diff --git a/pygmt/clib/session.py b/pygmt/clib/session.py
index 1b8b5483a28..1a77659ac75 100644
--- a/pygmt/clib/session.py
+++ b/pygmt/clib/session.py
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
     GMTVersionError,
 )
 from pygmt.helpers import (
+    _validate_data_input,
     data_kind,
     tempfile_from_geojson,
     tempfile_from_image,
@@ -1684,8 +1685,15 @@ def virtualfile_in(  # noqa: PLR0912
         ...             print(fout.read().strip())
         <vector memory>: N = 3 <7/9> <4/6> <1/3>
         """
-        kind = data_kind(
-            data, x, y, z, required_z=required_z, required_data=required_data
+        kind = data_kind(data, required=required_data)
+        _validate_data_input(
+            data=data,
+            x=x,
+            y=y,
+            z=z,
+            required_z=required_z,
+            required_data=required_data,
+            kind=kind,
         )
 
         if check_kind:
diff --git a/pygmt/helpers/__init__.py b/pygmt/helpers/__init__.py
index 128b1e31a18..862abbbdd64 100644
--- a/pygmt/helpers/__init__.py
+++ b/pygmt/helpers/__init__.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     unique_name,
 )
 from pygmt.helpers.utils import (
+    _validate_data_input,
     args_in_kwargs,
     build_arg_list,
     build_arg_string,
diff --git a/pygmt/helpers/utils.py b/pygmt/helpers/utils.py
index dd202d2e840..2e981266575 100644
--- a/pygmt/helpers/utils.py
+++ b/pygmt/helpers/utils.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 import warnings
 import webbrowser
 from collections.abc import Iterable, Sequence
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, Literal
 
 import xarray as xr
 from pygmt.encodings import charset
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ def _validate_data_input(
     Traceback (most recent call last):
         ...
     pygmt.exceptions.GMTInvalidInput: Too much data. Use either data or x/y/z.
+    >>> _validate_data_input(data="infile", x=[1, 2, 3], y=[4, 5, 6])
+    Traceback (most recent call last):
+        ...
+    pygmt.exceptions.GMTInvalidInput: Too much data. Use either data or x/y/z.
     >>> _validate_data_input(data="infile", z=[7, 8, 9])
     Traceback (most recent call last):
         ...
@@ -111,21 +115,21 @@ def _validate_data_input(
                 raise GMTInvalidInput("data must provide x, y, and z columns.")
 
 
-def data_kind(data=None, x=None, y=None, z=None, required_z=False, required_data=True):
+def data_kind(
+    data: Any = None, required: bool = True
+) -> Literal["arg", "file", "geojson", "grid", "image", "matrix", "vectors"]:
     """
-    Check what kind of data is provided to a module.
+    Check the kind of data that is provided to a module.
 
-    Possible types:
+    The ``data`` argument can be in any type, but only following types are supported:
 
-    * a file name provided as 'data'
-    * a pathlib.PurePath object provided as 'data'
-    * an xarray.DataArray object provided as 'data'
-    * a 2-D matrix provided as 'data'
-    * 1-D arrays x and y (and z, optionally)
-    * an optional argument (None, bool, int or float) provided as 'data'
-
-    Arguments should be ``None`` if not used. If doesn't fit any of these
-    categories (or fits more than one), will raise an exception.
+    - a string or a :class:`pathlib.PurePath` object or a sequence of them, representing
+      a file name or a list of file names
+    - a 2-D or 3-D :class:`xarray.DataArray` object
+    - a 2-D matrix
+    - None, bool, int or float type representing an optional arguments
+    - a geo-like Python object that implements ``__geo_interface__`` (e.g.,
+      geopandas.GeoDataFrame or shapely.geometry)
 
     Parameters
     ----------
@@ -133,55 +137,47 @@ def data_kind(data=None, x=None, y=None, z=None, required_z=False, required_data
         Pass in either a file name or :class:`pathlib.Path` to an ASCII data
         table, an :class:`xarray.DataArray`, a 1-D/2-D
         {table-classes} or an option argument.
-    x/y : 1-D arrays or None
-        x and y columns as numpy arrays.
-    z : 1-D array or None
-        z column as numpy array. To be used optionally when x and y are given.
-    required_z : bool
-        State whether the 'z' column is required.
-    required_data : bool
+    required
         Set to True when 'data' is required, or False when dealing with
         optional virtual files. [Default is True].
 
     Returns
     -------
-    kind : str
-        One of ``'arg'``, ``'file'``, ``'grid'``, ``image``, ``'geojson'``,
-        ``'matrix'``, or ``'vectors'``.
+    kind
+        The data kind.
 
     Examples
     --------
-
     >>> import numpy as np
     >>> import xarray as xr
     >>> import pathlib
-    >>> data_kind(data=None, x=np.array([1, 2, 3]), y=np.array([4, 5, 6]))
+    >>> data_kind(data=None)
     'vectors'
-    >>> data_kind(data=np.arange(10).reshape((5, 2)), x=None, y=None)
+    >>> data_kind(data=np.arange(10).reshape((5, 2)))
     'matrix'
-    >>> data_kind(data="my-data-file.txt", x=None, y=None)
+    >>> data_kind(data="my-data-file.txt")
     'file'
-    >>> data_kind(data=pathlib.Path("my-data-file.txt"), x=None, y=None)
+    >>> data_kind(data=pathlib.Path("my-data-file.txt"))
     'file'
-    >>> data_kind(data=None, x=None, y=None, required_data=False)
+    >>> data_kind(data=None, required=False)
     'arg'
-    >>> data_kind(data=2.0, x=None, y=None, required_data=False)
+    >>> data_kind(data=2.0, required=False)
     'arg'
-    >>> data_kind(data=True, x=None, y=None, required_data=False)
+    >>> data_kind(data=True, required=False)
     'arg'
     >>> data_kind(data=xr.DataArray(np.random.rand(4, 3)))
     'grid'
     >>> data_kind(data=xr.DataArray(np.random.rand(3, 4, 5)))
     'image'
     """
-    # determine the data kind
+    kind: Literal["arg", "file", "geojson", "grid", "image", "matrix", "vectors"]
     if isinstance(data, str | pathlib.PurePath) or (
         isinstance(data, list | tuple)
         and all(isinstance(_file, str | pathlib.PurePath) for _file in data)
     ):
         # One or more files
         kind = "file"
-    elif isinstance(data, bool | int | float) or (data is None and not required_data):
+    elif isinstance(data, bool | int | float) or (data is None and not required):
         kind = "arg"
     elif isinstance(data, xr.DataArray):
         kind = "image" if len(data.dims) == 3 else "grid"
@@ -193,15 +189,6 @@ def data_kind(data=None, x=None, y=None, z=None, required_z=False, required_data
         kind = "matrix"
     else:
         kind = "vectors"
-    _validate_data_input(
-        data=data,
-        x=x,
-        y=y,
-        z=z,
-        required_z=required_z,
-        required_data=required_data,
-        kind=kind,
-    )
     return kind
 
 
diff --git a/pygmt/src/plot.py b/pygmt/src/plot.py
index 43b26232871..e66f08438e5 100644
--- a/pygmt/src/plot.py
+++ b/pygmt/src/plot.py
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ def plot(  # noqa: PLR0912
     """
     kwargs = self._preprocess(**kwargs)
 
-    kind = data_kind(data, x, y)
+    kind = data_kind(data)
     extra_arrays = []
     if kind == "vectors":  # Add more columns for vectors input
         # Parameters for vector styles
diff --git a/pygmt/src/plot3d.py b/pygmt/src/plot3d.py
index 65d87761d5c..c86e5e259f1 100644
--- a/pygmt/src/plot3d.py
+++ b/pygmt/src/plot3d.py
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def plot3d(  # noqa: PLR0912
     """
     kwargs = self._preprocess(**kwargs)
 
-    kind = data_kind(data, x, y, z)
+    kind = data_kind(data)
     extra_arrays = []
 
     if kind == "vectors":  # Add more columns for vectors input
diff --git a/pygmt/src/text.py b/pygmt/src/text.py
index 04abf12ea3b..484f885997a 100644
--- a/pygmt/src/text.py
+++ b/pygmt/src/text.py
@@ -180,11 +180,11 @@ def text_(  # noqa: PLR0912
 
     # Ensure inputs are either textfiles, x/y/text, or position/text
     if position is None:
-        if (x is not None or y is not None) and textfiles is not None:
+        if any(v is not None for v in (x, y, text)) and textfiles is not None:
             raise GMTInvalidInput(
                 "Provide either position only, or x/y pairs, or textfiles."
             )
-        kind = data_kind(textfiles, x, y, text)
+        kind = data_kind(textfiles)
         if kind == "vectors" and text is None:
             raise GMTInvalidInput("Must provide text with x/y pairs")
     else:
diff --git a/pygmt/tests/test_helpers.py b/pygmt/tests/test_helpers.py
index ea966753535..98cc4c16d25 100644
--- a/pygmt/tests/test_helpers.py
+++ b/pygmt/tests/test_helpers.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 from pathlib import Path
 
-import numpy as np
 import pytest
 import xarray as xr
 from pygmt import Figure
@@ -13,7 +12,6 @@
     GMTTempFile,
     args_in_kwargs,
     build_arg_list,
-    data_kind,
     kwargs_to_strings,
     unique_name,
 )
@@ -33,25 +31,6 @@ def test_load_static_earth_relief():
     assert isinstance(data, xr.DataArray)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("data", "x", "y"),
-    [
-        (None, None, None),
-        ("data.txt", np.array([1, 2]), np.array([4, 5])),
-        ("data.txt", np.array([1, 2]), None),
-        ("data.txt", None, np.array([4, 5])),
-        (None, np.array([1, 2]), None),
-        (None, None, np.array([4, 5])),
-    ],
-)
-def test_data_kind_fails(data, x, y):
-    """
-    Make sure data_kind raises exceptions when it should.
-    """
-    with pytest.raises(GMTInvalidInput):
-        data_kind(data=data, x=x, y=y)
-
-
 def test_unique_name():
     """
     Make sure the names are really unique.