diff --git a/bash_completion b/bash_completion
index 38578f4bd0d..f45cc86e522 100644
--- a/bash_completion
+++ b/bash_completion
@@ -2071,7 +2071,7 @@ _comp_compgen_allowed_groups()
 }
 
 # @since 2.12
-_comp_selinux_users()
+_comp_compgen_selinux_users()
 {
     _comp_compgen_split -- "$(semanage user -nl 2>/dev/null |
         awk '{ print $1 }')"
@@ -2308,8 +2308,7 @@ _known_hosts()
 # Helper function to locate ssh included files in configs
 # This function looks for the "Include" keyword in ssh config files and
 # includes them recursively, adding each result to the config variable.
-# TODO:API: rename per conventions
-_included_ssh_config_files()
+_comp__included_ssh_config_files()
 {
     (($# < 1)) &&
         echo "bash_completion: $FUNCNAME: missing mandatory argument CONFIG" >&2
@@ -2358,7 +2357,7 @@ _included_ssh_config_files()
             fi
         done
     done
-} # _included_ssh_config_files()
+} # _comp__included_ssh_config_files()
 
 # Helper function for completing _known_hosts.
 # This function performs host completion based on ssh's config and known_hosts
@@ -2435,7 +2434,7 @@ _known_hosts_real()
     # "Include" keyword in ssh config files
     if ((${#config[@]} > 0)); then
         for i in "${config[@]}"; do
-            _included_ssh_config_files "$i"
+            _comp__included_ssh_config_files "$i"
         done
     fi
 
@@ -2659,7 +2658,7 @@ _comp_command_offset()
         # If still nothing, just load it for the basename
         if [[ ! $cspec ]]; then
             compcmd=${cmd##*/}
-            _completion_loader "$compcmd"
+            _comp_load -D -- "$compcmd"
             cspec=$(complete -p "$compcmd" 2>/dev/null)
         fi
 
@@ -2838,7 +2837,8 @@ complete -F _comp_longopt \
     sed seq shar sort split strip sum tac tail tee \
     texindex touch tr uname unexpand uniq units vdir wc who
 
-declare -Ag _xspecs
+# @since 2.12
+declare -Ag _comp_xspecs
 
 # TODO:API: rename per conventions
 _filedir_xspec()
@@ -2852,7 +2852,7 @@ _filedir_xspec()
     _comp_quote_compgen "$cur"
     local quoted=$ret
 
-    local xspec=${_xspecs[${1##*/}]}
+    local xspec=${_comp_xspecs[${1##*/}]-${_xspecs[${1##*/}]-}}
     local -a toks
     _comp_compgen -v toks -c "$quoted" -- -d
 
@@ -2880,75 +2880,74 @@ _filedir_xspec()
     fi
 }
 
-# TODO:API: rename per conventions
-_install_xspec()
+_comp__init_install_xspec()
 {
     local xspec=$1 cmd
     shift
     for cmd in "$@"; do
-        _xspecs[$cmd]=$xspec
+        _comp_xspecs[$cmd]=$xspec
     done
 }
 # bzcmp, bzdiff, bz*grep, bzless, bzmore intentionally not here, see Debian: #455510
-_install_xspec '!*.?(t)bz?(2)' bunzip2 bzcat pbunzip2 pbzcat lbunzip2 lbzcat
-_install_xspec '!*.@(zip|[aegjkswx]ar|exe|pk3|wsz|zargo|xpi|s[tx][cdiw]|sx[gm]|o[dt][tspgfc]|od[bm]|oxt|?(o)xps|epub|cbz|apk|aab|ipa|do[ct][xm]|p[op]t[mx]|xl[st][xm]|pyz|whl|[Ff][Cc][Ss]td)' unzip zipinfo
-_install_xspec '*.Z' compress znew
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.?(t)bz?(2)' bunzip2 bzcat pbunzip2 pbzcat lbunzip2 lbzcat
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(zip|[aegjkswx]ar|exe|pk3|wsz|zargo|xpi|s[tx][cdiw]|sx[gm]|o[dt][tspgfc]|od[bm]|oxt|?(o)xps|epub|cbz|apk|aab|ipa|do[ct][xm]|p[op]t[mx]|xl[st][xm]|pyz|whl|[Ff][Cc][Ss]td)' unzip zipinfo
+_comp__init_install_xspec '*.Z' compress znew
 # zcmp, zdiff, z*grep, zless, zmore intentionally not here, see Debian: #455510
-_install_xspec '!*.@(Z|[gGd]z|t[ag]z)' gunzip zcat
-_install_xspec '!*.@(Z|[gGdz]z|t[ag]z)' unpigz
-_install_xspec '!*.Z' uncompress
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(Z|[gGd]z|t[ag]z)' gunzip zcat
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(Z|[gGdz]z|t[ag]z)' unpigz
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.Z' uncompress
 # lzcmp, lzdiff intentionally not here, see Debian: #455510
-_install_xspec '!*.@(tlz|lzma)' lzcat lzegrep lzfgrep lzgrep lzless lzmore unlzma
-_install_xspec '!*.@(?(t)xz|tlz|lzma)' unxz xzcat
-_install_xspec '!*.lrz' lrunzip
-_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g|miff|tif?(f)|pn[gm]|p[bgp]m|bmp|xpm|ico|xwd|tga|pcx)' ee
-_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g|tif?(f)|png|p[bgp]m|bmp|x[bp]m|rle|rgb|pcx|fits|pm|svg)' qiv
-_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g?(2)|j2[ck]|jp[2f]|tif?(f)|png|p[bgp]m|bmp|x[bp]m|rle|rgb|pcx|fits|pm|?(e)ps)' xv
-_install_xspec '!*.@(@(?(e)ps|?(E)PS|pdf|PDF)?(.gz|.GZ|.bz2|.BZ2|.Z))' gv ggv kghostview
-_install_xspec '!*.@(dvi|DVI)?(.@(gz|Z|bz2))' xdvi kdvi
-_install_xspec '!*.dvi' dvips dviselect dvitype dvipdf advi dvipdfm dvipdfmx
-_install_xspec '!*.[pf]df' acroread gpdf xpdf
-_install_xspec '!*.@(?(e)ps|pdf)' kpdf
-_install_xspec '!*.@(okular|@(?(e|x)ps|?(E|X)PS|[pf]df|[PF]DF|dvi|DVI|cb[rz]|CB[RZ]|djv?(u)|DJV?(U)|dvi|DVI|gif|jp?(e)g|miff|tif?(f)|pn[gm]|p[bgp]m|bmp|xpm|ico|xwd|tga|pcx|GIF|JP?(E)G|MIFF|TIF?(F)|PN[GM]|P[BGP]M|BMP|XPM|ICO|XWD|TGA|PCX|epub|EPUB|odt|ODT|fb?(2)|FB?(2)|mobi|MOBI|g3|G3|chm|CHM|md|markdown)?(.?(gz|GZ|bz2|BZ2|xz|XZ)))' okular
-_install_xspec '!*.pdf' epdfview pdfunite
-_install_xspec '!*.@(cb[rz7t]|djv?(u)|?(e)ps|pdf)' zathura
-_install_xspec '!*.@(?(e)ps|pdf)' ps2pdf ps2pdf12 ps2pdf13 ps2pdf14 ps2pdfwr
-_install_xspec '!*.texi*' makeinfo texi2html
-_install_xspec '!*.@(?(la)tex|texi|dtx|ins|ltx|dbj)' tex latex slitex jadetex pdfjadetex pdftex pdflatex texi2dvi xetex xelatex luatex lualatex
-_install_xspec '!*.mp3' mpg123 mpg321 madplay
-_install_xspec '!*@(.@(mp?(e)g|MP?(E)G|wm[av]|WM[AV]|avi|AVI|asf|vob|VOB|bin|dat|divx|DIVX|vcd|ps|pes|fli|flv|FLV|fxm|FXM|viv|rm|ram|yuv|mov|MOV|qt|QT|web[am]|WEB[AM]|mp[234]|MP[234]|m?(p)4[av]|M?(P)4[AV]|mkv|MKV|og[agmv]|OG[AGMV]|t[ps]|T[PS]|m2t?(s)|M2T?(S)|mts|MTS|wav|WAV|flac|FLAC|asx|ASX|mng|MNG|srt|m[eo]d|M[EO]D|s[3t]m|S[3T]M|it|IT|xm|XM)|+([0-9]).@(vdr|VDR))?(.@(crdownload|part))' xine aaxine cacaxine fbxine
-_install_xspec '!*@(.@(mp?(e)g|MP?(E)G|wm[av]|WM[AV]|avi|AVI|asf|vob|VOB|bin|dat|divx|DIVX|vcd|ps|pes|fli|flv|FLV|fxm|FXM|viv|rm|ram|yuv|mov|MOV|qt|QT|web[am]|WEB[AM]|mp[234]|MP[234]|m?(p)4[av]|M?(P)4[AV]|mkv|MKV|og[agmv]|OG[AGMV]|opus|OPUS|t[ps]|T[PS]|m2t?(s)|M2T?(S)|mts|MTS|wav|WAV|flac|FLAC|asx|ASX|mng|MNG|srt|m[eo]d|M[EO]D|s[3t]m|S[3T]M|it|IT|xm|XM|iso|ISO)|+([0-9]).@(vdr|VDR))?(.@(crdownload|part))' kaffeine dragon totem
-_install_xspec '!*.@(avi|asf|wmv)' aviplay
-_install_xspec '!*.@(rm?(j)|ra?(m)|smi?(l))' realplay
-_install_xspec '!*.@(mpg|mpeg|avi|mov|qt)' xanim
-_install_xspec '!*.@(og[ag]|m3u|flac|spx)' ogg123
-_install_xspec '!*.@(mp3|ogg|pls|m3u)' gqmpeg freeamp
-_install_xspec '!*.fig' xfig
-_install_xspec '!*.@(mid?(i)|cmf)' playmidi
-_install_xspec '!*.@(mid?(i)|rmi|rcp|[gr]36|g18|mod|xm|it|x3m|s[3t]m|kar)' timidity
-_install_xspec '!*.@(669|abc|am[fs]|d[bs]m|dmf|far|it|mdl|m[eo]d|mid?(i)|mt[2m]|oct|okt?(a)|p[st]m|s[3t]m|ult|umx|wav|xm)' modplugplay modplug123
-_install_xspec '*.@([ao]|so|so.!(conf|*/*)|[rs]pm|gif|jp?(e)g|mp3|mp?(e)g|avi|asf|ogg|class)' vi vim gvim rvim view rview rgvim rgview gview emacs xemacs sxemacs kate kwrite
-_install_xspec '!*.@(zip|z|gz|tgz)' bzme
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(tlz|lzma)' lzcat lzegrep lzfgrep lzgrep lzless lzmore unlzma
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(?(t)xz|tlz|lzma)' unxz xzcat
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.lrz' lrunzip
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g|miff|tif?(f)|pn[gm]|p[bgp]m|bmp|xpm|ico|xwd|tga|pcx)' ee
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g|tif?(f)|png|p[bgp]m|bmp|x[bp]m|rle|rgb|pcx|fits|pm|svg)' qiv
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(gif|jp?(e)g?(2)|j2[ck]|jp[2f]|tif?(f)|png|p[bgp]m|bmp|x[bp]m|rle|rgb|pcx|fits|pm|?(e)ps)' xv
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(@(?(e)ps|?(E)PS|pdf|PDF)?(.gz|.GZ|.bz2|.BZ2|.Z))' gv ggv kghostview
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(dvi|DVI)?(.@(gz|Z|bz2))' xdvi kdvi
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.dvi' dvips dviselect dvitype dvipdf advi dvipdfm dvipdfmx
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.[pf]df' acroread gpdf xpdf
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(?(e)ps|pdf)' kpdf
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(okular|@(?(e|x)ps|?(E|X)PS|[pf]df|[PF]DF|dvi|DVI|cb[rz]|CB[RZ]|djv?(u)|DJV?(U)|dvi|DVI|gif|jp?(e)g|miff|tif?(f)|pn[gm]|p[bgp]m|bmp|xpm|ico|xwd|tga|pcx|GIF|JP?(E)G|MIFF|TIF?(F)|PN[GM]|P[BGP]M|BMP|XPM|ICO|XWD|TGA|PCX|epub|EPUB|odt|ODT|fb?(2)|FB?(2)|mobi|MOBI|g3|G3|chm|CHM|md|markdown)?(.?(gz|GZ|bz2|BZ2|xz|XZ)))' okular
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.pdf' epdfview pdfunite
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(cb[rz7t]|djv?(u)|?(e)ps|pdf)' zathura
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(?(e)ps|pdf)' ps2pdf ps2pdf12 ps2pdf13 ps2pdf14 ps2pdfwr
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.texi*' makeinfo texi2html
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(?(la)tex|texi|dtx|ins|ltx|dbj)' tex latex slitex jadetex pdfjadetex pdftex pdflatex texi2dvi xetex xelatex luatex lualatex
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.mp3' mpg123 mpg321 madplay
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*@(.@(mp?(e)g|MP?(E)G|wm[av]|WM[AV]|avi|AVI|asf|vob|VOB|bin|dat|divx|DIVX|vcd|ps|pes|fli|flv|FLV|fxm|FXM|viv|rm|ram|yuv|mov|MOV|qt|QT|web[am]|WEB[AM]|mp[234]|MP[234]|m?(p)4[av]|M?(P)4[AV]|mkv|MKV|og[agmv]|OG[AGMV]|t[ps]|T[PS]|m2t?(s)|M2T?(S)|mts|MTS|wav|WAV|flac|FLAC|asx|ASX|mng|MNG|srt|m[eo]d|M[EO]D|s[3t]m|S[3T]M|it|IT|xm|XM)|+([0-9]).@(vdr|VDR))?(.@(crdownload|part))' xine aaxine cacaxine fbxine
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*@(.@(mp?(e)g|MP?(E)G|wm[av]|WM[AV]|avi|AVI|asf|vob|VOB|bin|dat|divx|DIVX|vcd|ps|pes|fli|flv|FLV|fxm|FXM|viv|rm|ram|yuv|mov|MOV|qt|QT|web[am]|WEB[AM]|mp[234]|MP[234]|m?(p)4[av]|M?(P)4[AV]|mkv|MKV|og[agmv]|OG[AGMV]|opus|OPUS|t[ps]|T[PS]|m2t?(s)|M2T?(S)|mts|MTS|wav|WAV|flac|FLAC|asx|ASX|mng|MNG|srt|m[eo]d|M[EO]D|s[3t]m|S[3T]M|it|IT|xm|XM|iso|ISO)|+([0-9]).@(vdr|VDR))?(.@(crdownload|part))' kaffeine dragon totem
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(avi|asf|wmv)' aviplay
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(rm?(j)|ra?(m)|smi?(l))' realplay
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(mpg|mpeg|avi|mov|qt)' xanim
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(og[ag]|m3u|flac|spx)' ogg123
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(mp3|ogg|pls|m3u)' gqmpeg freeamp
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.fig' xfig
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(mid?(i)|cmf)' playmidi
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(mid?(i)|rmi|rcp|[gr]36|g18|mod|xm|it|x3m|s[3t]m|kar)' timidity
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(669|abc|am[fs]|d[bs]m|dmf|far|it|mdl|m[eo]d|mid?(i)|mt[2m]|oct|okt?(a)|p[st]m|s[3t]m|ult|umx|wav|xm)' modplugplay modplug123
+_comp__init_install_xspec '*.@([ao]|so|so.!(conf|*/*)|[rs]pm|gif|jp?(e)g|mp3|mp?(e)g|avi|asf|ogg|class)' vi vim gvim rvim view rview rgvim rgview gview emacs xemacs sxemacs kate kwrite
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(zip|z|gz|tgz)' bzme
 # konqueror not here on purpose, it's more than a web/html browser
-_install_xspec '!*.@(?([xX]|[sS])[hH][tT][mM]?([lL]))' netscape mozilla lynx galeon dillo elinks amaya epiphany
-_install_xspec '!*.@(sxw|stw|sxg|sgl|doc?([mx])|dot?([mx])|rtf|txt|htm|html|?(f)odt|ott|odm|pdf)' oowriter lowriter
-_install_xspec '!*.@(sxi|sti|pps?(x)|ppt?([mx])|pot?([mx])|?(f)odp|otp)' ooimpress loimpress
-_install_xspec '!*.@(sxc|stc|xls?([bmx])|xlw|xlt?([mx])|[ct]sv|?(f)ods|ots)' oocalc localc
-_install_xspec '!*.@(sxd|std|sda|sdd|?(f)odg|otg)' oodraw lodraw
-_install_xspec '!*.@(sxm|smf|mml|odf)' oomath lomath
-_install_xspec '!*.odb' oobase lobase
-_install_xspec '!*.[rs]pm' rpm2cpio
-_install_xspec '!*.aux' bibtex
-_install_xspec '!*.po' poedit gtranslator kbabel lokalize
-_install_xspec '!*.@([Pp][Rr][Gg]|[Cc][Ll][Pp])' harbour gharbour hbpp
-_install_xspec '!*.[Hh][Rr][Bb]' hbrun
-_install_xspec '!*.ly' lilypond ly2dvi
-_install_xspec '!*.@(dif?(f)|?(d)patch)?(.@([gx]z|bz2|lzma))' cdiff
-_install_xspec '!@(*.@(ks|jks|jceks|p12|pfx|bks|ubr|gkr|cer|crt|cert|p7b|pkipath|pem|p10|csr|crl)|cacerts)' portecle
-_install_xspec '!*.@(mp[234c]|og[ag]|@(fl|a)ac|m4[abp]|spx|tta|w?(a)v|wma|aif?(f)|asf|ape)' kid3 kid3-qt
-unset -f _install_xspec
-
-# Minimal completion to use as fallback in _completion_loader.
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(?([xX]|[sS])[hH][tT][mM]?([lL]))' netscape mozilla lynx galeon dillo elinks amaya epiphany
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(sxw|stw|sxg|sgl|doc?([mx])|dot?([mx])|rtf|txt|htm|html|?(f)odt|ott|odm|pdf)' oowriter lowriter
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(sxi|sti|pps?(x)|ppt?([mx])|pot?([mx])|?(f)odp|otp)' ooimpress loimpress
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(sxc|stc|xls?([bmx])|xlw|xlt?([mx])|[ct]sv|?(f)ods|ots)' oocalc localc
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(sxd|std|sda|sdd|?(f)odg|otg)' oodraw lodraw
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(sxm|smf|mml|odf)' oomath lomath
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.odb' oobase lobase
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.[rs]pm' rpm2cpio
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.aux' bibtex
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.po' poedit gtranslator kbabel lokalize
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@([Pp][Rr][Gg]|[Cc][Ll][Pp])' harbour gharbour hbpp
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.[Hh][Rr][Bb]' hbrun
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.ly' lilypond ly2dvi
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(dif?(f)|?(d)patch)?(.@([gx]z|bz2|lzma))' cdiff
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!@(*.@(ks|jks|jceks|p12|pfx|bks|ubr|gkr|cer|crt|cert|p7b|pkipath|pem|p10|csr|crl)|cacerts)' portecle
+_comp__init_install_xspec '!*.@(mp[234c]|og[ag]|@(fl|a)ac|m4[abp]|spx|tta|w?(a)v|wma|aif?(f)|asf|ape)' kid3 kid3-qt
+unset -f _comp__init_install_xspec
+
+# Minimal completion to use as fallback in _comp_complete_load.
 # TODO:API: rename per conventions
 _minimal()
 {
@@ -2960,9 +2959,22 @@ _minimal()
 # https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-bash/2012-01/msg00045.html
 complete -F _minimal ''
 
-# TODO:API: rename per conventions
-__load_completion()
+# @since 2.12
+_comp_load()
 {
+    local flag_fallback_default="" IFS=$' \t\n'
+    local OPTIND=1 OPTARG="" OPTERR=0 opt
+    while getopts ':D' opt "$@"; do
+        case $opt in
+            D) flag_fallback_default=set ;;
+            *)
+                echo "bash_completion: $FUNCNAME: usage error" >&2
+                return 2
+                ;;
+        esac
+    done
+    shift "$((OPTIND - 1))"
+
     local cmd=$1 cmdname=${1##*/} dir compfile
     local -a paths
     [[ $cmdname ]] || return 1
@@ -3069,25 +3081,28 @@ __load_completion()
     done
 
     # Look up simple "xspec" completions
-    [[ -v _xspecs[$cmdname] ]] &&
+    [[ -v _comp_xspecs[$cmdname] || -v _xspecs[$cmdname] ]] &&
         complete -F _filedir_xspec "$cmdname" "$backslash$cmdname" && return 0
 
+    if [[ $flag_fallback_default ]]; then
+        complete -F _minimal -- "$origcmd" && return 0
+    fi
+
     return 1
 }
 
 # set up dynamic completion loading
-# TODO:API: rename per conventions
-_completion_loader()
+# @since 2.12
+_comp_complete_load()
 {
     # $1=_EmptycmD_ already for empty cmds in bash 4.3, set to it for earlier
     local cmd=${1:-_EmptycmD_}
 
-    __load_completion "$cmd" && return 124
-
-    # Need to define *something*, otherwise there will be no completion at all.
-    complete -F _minimal -- "$cmd" && return 124
+    # Pass -D to define *something*, or otherwise there will be no completion
+    # at all.
+    _comp_load -D -- "$cmd" && return 124
 } &&
-    complete -D -F _completion_loader
+    complete -D -F _comp_complete_load
 
 # Function for loading and calling functions from dynamically loaded
 # completion files that may not have been sourced yet.
@@ -3102,7 +3117,7 @@ _comp_xfunc()
     local xfunc_name=$2
     [[ $xfunc_name == _* ]] ||
         xfunc_name=_comp_xfunc_${1//[^a-zA-Z0-9_]/_}_$xfunc_name
-    declare -F "$xfunc_name" &>/dev/null || __load_completion "$1"
+    declare -F "$xfunc_name" &>/dev/null || _comp_load "$1"
     "$xfunc_name" "${@:3}"
 }
 
diff --git a/bash_completion.d/000_bash_completion_compat.bash b/bash_completion.d/000_bash_completion_compat.bash
index fb32ae1211f..5da9018c79b 100644
--- a/bash_completion.d/000_bash_completion_compat.bash
+++ b/bash_completion.d/000_bash_completion_compat.bash
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ _comp_deprecate_func 2.12 _modules _comp_compgen_kernel_modules
 _comp_deprecate_func 2.12 _installed_modules _comp_compgen_inserted_kernel_modules
 _comp_deprecate_func 2.12 _usergroup _comp_compgen_usergroup
 _comp_deprecate_func 2.12 _complete_as_root _comp_as_root
+_comp_deprecate_func 2.12 __load_completion _comp_load
+
+# @deprecated 2.12 Use `_comp_xspecs`
+declare -Ag _xspecs
 
 # Backwards compatibility for compat completions that use have().
 # @deprecated 1.90 should no longer be used; generally not needed with
@@ -443,4 +447,14 @@ _count_args()
     done
 }
 
+# @deprecated 2.12 Use `_comp_load -D -- CommandName` to load the completion,
+# or use `_comp_complete_load` as a completion function specified to `complete
+# -F`.
+_completion_loader()
+{
+    # We call `_comp_complete_load` instead of `_comp_load -D` in case that
+    # `_completion_loader` is used without an argument or `_completion_loader`
+    # is specified to `complete -F` by a user.
+    _comp_complete_load "$@"
+}
 # ex: filetype=sh
diff --git a/completions/_cargo b/completions/_cargo
index b5b86ad799c..257eb35ed46 100644
--- a/completions/_cargo
+++ b/completions/_cargo
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 #
 # This serves as a fallback in case the completion is not installed otherwise.
 
-# shellcheck disable=SC2168 # "local" is ok, assume sourced by __load_completion
+# shellcheck disable=SC2168 # "local" is ok, assume sourced by _comp_load
 local rustup="${1%cargo}rustup" # use rustup from same dir
 eval -- "$("$rustup" completions bash cargo 2>/dev/null)"
 
diff --git a/completions/mussh b/completions/mussh
index 5b89b0a2893..488c25c8c43 100644
--- a/completions/mussh
+++ b/completions/mussh
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ _comp_cmd_mussh()
             ;;
         -c)
             compopt -o filenames
-            _comp_compgen -a commands
+            _comp_compgen_commands
             return
             ;;
     esac
diff --git a/completions/useradd b/completions/useradd
index b2dbb6174f8..6c2bb0dd6bd 100644
--- a/completions/useradd
+++ b/completions/useradd
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ _comp_cmd_useradd()
             return
             ;;
         --selinux-user | -${noargopts}Z)
-            _comp_selinux_users
+            _comp_compgen_selinux_users
             return
             ;;
         --shell | -${noargopts}s)
diff --git a/completions/usermod b/completions/usermod
index dfdaf74bf58..6ff5a15f7fc 100644
--- a/completions/usermod
+++ b/completions/usermod
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ _comp_cmd_usermod()
             return
             ;;
         --selinux-user | -${noargopts}Z)
-            _comp_selinux_users
+            _comp_compgen_selinux_users
             return
             ;;
         --shell | -${noargopts}s)
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/bin/cmd1 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/bin/cmd1
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/bin/cmd1
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/bin/cmd1
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/bin/cmd2 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/bin/cmd2
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/bin/cmd2
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/bin/cmd2
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/bin/cmd1 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/bin/cmd1
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/bin/cmd1
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/bin/cmd1
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/bin/sh b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/bin/sh
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/bin/sh
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/bin/sh
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/sbin/cmd2 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/sbin/cmd2
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/sbin/cmd2
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/sbin/cmd2
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd1 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd1
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd1
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd1
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd2 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd2
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd2
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/cmd2
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/sh b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/sh
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/sh
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/prefix1/share/bash-completion/completions/sh
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/userdir1/completions/cmd1 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/userdir1/completions/cmd1
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/userdir1/completions/cmd1
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/userdir1/completions/cmd1
diff --git a/test/fixtures/__load_completion/userdir2/completions/cmd2 b/test/fixtures/_comp_load/userdir2/completions/cmd2
similarity index 100%
rename from test/fixtures/__load_completion/userdir2/completions/cmd2
rename to test/fixtures/_comp_load/userdir2/completions/cmd2
diff --git a/test/t/conftest.py b/test/t/conftest.py
index 60d73ddef13..93c8d6cb388 100644
--- a/test/t/conftest.py
+++ b/test/t/conftest.py
@@ -379,9 +379,9 @@ def is_bash_type(bash: pexpect.spawn, cmd: Optional[str]) -> bool:
 
 def load_completion_for(bash: pexpect.spawn, cmd: str) -> bool:
     try:
-        # Allow __load_completion to fail so we can test completions
+        # Allow _comp_load to fail so we can test completions
         # that are directly loaded in bash_completion without a separate file.
-        assert_bash_exec(bash, "__load_completion %s || :" % cmd)
+        assert_bash_exec(bash, "_comp_load %s || :" % cmd)
         assert_bash_exec(bash, "complete -p %s &>/dev/null" % cmd)
     except AssertionError:
         return False
diff --git a/test/t/test_dict.py b/test/t/test_dict.py
index 7fba2bed0b3..64adb54dd36 100644
--- a/test/t/test_dict.py
+++ b/test/t/test_dict.py
@@ -14,11 +14,11 @@ def test_1(self, completion):
     )
     @pytest.mark.complete("dict --database ", require_cmd=True)
     def test_database(self, completion):
-        # Ensure the directory name "__load_completion/" not generated because
+        # Ensure the directory name "_comp_load/" not generated because
         # filenames in the current dictory (i.e., test/fixtures) are generated
         # by "-o default" when "_comp_cmd_dict" fails to generate any
         # completions.
-        assert completion and "__load_completion/" not in completion
+        assert completion and "_comp_load/" not in completion
 
     @pytest.mark.xfail(
         os.environ.get("NETWORK") == "none",
@@ -28,4 +28,4 @@ def test_database(self, completion):
         "dict -h dict.org --database ", require_cmd=True, env=dict(IFS="")
     )
     def test_database_IFS(self, completion):
-        assert completion and "__load_completion/" not in completion
+        assert completion and "_comp_load/" not in completion
diff --git a/test/t/unit/test_unit_load_completion.py b/test/t/unit/test_unit_load_completion.py
index 1a6a798dc2a..6272e5b97b9 100644
--- a/test/t/unit/test_unit_load_completion.py
+++ b/test/t/unit/test_unit_load_completion.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from conftest import assert_bash_exec, bash_env_saved
 
 
-@pytest.mark.bashcomp(cmd=None, cwd="__load_completion")
+@pytest.mark.bashcomp(cmd=None, cwd="_comp_load")
 class TestLoadCompletion:
     def test_userdir_1(self, bash):
         with bash_env_saved(bash) as bash_env:
@@ -16,11 +16,11 @@ def test_userdir_1(self, bash):
                 "PATH", "$PWD/prefix1/bin:$PWD/prefix1/sbin", quote=False
             )
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd1", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd1", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd1: sourced from userdir1"
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd2", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd2", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd2: sourced from userdir2"
 
@@ -30,11 +30,11 @@ def test_PATH_1(self, bash):
                 "PATH", "$PWD/prefix1/bin:$PWD/prefix1/sbin", quote=False
             )
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd1", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd1", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd1: sourced from prefix1"
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd2", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd2", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd2: sourced from prefix1"
             output = assert_bash_exec(
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def test_PATH_1(self, bash):
     def test_cmd_path_1(self, bash):
         assert_bash_exec(bash, "complete -r cmd1 || :", want_output=None)
         output = assert_bash_exec(
-            bash, "__load_completion prefix1/bin/cmd1", want_output=True
+            bash, "_comp_load prefix1/bin/cmd1", want_output=True
         )
         assert output.strip() == "cmd1: sourced from prefix1"
         output = assert_bash_exec(
@@ -58,15 +58,15 @@ def test_cmd_path_1(self, bash):
         assert "/prefix1/bin/cmd1" in output
         assert_bash_exec(bash, "! complete -p cmd1", want_output=None)
         output = assert_bash_exec(
-            bash, "__load_completion prefix1/sbin/cmd2", want_output=True
+            bash, "_comp_load prefix1/sbin/cmd2", want_output=True
         )
         assert output.strip() == "cmd2: sourced from prefix1"
         output = assert_bash_exec(
-            bash, "__load_completion bin/cmd1", want_output=True
+            bash, "_comp_load bin/cmd1", want_output=True
         )
         assert output.strip() == "cmd1: sourced from prefix1"
         output = assert_bash_exec(
-            bash, "__load_completion bin/cmd2", want_output=True
+            bash, "_comp_load bin/cmd2", want_output=True
         )
         assert output.strip() == "cmd2: sourced from prefix1"
 
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ def test_cmd_path_2(self, bash):
         with bash_env_saved(bash) as bash_env:
             bash_env.write_variable("PATH", "$PWD/bin:$PATH", quote=False)
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd1", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd1", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd1: sourced from prefix1"
             output = assert_bash_exec(
-                bash, "__load_completion cmd2", want_output=True
+                bash, "_comp_load cmd2", want_output=True
             )
             assert output.strip() == "cmd2: sourced from prefix1"
 
@@ -91,4 +91,4 @@ def test_cmd_intree_precedence(self, bash):
             bash_env.write_variable("PATH", "$PWD/prefix1/bin", quote=False)
             # The in-tree `sh` completion should be loaded here,
             # and cause no output, unlike our `$PWD/prefix1/bin/sh` canary.
-            assert_bash_exec(bash, "__load_completion sh", want_output=False)
+            assert_bash_exec(bash, "_comp_load sh", want_output=False)