diff --git a/api/queries_repo.go b/api/queries_repo.go
index 4b8a017ff..c4e8e3649 100644
--- a/api/queries_repo.go
+++ b/api/queries_repo.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package api
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/cli/cli/internal/ghrepo"
+	"github.com/cli/cli/utils"
 )
 
 // Repository contains information about a GitHub repo
@@ -281,3 +283,43 @@ func RepoCreate(client *Client, input RepoCreateInput) (*Repository, error) {
 
 	return &response.CreateRepository.Repository, nil
 }
+
+func RepositoryReadme(client *Client, fullName string) (string, error) {
+	type readmeResponse struct {
+		Name    string
+		Content string
+	}
+
+	var readme readmeResponse
+
+	err := client.REST("GET", fmt.Sprintf("repos/%s/readme", fullName), nil, &readme)
+	if err != nil && !strings.HasSuffix(err.Error(), "'Not Found'") {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("could not get readme for repo: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	decoded, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(readme.Content)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to decode readme: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	readmeContent := string(decoded)
+
+	if isMarkdownFile(readme.Name) {
+		readmeContent, err = utils.RenderMarkdown(readmeContent)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to render readme as markdown: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return readmeContent, nil
+
+}
+
+func isMarkdownFile(filename string) bool {
+	// kind of gross, but i'm assuming that 90% of the time the suffix will just be .md. it didn't
+	// seem worth executing a regex for this given that assumption.
+	return strings.HasSuffix(filename, ".md") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(filename, ".markdown") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(filename, ".mdown") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(filename, ".mkdown")
+}
diff --git a/command/repo.go b/command/repo.go
index 3bd412e77..c4c9db384 100644
--- a/command/repo.go
+++ b/command/repo.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package command
 
 import (
-	"encoding/base64"
 	"fmt"
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
@@ -450,31 +449,7 @@ func repoView(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	type readmeResponse struct {
-		Name    string
-		Content string
-	}
-
-	var readme readmeResponse
-
-	err = apiClient.REST("GET", fmt.Sprintf("repos/%s/readme", fullName), nil, &readme)
-	if err != nil && !strings.HasSuffix(err.Error(), "'Not Found'") {
-		return fmt.Errorf("could not get readme for repo: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	decoded, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(readme.Content)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to decode readme: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	readmeContent := string(decoded)
-
-	if strings.HasSuffix(readme.Name, ".md") {
-		readmeContent, err = utils.RenderMarkdown(readmeContent)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to render readme as markdown: %w", err)
-		}
-	}
+	readmeContent, err := api.RepositoryReadme(apiClient, fullName)
 
 	if readmeContent == "" {
 		readmeContent = utils.Gray("No README provided")