diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 7d89f97..19026cb 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -132,10 +132,13 @@ use proc_macro::TokenStream;
 use quote::{format_ident, quote};
 use syn::{
     Ident,
+    Item,
     LitStr,
     Result,
     Token,
+    Visibility,
     parse::{Parse, ParseStream},
+    parse_file,
     parse_macro_input,
 };
 
@@ -280,18 +283,58 @@ pub fn folder_router(input: TokenStream) -> TokenStream {
     expanded.into()
 }
 
-fn methods_for_route(route_path: &PathBuf) -> Vec<&str> {
-    let file_content = fs::read_to_string(&route_path).unwrap_or_default();
-    let methods = ["get", "post", "put", "delete", "patch", "head", "options"];
+/// parses the file at the specified location using syn
+/// and returns a Vec<&'static str> of all used http verb fns
+/// e.g. for the file
+///
+/// ```rust
+/// pub async fn get() {}  # ✅ => "get" be added to vec
+/// pub fn post() {}       # not async
+/// async fn delete() {}   # not pub
+/// fn patch() {}          # not pub nor async
+/// pub fn non_verb() {}   # not a http verb
+/// ```
+///
+/// it returns: `vec!["get"]`
+///
+fn methods_for_route(route_path: &PathBuf) -> Vec<&'static str> {
+    // Read the file content
+    let file_content = match fs::read_to_string(route_path) {
+        Ok(content) => content,
+        Err(_) => return Vec::new(),
+    };
 
-    let mut method_registrations = Vec::new();
-    for method in methods {
-        if file_content.contains(&format!("pub async fn {}(", method)) {
-            // let method_ident = format_ident!("{}", method);
-            method_registrations.push(method);
+    // Parse the file content into a syn syntax tree
+    let file = match parse_file(&file_content) {
+        Ok(file) => file,
+        Err(_) => return Vec::new(),
+    };
+
+    // Define HTTP methods we're looking for
+    let methods = ["get", "post", "put", "delete", "patch", "head", "options"];
+    let mut found_methods = Vec::new();
+
+    // Examine each item in the file
+    for item in &file.items {
+        if let Item::Fn(fn_item) = item {
+            let fn_name = fn_item.sig.ident.to_string();
+
+            // Check if the function name is one of our HTTP methods
+            if let Some(&method) = methods.iter().find(|&&m| m == fn_name) {
+                // Check if the function is public
+                let is_public = matches!(fn_item.vis, Visibility::Public(_));
+
+                // Check if the function is async
+                let is_async = fn_item.sig.asyncness.is_some();
+
+                if is_public && is_async {
+                    found_methods.push(method);
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
-    method_registrations
+
+    found_methods
 }
 
 // Add a route to the module tree