diff --git a/pytket/phir/api.py b/pytket/phir/api.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65b513b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pytket/phir/api.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+from pytket.circuit import Circuit
+
+from .sharding.sharder import Sharder
+
+
+def pytket_to_phir(
+    circuit: Circuit,
+) -> str:
+    """Converts a pytket circuit into its PHIR representation
+
+    :param circuit: Circuit object to be converted
+    """
+
+    # TODO: Process circuit according to desired machine architecture
+
+    sharder = Sharder(circuit)
+    shards = sharder.shard()  # noqa: F841
+
+    # TODO: Pass shards[] into placement, routing, etc
+    # TODO: Convert to PHIR JSON spec and return
+
+    return "{ phir json, someday }"
diff --git a/pytket/phir/main.py b/pytket/phir/main.py
deleted file mode 100644
index a8d37c1..0000000
--- a/pytket/phir/main.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-"""
-NOTE: Just a placeholder to allow convenient testing of the flows
-"""
-
-from pytket.circuit import Circuit
-from pytket.qasm.qasm import circuit_from_qasm
-
-from .sharding.sharder import Sharder
-
-# Load a qasm circuit and parse
-#    ,=""=,
-#   c , _,{
-#   /\  @ )                 __
-#  /  ^~~^\          <=.,__/ '}=
-# (_/ ,, ,,)          \_ _>_/~
-#  ~\_(/-\)'-,_,_,_,-'(_)-(_)
-circuit: Circuit = circuit_from_qasm("tests/data/qasm/baby.qasm")
-
-# https://cqcl.github.io/tket/pytket/api/circuit_class.html
-
-# Just a little debugging fun
-print("Input circuit:")
-print(circuit)
-print()
-
-sharding_output = Sharder(circuit).shard()
-
-print("Sharding output:")
-print(sharding_output)