diff --git a/swarm/storage/localstore/index_test.go b/swarm/storage/localstore/index_test.go
index 67c858c8f6..d9abf440f1 100644
--- a/swarm/storage/localstore/index_test.go
+++ b/swarm/storage/localstore/index_test.go
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ func TestDB_gcIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("remove one chunk", func(t *testing.T) {
 		i := 3
 
-		err := db.NewSetter(ModeSetRemove).Set(chunks[i].Address())
+		err := db.NewSetter(modeSetRemove).Set(chunks[i].Address())
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set.go b/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set.go
index 9d0cdb19b2..80c7fd3892 100644
--- a/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set.go
+++ b/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set.go
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ const (
 	ModeSetAccess ModeSet = iota
 	// ModeSetSync: when push sync receipt is received
 	ModeSetSync
-	// ModeSetRemove: when GC-d
-	ModeSetRemove
+	// modeSetRemove: when GC-d
+	// unexported as no external packages should remove chunks from database
+	modeSetRemove
 )
 
 // Setter sets the state of a particular
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ func (db *DB) set(mode ModeSet, addr storage.Address) (err error) {
 		db.gcUncountedHashesIndex.PutInBatch(batch, item)
 		db.incGCSize(1)
 
-	case ModeSetRemove:
+	case modeSetRemove:
 		// delete from retrieve, pull, gc
 
 		// need to get access timestamp here as it is not
diff --git a/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set_test.go b/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set_test.go
index 78adb15854..94cd0a3e2c 100644
--- a/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set_test.go
+++ b/swarm/storage/localstore/mode_set_test.go
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ func TestModeSetSync(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("gc size", newIndexGCSizeTest(db))
 }
 
-// TestModeSetRemoval validates ModeSetRemoval index values on the provided DB.
-func TestModeSetRemoval(t *testing.T) {
+// TestModeSetRemove validates ModeSetRemove index values on the provided DB.
+func TestModeSetRemove(t *testing.T) {
 	db, cleanupFunc := newTestDB(t, nil)
 	defer cleanupFunc()
 
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ func TestModeSetRemoval(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	err = db.NewSetter(ModeSetRemove).Set(chunk.Address())
+	err = db.NewSetter(modeSetRemove).Set(chunk.Address())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}