diff --git a/src/goto-instrument/Makefile b/src/goto-instrument/Makefile
index dbe780359b6..7cbc8a053d1 100644
--- a/src/goto-instrument/Makefile
+++ b/src/goto-instrument/Makefile
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ SRC = accelerate/accelerate.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_loop_contract_mode.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_loop_tags.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_check_loop_normal_form.cpp \
+      contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_library.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_is_cprover_symbol.cpp \
       contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_is_fresh.cpp \
diff --git a/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.cpp b/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6290a235fb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+/*******************************************************************\
+
+Module: Dynamic frame condition checking
+
+Author: Remi Delmas, delmasrd@amazon.com
+
+Date: March 2023
+
+\*******************************************************************/
+
+#include "dfcc_root_object.h"
+
+#include <util/byte_operators.h>
+#include <util/cprover_prefix.h>
+#include <util/expr.h>
+#include <util/expr_util.h>
+#include <util/pointer_expr.h>
+#include <util/std_code.h>
+
+#include <goto-programs/pointer_arithmetic.h>
+
+/// Recursively computes a set of root object expressions for \p expr.
+static void
+root_objects_rec(const exprt &expr, std::unordered_set<exprt, irep_hash> &dest)
+{
+  if(expr.id() == ID_symbol)
+  {
+    dest.insert(expr);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_index)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_index_expr(expr).array(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_member)
+  {
+    const typet &type = to_member_expr(expr).struct_op().type();
+    DATA_INVARIANT(
+      type.id() == ID_struct || type.id() == ID_struct_tag ||
+        type.id() == ID_union || type.id() == ID_union_tag,
+      "unexpected assignment to member of '" + type.id_string() + "'");
+    root_objects_rec(to_member_expr(expr).compound(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_if)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_if_expr(expr).true_case(), dest);
+    root_objects_rec(to_if_expr(expr).false_case(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_typecast)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_typecast_expr(expr).op(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(
+    expr.id() == ID_byte_extract_little_endian ||
+    expr.id() == ID_byte_extract_big_endian)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_byte_extract_expr(expr).op(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_complex_real)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_complex_real_expr(expr).op(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(expr.id() == ID_complex_imag)
+  {
+    root_objects_rec(to_complex_imag_expr(expr).op(), dest);
+  }
+  else if(const auto &deref = expr_try_dynamic_cast<dereference_exprt>(expr))
+  {
+    // normalise the dereferenced pointer into `pointer + offset`, extract
+    // pointer expression and try some simplifications
+    const exprt &pointer = pointer_arithmetict(deref->pointer()).pointer;
+    const source_locationt source_location = expr.source_location();
+    if(const auto &if_expr = expr_try_dynamic_cast<if_exprt>(pointer))
+    {
+      // split on disjunctions
+      // *(c ? true_case : false_case) => rec(*true_case); rec(*false_case)
+      dereference_exprt if_true(if_expr->true_case());
+      if_true.add_source_location() = source_location;
+      root_objects_rec(if_true, dest);
+      dereference_exprt if_false(if_expr->false_case());
+      if_false.add_source_location() = source_location;
+      root_objects_rec(if_false, dest);
+    }
+    else if(
+      const auto &address_of_expr =
+        expr_try_dynamic_cast<address_of_exprt>(pointer))
+    {
+      // *(&object + offset) => rec(object)
+      root_objects_rec(skip_typecast(address_of_expr->object()), dest);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      // simplify *(pointer + offset) to *pointer and stop here
+      dereference_exprt deref(pointer);
+      deref.add_source_location() = source_location;
+      dest.insert(deref);
+    }
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    // Stop here for anything else.
+    dest.insert(expr);
+  }
+}
+
+/// Translates object slice expressions found in assigns clause targets to
+/// dereference expressions so that root objects can be computed.
+static exprt slice_op_to_deref(const exprt &expr)
+{
+  if(
+    const auto &function_call_expr =
+      expr_try_dynamic_cast<side_effect_expr_function_callt>(expr))
+  {
+    auto function_expr = function_call_expr->function();
+    INVARIANT(
+      function_expr.id() == ID_symbol,
+      "no function pointer calls in loop assigns clause targets");
+    auto function_id = to_symbol_expr(function_expr).get_identifier();
+    INVARIANT(
+      function_id == CPROVER_PREFIX "assignable" ||
+        function_id == CPROVER_PREFIX "object_whole" ||
+        function_id == CPROVER_PREFIX "object_from" ||
+        function_id == CPROVER_PREFIX "object_upto",
+      "can only handle built-in function calls in assigns clause targets");
+    return dereference_exprt(
+      skip_typecast(function_call_expr->arguments().at(0)));
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    return expr;
+  }
+}
+
+std::unordered_set<exprt, irep_hash> dfcc_root_objects(const exprt &expr)
+{
+  std::unordered_set<exprt, irep_hash> result;
+  root_objects_rec(slice_op_to_deref(expr), result);
+  return result;
+}
diff --git a/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.h b/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..987ac710965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/goto-instrument/contracts/dynamic-frames/dfcc_root_object.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/*******************************************************************\
+
+Module: Dynamic frame condition checking
+
+Author: Remi Delmas, delmasrd@amazon.com
+
+Date: March 2023
+
+\*******************************************************************/
+
+/// \file
+/// Utility functions that compute root object expressions for assigns clause
+/// targets and LHS expressions.
+
+#ifndef CPROVER_GOTO_INSTRUMENT_CONTRACTS_DYNAMIC_FRAMES_DFCC_ROOT_OBJECT_H
+#define CPROVER_GOTO_INSTRUMENT_CONTRACTS_DYNAMIC_FRAMES_DFCC_ROOT_OBJECT_H
+
+#include <util/irep.h>
+
+#include <unordered_set>
+
+class exprt;
+
+/// Computes a set of root object expressions from an lvalue or assigns clause
+/// target expression. A root object expression is a simpler expression that
+/// denotes the object that contains the memory location refered to by the
+/// initial expression.
+std::unordered_set<exprt, irep_hash> dfcc_root_objects(const exprt &expr);
+#endif