diff --git a/library/std/src/io/error.rs b/library/std/src/io/error.rs
index 5d7adcace5247..d98ab35a8809e 100644
--- a/library/std/src/io/error.rs
+++ b/library/std/src/io/error.rs
@@ -151,27 +151,38 @@ pub type RawOsError = sys::RawOsError;
 // (For the sake of being explicit: the alignment requirement here only matters
 // if `error/repr_bitpacked.rs` is in use — for the unpacked repr it doesn't
 // matter at all)
+#[doc(hidden)]
+#[unstable(feature = "io_const_error_internals", issue = "none")]
 #[repr(align(4))]
 #[derive(Debug)]
-pub(crate) struct SimpleMessage {
-    kind: ErrorKind,
-    message: &'static str,
-}
-
-impl SimpleMessage {
-    pub(crate) const fn new(kind: ErrorKind, message: &'static str) -> Self {
-        Self { kind, message }
-    }
+pub struct SimpleMessage {
+    pub kind: ErrorKind,
+    pub message: &'static str,
 }
 
-/// Creates and returns an `io::Error` for a given `ErrorKind` and constant
-/// message. This doesn't allocate.
-pub(crate) macro const_io_error($kind:expr, $message:expr $(,)?) {
-    $crate::io::error::Error::from_static_message({
-        const MESSAGE_DATA: $crate::io::error::SimpleMessage =
-            $crate::io::error::SimpleMessage::new($kind, $message);
-        &MESSAGE_DATA
-    })
+/// Creates a new I/O error from a known kind of error and a string literal.
+///
+/// Contrary to [`Error::new`], this macro does not allocate and can be used in
+/// `const` contexts.
+///
+/// # Example
+/// ```
+/// #![feature(io_const_error)]
+/// use std::io::{const_error, Error, ErrorKind};
+///
+/// const FAIL: Error = const_error!(ErrorKind::Unsupported, "tried something that never works");
+///
+/// fn not_here() -> Result<(), Error> {
+///     Err(FAIL)
+/// }
+/// ```
+#[rustc_macro_transparency = "semitransparent"]
+#[unstable(feature = "io_const_error", issue = "133448")]
+#[allow_internal_unstable(hint_must_use, io_const_error_internals)]
+pub macro const_error($kind:expr, $message:expr $(,)?) {
+    $crate::hint::must_use($crate::io::Error::from_static_message(
+        const { &$crate::io::SimpleMessage { kind: $kind, message: $message } },
+    ))
 }
 
 // As with `SimpleMessage`: `#[repr(align(4))]` here is just because
@@ -598,7 +609,9 @@ impl Error {
     /// This function should maybe change to `from_static_message<const MSG: &'static
     /// str>(kind: ErrorKind)` in the future, when const generics allow that.
     #[inline]
-    pub(crate) const fn from_static_message(msg: &'static SimpleMessage) -> Error {
+    #[doc(hidden)]
+    #[unstable(feature = "io_const_error_internals", issue = "none")]
+    pub const fn from_static_message(msg: &'static SimpleMessage) -> Error {
         Self { repr: Repr::new_simple_message(msg) }
     }
 
diff --git a/library/std/src/io/mod.rs b/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
index 21e7077495450..4ffb04630061f 100644
--- a/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
+++ b/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
@@ -301,12 +301,15 @@ mod tests;
 pub use core::io::{BorrowedBuf, BorrowedCursor};
 use core::slice::memchr;
 
-pub(crate) use error::const_io_error;
-
 #[stable(feature = "bufwriter_into_parts", since = "1.56.0")]
 pub use self::buffered::WriterPanicked;
 #[unstable(feature = "raw_os_error_ty", issue = "107792")]
 pub use self::error::RawOsError;
+#[doc(hidden)]
+#[unstable(feature = "io_const_error_internals", issue = "none")]
+pub use self::error::SimpleMessage;
+#[unstable(feature = "io_const_error", issue = "133448")]
+pub use self::error::const_error;
 #[stable(feature = "is_terminal", since = "1.70.0")]
 pub use self::stdio::IsTerminal;
 pub(crate) use self::stdio::attempt_print_to_stderr;
diff --git a/library/std/src/lib.rs b/library/std/src/lib.rs
index ee6fceb024fd7..f1eeac3354009 100644
--- a/library/std/src/lib.rs
+++ b/library/std/src/lib.rs
@@ -340,6 +340,7 @@
 #![feature(fmt_internals)]
 #![feature(hasher_prefixfree_extras)]
 #![feature(hashmap_internals)]
+#![feature(hint_must_use)]
 #![feature(ip)]
 #![feature(lazy_get)]
 #![feature(maybe_uninit_slice)]