    return get_or_create_tile_client(source, port=port, debug=debug)[0]