diff --git a/scripts/check_format.sh b/scripts/check_format.sh
index 7b43a6672..d0d73c23e 100755
--- a/scripts/check_format.sh
+++ b/scripts/check_format.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,19 @@ function version_lt() {
 	[ $(echo -e "$1\n$2" | sort -V | head -1) != "$1" ]
 }
 
+function array_contains_string() {
+	name="$1[@]"
+	array=("${!name}")
+
+	for element in "${array[@]}"; do
+		if [ "$element" = "$2" ]; then
+			return $(true)
+		fi
+	done
+
+	return $(false)
+}
+
 rc=0
 
 echo -n "Checking file permissions..."
@@ -195,6 +208,57 @@ else
 fi
 rm -f scripts/posix.log
 
+echo -n "Checking for proper function naming conventions..."
+failed_naming_conventions=false
+changed_c_libs=()
+declared_symbols=()
+
+# Build an array of all the modified C files.
+mapfile -t changed_c_libs < <(git diff --name-only HEAD origin/master -- lib/**/*.c module/**/*.c)
+# Matching groups are 1. qualifiers / return type. 2. function name 3. argument list / comments and stuff after that.
+# Capture just the names of newly added (or modified) function definitions.
+mapfile -t declared_symbols < <(git diff -U0 origin/master HEAD -- include/spdk*/*.h | sed -En 's/(^[+].*)(spdk[a-z,A-Z,0-9,_]*)(\(.*)/\2/p')
+
+for c_file in "${changed_c_libs[@]}"; do
+	lib_map_file="mk/spdk_blank.map"
+	defined_symbols=()
+	exported_symbols=()
+	if ls "$(dirname $c_file)"/*.map &> /dev/null; then
+		lib_map_file="$(ls "$(dirname $c_file)"/*.map)"
+	fi
+	# Matching groups are 1. leading +sign. 2, function name 3. argument list / anything after that.
+	# Capture just the names of newly added (or modified) functions that start with "spdk_"
+	mapfile -t defined_symbols < <(git diff -U0 origin/master HEAD -- $c_file | sed -En 's/(^[+])(spdk[a-z,A-Z,0-9,_]*)(\(.*)/\2/p')
+	# It's possible that we just modified a functions arguments so unfortunately we can't just look at changed lines in this function.
+	# matching groups are 1. All leading whitespace 2. function name. Capture just the symbol name.
+	mapfile -t exported_symbols < <(sed -En 's/(^[[:space:]]*)(spdk[a-z,A-Z,0-9,_]*);/\2/p' < $lib_map_file)
+	for defined_symbol in "${defined_symbols[@]}"; do
+		not_exported=true
+		not_declared=true
+		if array_contains_string exported_symbols $defined_symbol; then
+			not_exported=false
+		fi
+
+		if array_contains_string declared_symbols $defined_symbol; then
+			not_declared=false
+		fi
+
+		if $not_exported || $not_declared; then
+			if ! $failed_naming_conventions; then
+				echo " found naming convention errors."
+			fi
+			echo "function $defined_symbol starts with spdk_ which is reserved for public API functions."
+			echo "Please add this function to its corresponding map file and a public header or remove the spdk_ prefix."
+			failed_naming_conventions=true
+			rc=1
+		fi
+	done
+done
+
+if ! $failed_naming_conventions; then
+	echo " OK"
+fi
+
 echo -n "Checking #include style..."
 git grep -I -i --line-number "#include <spdk/" -- '*.[ch]' > scripts/includes.log || true
 if [ -s scripts/includes.log ]; then