diff --git a/pylint/checkers/utils.py b/pylint/checkers/utils.py
index 4f415dd34d..d47663a0da 100644
--- a/pylint/checkers/utils.py
+++ b/pylint/checkers/utils.py
@@ -12,16 +12,17 @@
 import re
 import string
 import warnings
-from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable
+from collections.abc import Iterable
 from functools import lru_cache, partial
 from re import Match
-from typing import TypeVar
+from typing import Callable, TypeVar
 
 import _string
 import astroid.objects
 from astroid import TooManyLevelsError, nodes
 from astroid.context import InferenceContext
 
+from pylint.checkers.base_checker import BaseChecker
 from pylint.constants import TYPING_TYPE_CHECKS_GUARDS
 
 COMP_NODE_TYPES = (
@@ -223,6 +224,8 @@
 )
 
 T_Node = TypeVar("T_Node", bound=nodes.NodeNG)
+CheckerT = TypeVar("CheckerT", bound=BaseChecker)
+AstCallback = Callable[[CheckerT, T_Node], None]
 
 
 class NoSuchArgumentError(Exception):
@@ -424,8 +427,16 @@ def overrides_a_method(class_node: nodes.ClassDef, name: str) -> bool:
     return False
 
 
-def check_messages(*messages: str) -> Callable:
-    """Decorator to store messages that are handled by a checker method."""
+def only_required_for_messages(*messages: str) -> Callable[[AstCallback], AstCallback]:
+    """Decorator to store messages that are handled by a checker method as an
+    attribute of the function object.
+
+    This information is used by ``ASTWalker`` to decide whether to call the decorated
+    method or not. If none of the messages is enabled, the method will be skipped.
+    Therefore, the list of messages must be well maintained at all times!
+    This decorator only has an effect on ``visit_*`` and ``leave_*`` methods
+    of a class inheriting from ``BaseChecker`` and implementing ``IAstroidChecker``.
+    """
 
     def store_messages(func):
         func.checks_msgs = messages
@@ -434,6 +445,20 @@ def store_messages(func):
     return store_messages
 
 
+def check_messages(*messages: str) -> Callable[[AstCallback], AstCallback]:
+    """Kept for backwards compatibility, deprecated.
+
+    Use only_required_for_messages instead, which conveys the intent of the decorator much clearer.
+    """
+    warnings.warn(
+        "utils.check_messages will be removed in favour of calling "
+        "utils.only_required_for_messages in pylint 3.0",
+        DeprecationWarning,
+    )
+
+    return only_required_for_messages(*messages)
+
+
 class IncompleteFormatString(Exception):
     """A format string ended in the middle of a format specifier."""
 
diff --git a/tests/checkers/unittest_utils.py b/tests/checkers/unittest_utils.py
index 1ac4611412..178d5467b8 100644
--- a/tests/checkers/unittest_utils.py
+++ b/tests/checkers/unittest_utils.py
@@ -473,3 +473,18 @@ def test_deprecation_is_inside_lambda() -> None:
     with pytest.warns(DeprecationWarning) as records:
         utils.is_inside_lambda(nodes.NodeNG())
         assert len(records) == 1
+
+
+def test_deprecation_check_messages() -> None:
+    with pytest.warns(DeprecationWarning) as records:
+
+        class Checker:  # pylint: disable=unused-variable
+            @utils.check_messages("my-message")
+            def visit_assname(self, node):
+                pass
+
+        assert len(records) == 1
+        assert (
+            records[0].message.args[0]
+            == "utils.check_messages will be removed in favour of calling utils.only_required_for_messages in pylint 3.0"
+        )
diff --git a/tests/utils/unittest_ast_walker.py b/tests/utils/unittest_ast_walker.py
index c0ec6b8e6f..917200b325 100644
--- a/tests/utils/unittest_ast_walker.py
+++ b/tests/utils/unittest_ast_walker.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 import astroid
 
-from pylint.checkers.utils import check_messages
+from pylint.checkers.utils import only_required_for_messages
 from pylint.utils import ASTWalker
 
 
@@ -24,23 +24,23 @@ class Checker:
         def __init__(self) -> None:
             self.called: set[str] = set()
 
-        @check_messages("first-message")
+        @only_required_for_messages("first-message")
         def visit_module(self, module):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
             self.called.add("module")
 
-        @check_messages("second-message")
+        @only_required_for_messages("second-message")
         def visit_call(self, module):
             raise NotImplementedError
 
-        @check_messages("second-message", "third-message")
+        @only_required_for_messages("second-message", "third-message")
         def visit_assignname(self, module):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
             self.called.add("assignname")
 
-        @check_messages("second-message")
+        @only_required_for_messages("second-message")
         def leave_assignname(self, module):
             raise NotImplementedError
 
-    def test_check_messages(self) -> None:
+    def test_only_required_for_messages(self) -> None:
         linter = self.MockLinter(
             {"first-message": True, "second-message": False, "third-message": True}
         )
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class Checker:
             def __init__(self) -> None:
                 self.called = False
 
-            @check_messages("first-message")
+            @only_required_for_messages("first-message")
             def visit_assname(self, node):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
                 self.called = True