diff --git a/lib/command.c b/lib/command.c
index b34fa7ff3e..6a4d504b2f 100644
--- a/lib/command.c
+++ b/lib/command.c
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ const char *cmd_prompt(enum node_type node)
 }
 
 /* Install a command into a node. */
-void install_element(enum node_type ntype, const struct cmd_element *cmd)
+void _install_element(enum node_type ntype, const struct cmd_element *cmd)
 {
 	struct cmd_node *cnode;
 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ void install_element(enum node_type ntype, const struct cmd_element *cmd)
 	vector_set(cnode->cmd_vector, (void *)cmd);
 
 	if (ntype == VIEW_NODE)
-		install_element(ENABLE_NODE, cmd);
+		_install_element(ENABLE_NODE, cmd);
 }
 
 void uninstall_element(enum node_type ntype, const struct cmd_element *cmd)
@@ -2344,18 +2344,18 @@ const char *host_config_get(void)
 
 void install_default(enum node_type node)
 {
-	install_element(node, &config_exit_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_quit_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_end_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_help_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_list_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_cli_graph_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &find_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_exit_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_quit_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_end_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_help_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_list_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_cli_graph_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &find_cmd);
 
-	install_element(node, &config_write_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_running_config_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_write_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_running_config_cmd);
 
-	install_element(node, &autocomplete_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &autocomplete_cmd);
 
 	nb_cli_install_default(node);
 }
diff --git a/lib/command.h b/lib/command.h
index 6acaa450c2..71abb20b05 100644
--- a/lib/command.h
+++ b/lib/command.h
@@ -488,7 +488,29 @@ struct cmd_node {
 /* Prototypes. */
 extern void install_node(struct cmd_node *node);
 extern void install_default(enum node_type);
-extern void install_element(enum node_type, const struct cmd_element *);
+
+struct xref_install_element {
+	struct xref xref;
+
+	const struct cmd_element *cmd_element;
+	enum node_type node_type;
+};
+
+#ifndef VTYSH_EXTRACT_PL
+#define install_element(node_type_, cmd_element_) do {                         \
+		static const struct xref_install_element _xref                 \
+				__attribute__((used)) = {                      \
+			.xref = XREF_INIT(XREFT_INSTALL_ELEMENT, NULL,         \
+					  __func__),                           \
+			.cmd_element = cmd_element_,                           \
+			.node_type = node_type_,                               \
+		};                                                             \
+		XREF_LINK(_xref.xref);                                         \
+		_install_element(node_type_, cmd_element_);                    \
+	} while (0)
+#endif
+
+extern void _install_element(enum node_type, const struct cmd_element *);
 
 /* known issue with uninstall_element:  changes to cmd_token->attr (i.e.
  * deprecated/hidden) are not reversed. */
diff --git a/lib/northbound_cli.c b/lib/northbound_cli.c
index 853f643472..ad7dad5cb2 100644
--- a/lib/northbound_cli.c
+++ b/lib/northbound_cli.c
@@ -1826,20 +1826,20 @@ static struct cmd_node nb_debug_node = {
 
 void nb_cli_install_default(int node)
 {
-	install_element(node, &show_config_candidate_section_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_config_candidate_section_cmd);
 
 	if (frr_get_cli_mode() != FRR_CLI_TRANSACTIONAL)
 		return;
 
-	install_element(node, &config_commit_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_commit_comment_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_commit_check_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_update_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &config_discard_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_config_running_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_config_candidate_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_config_compare_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_config_transaction_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_commit_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_commit_comment_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_commit_check_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_update_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_discard_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_config_running_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_config_candidate_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_config_compare_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_config_transaction_cmd);
 }
 
 /* YANG module autocomplete. */
diff --git a/lib/xref.h b/lib/xref.h
index 29c68820fd..11796bc4f8 100644
--- a/lib/xref.h
+++ b/lib/xref.h
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ enum xref_type {
 	XREFT_LOGMSG = 0x200,
 
 	XREFT_DEFUN = 0x300,
+	XREFT_INSTALL_ELEMENT = 0x301,
 };
 
 /* struct xref is the "const" part;  struct xrefdata is the writable part. */
diff --git a/vtysh/vtysh.c b/vtysh/vtysh.c
index a6f9f39a4c..efb6b28acc 100644
--- a/vtysh/vtysh.c
+++ b/vtysh/vtysh.c
@@ -3797,11 +3797,11 @@ DEFUN_HIDDEN(show_cli_graph_vtysh,
 
 static void vtysh_install_default(enum node_type node)
 {
-	install_element(node, &config_list_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &find_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &show_cli_graph_vtysh_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &vtysh_output_file_cmd);
-	install_element(node, &no_vtysh_output_file_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &config_list_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &find_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &show_cli_graph_vtysh_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &vtysh_output_file_cmd);
+	_install_element(node, &no_vtysh_output_file_cmd);
 }
 
 /* Making connection to protocol daemon. */