diff --git a/src/common/libcompat/reactor.c b/src/common/libcompat/reactor.c
index ff420e58ad1b..23c061be6a27 100644
--- a/src/common/libcompat/reactor.c
+++ b/src/common/libcompat/reactor.c
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
 #include "src/common/libflux/handle.h"
 #include "src/common/libflux/reactor.h"
-#include "src/common/libflux/dispatch.h"
+#include "src/common/libflux/msg_handler.h"
 #include "src/common/libflux/message.h"
 #include "src/common/libutil/xzmalloc.h"
 #include "src/common/libutil/log.h"
diff --git a/src/common/libcompat/reactor.h b/src/common/libcompat/reactor.h
index 7c8b4f7034cf..05ebef6c2a06 100644
--- a/src/common/libcompat/reactor.h
+++ b/src/common/libcompat/reactor.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include "src/common/libflux/message.h"
 #include "src/common/libflux/handle.h"
 #include "src/common/libflux/reactor.h"
-#include "src/common/libflux/dispatch.h"
+#include "src/common/libflux/msg_handler.h"
 
 /* FluxMsgHandler indicates msg is "consumed" by destroying it.
  * Callbacks return 0 on success, -1 on error and set errno.
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/Makefile.am b/src/common/libflux/Makefile.am
index ce6d935e225e..abcb787c6304 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/common/libflux/Makefile.am
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ fluxcoreinclude_HEADERS = \
 	handle.h \
 	connector.h \
 	reactor.h \
-	dispatch.h \
+	msg_handler.h \
 	reduce.h \
 	security.h \
 	message.h \
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ libflux_la_SOURCES = \
 	attr.c \
 	handle.c \
 	reactor.c \
-	dispatch.c \
+	msg_handler.c \
 	reduce.c \
 	security.c \
 	message.c \
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/flux.h b/src/common/libflux/flux.h
index 436544a5d9b2..7a237f86fa98 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/flux.h
+++ b/src/common/libflux/flux.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include "types.h"
 #include "handle.h"
 #include "reactor.h"
-#include "dispatch.h"
+#include "msg_handler.h"
 #include "connector.h"
 #include "security.h"
 #include "reduce.h"
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/future.h b/src/common/libflux/future.h
index 89a1ab461629..a3bace8e0b21 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/future.h
+++ b/src/common/libflux/future.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #include "reactor.h"
 #include "types.h"
 #include "handle.h"
-#include "dispatch.h"
+#include "msg_handler.h"
 
 typedef struct flux_future flux_future_t;
 
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/handle.c b/src/common/libflux/handle.c
index cb6f642d3a9f..c3c28424b338 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/handle.c
+++ b/src/common/libflux/handle.c
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
 #include "connector.h"
 #include "message.h"
 #include "tagpool.h"
-#include "dispatch.h" // for flux_sleep_on ()
+#include "msg_handler.h" // for flux_sleep_on ()
 #include "flog.h"
 #include "conf.h"
 
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/mrpc.c b/src/common/libflux/mrpc.c
index 57a858feca07..9adeeb409231 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/mrpc.c
+++ b/src/common/libflux/mrpc.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 #include "message.h"
 #include "info.h"
 #include "reactor.h"
-#include "dispatch.h"
+#include "msg_handler.h"
 #include "mrpc.h"
 
 #include "src/common/libutil/nodeset.h"
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/dispatch.c b/src/common/libflux/msg_handler.c
similarity index 99%
rename from src/common/libflux/dispatch.c
rename to src/common/libflux/msg_handler.c
index f26905383a95..8cd84ce12387 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/dispatch.c
+++ b/src/common/libflux/msg_handler.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 
 #include "message.h"
 #include "reactor.h"
-#include "dispatch.h"
+#include "msg_handler.h"
 #include "response.h"
 #include "info.h"
 #include "flog.h"
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/dispatch.h b/src/common/libflux/msg_handler.h
similarity index 93%
rename from src/common/libflux/dispatch.h
rename to src/common/libflux/msg_handler.h
index e9cd95e84f4e..410560348820 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/dispatch.h
+++ b/src/common/libflux/msg_handler.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-#ifndef _FLUX_CORE_DISPATCH_H
-#define _FLUX_CORE_DISPATCH_H
+#ifndef _FLUX_CORE_MSG_HANDLER_H
+#define _FLUX_CORE_MSG_HANDLER_H
 
 #include "message.h"
 #include "handle.h"
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ void flux_msg_handler_delvec (struct flux_msg_handler_spec tab[]);
  */
 int flux_dispatch_requeue (flux_t *h);
 
-#endif /* !_FLUX_CORE_DISPATCH_H */
+#endif /* !_FLUX_CORE_MSG_HANDLER_H */
 
 /*
  * vi:tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab
diff --git a/src/common/libflux/rpc.c b/src/common/libflux/rpc.c
index 9544ac65dd6a..bfefdc477fd6 100644
--- a/src/common/libflux/rpc.c
+++ b/src/common/libflux/rpc.c
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 #include "info.h"
 #include "rpc.h"
 #include "reactor.h"
-#include "dispatch.h"
+#include "msg_handler.h"
 
 #include "src/common/libutil/nodeset.h"