diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_domain.c b/src/libxl/libxl_domain.c
index 73242ac023..da3f2412c1 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_domain.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_domain.c
@@ -485,6 +485,15 @@ libxlDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
     if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV) {
         virDomainHostdevDefPtr hostdev = dev->data.hostdev;
 
+        /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+        if (hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                           _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                             "supported in %s"),
+                           virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+            return -1;
+        }
+
         if (hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_SUBSYS &&
             hostdev->source.subsys.type == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_SUBSYS_TYPE_PCI &&
             hostdev->source.subsys.u.pci.backend == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_PCI_BACKEND_DEFAULT)
diff --git a/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c b/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
index 4c815ed41e..baa725629f 100644
--- a/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
+++ b/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
@@ -113,6 +113,16 @@ openvzDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         dev->data.chr->targetType == VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_NONE)
         dev->data.chr->targetType = VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_OPENVZ;
 
+    /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV &&
+        dev->data.hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                         "supported in %s"),
+                       virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index 2e55c99193..a09567cc8d 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -940,6 +940,16 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         dev->data.chr->source.data.nix.listen = true;
     }
 
+    /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV &&
+        dev->data.hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                         "supported in %s"),
+                       virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     ret = 0;
 
  cleanup:
diff --git a/src/uml/uml_driver.c b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
index 5ccd44387e..f14cfaa0aa 100644
--- a/src/uml/uml_driver.c
+++ b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
@@ -430,6 +430,16 @@ umlDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         dev->data.chr->targetType == VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_NONE)
         dev->data.chr->targetType = VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_UML;
 
+    /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV &&
+        dev->data.hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                         "supported in %s"),
+                       virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/xen/xen_driver.c b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
index bd51909bc4..8c0050acb2 100644
--- a/src/xen/xen_driver.c
+++ b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
@@ -343,6 +343,16 @@ xenDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         STRNEQ(def->os.type, "hvm"))
         dev->data.chr->targetType = VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_XEN;
 
+    /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV &&
+        dev->data.hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                         "supported in %s"),
+                       virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c b/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
index 908448b497..500b78a1a8 100644
--- a/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
+++ b/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
@@ -55,6 +55,16 @@ xenapiDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         STRNEQ(def->os.type, "hvm"))
         dev->data.chr->targetType = VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CONSOLE_TARGET_TYPE_XEN;
 
+    /* forbid capabilities mode hostdev in this kind of hypervisor */
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_HOSTDEV &&
+        dev->data.hostdev->mode == VIR_DOMAIN_HOSTDEV_MODE_CAPABILITIES) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED,
+                       _("hostdev mode 'capabilities' is not "
+                         "supported in %s"),
+                       virDomainVirtTypeToString(def->virtType));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     return 0;
 }