diff --git a/src/conf/virdomainobjlist.c b/src/conf/virdomainobjlist.c
index 573032f14b..d874133a78 100644
--- a/src/conf/virdomainobjlist.c
+++ b/src/conf/virdomainobjlist.c
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ virDomainObjListFindByIDInternal(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     obj = virHashSearch(doms->objs, virDomainObjListSearchID, &id, NULL);
     if (ref) {
         virObjectRef(obj);
-        virObjectUnlock(doms);
+        virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     }
     if (obj) {
         virObjectLock(obj);
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ virDomainObjListFindByIDInternal(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
         }
     }
     if (!ref)
-        virObjectUnlock(doms);
+        virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return obj;
 }
 
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ virDomainObjListFindByUUIDInternal(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     obj = virHashLookup(doms->objs, uuidstr);
     if (ref) {
         virObjectRef(obj);
-        virObjectUnlock(doms);
+        virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     }
     if (obj) {
         virObjectLock(obj);
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ virDomainObjListFindByUUIDInternal(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
         }
     }
     if (!ref)
-        virObjectUnlock(doms);
+        virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return obj;
 }
 
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ virDomainObjPtr virDomainObjListFindByName(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     virObjectRWLockRead(doms);
     obj = virHashLookup(doms->objsName, name);
     virObjectRef(obj);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     if (obj) {
         virObjectLock(obj);
         if (obj->removing) {
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ virDomainObjPtr virDomainObjListAdd(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
 
     virObjectRWLockWrite(doms);
     ret = virDomainObjListAddLocked(doms, def, xmlopt, flags, oldDef);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ void virDomainObjListRemove(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     virHashRemoveEntry(doms->objsName, dom->def->name);
     virObjectUnlock(dom);
     virObjectUnref(dom);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
 }
 
 
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ virDomainObjListRename(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
 
     ret = 0;
  cleanup:
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     VIR_FREE(old_name);
     return ret;
 }
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ virDomainObjListLoadAllConfigs(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     }
 
     VIR_DIR_CLOSE(dir);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ virDomainObjListNumOfDomains(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     struct virDomainObjListData data = { filter, conn, active, 0 };
     virObjectRWLockRead(doms);
     virHashForEach(doms->objs, virDomainObjListCount, &data);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return data.count;
 }
 
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ virDomainObjListGetActiveIDs(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
                                     0, maxids, ids };
     virObjectRWLockRead(doms);
     virHashForEach(doms->objs, virDomainObjListCopyActiveIDs, &data);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return data.numids;
 }
 
@@ -753,7 +753,7 @@ virDomainObjListGetInactiveNames(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     size_t i;
     virObjectRWLockRead(doms);
     virHashForEach(doms->objs, virDomainObjListCopyInactiveNames, &data);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     if (data.oom) {
         for (i = 0; i < data.numnames; i++)
             VIR_FREE(data.names[i]);
@@ -794,7 +794,7 @@ virDomainObjListForEach(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
     };
     virObjectRWLockRead(doms);
     virHashForEach(doms->objs, virDomainObjListHelper, &data);
-    virObjectUnlock(doms);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(doms);
     return data.ret;
 }
 
@@ -928,12 +928,12 @@ virDomainObjListCollect(virDomainObjListPtr domlist,
     virObjectRWLockRead(domlist);
     sa_assert(domlist->objs);
     if (VIR_ALLOC_N(data.vms, virHashSize(domlist->objs)) < 0) {
-        virObjectUnlock(domlist);
+        virObjectRWUnlock(domlist);
         return -1;
     }
 
     virHashForEach(domlist->objs, virDomainObjListCollectIterator, &data);
-    virObjectUnlock(domlist);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(domlist);
 
     virDomainObjListFilter(&data.vms, &data.nvms, conn, filter, flags);
 
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ virDomainObjListConvert(virDomainObjListPtr domlist,
             if (skip_missing)
                 continue;
 
-            virObjectUnlock(domlist);
+            virObjectRWUnlock(domlist);
             virReportError(VIR_ERR_NO_DOMAIN,
                            _("no domain with matching uuid '%s' (%s)"),
                            uuidstr, dom->name);
@@ -982,12 +982,12 @@ virDomainObjListConvert(virDomainObjListPtr domlist,
         virObjectRef(vm);
 
         if (VIR_APPEND_ELEMENT(*vms, *nvms, vm) < 0) {
-            virObjectUnlock(domlist);
+            virObjectRWUnlock(domlist);
             virObjectUnref(vm);
             goto error;
         }
     }
-    virObjectUnlock(domlist);
+    virObjectRWUnlock(domlist);
 
     sa_assert(*vms);
     virDomainObjListFilter(vms, nvms, conn, filter, flags);
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 01a2f3a814..6e4c3e83b9 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2313,6 +2313,7 @@ virObjectRef;
 virObjectRWLockableNew;
 virObjectRWLockRead;
 virObjectRWLockWrite;
+virObjectRWUnlock;
 virObjectUnlock;
 virObjectUnref;
 
diff --git a/src/util/virobject.c b/src/util/virobject.c
index c1e4474caf..85e5a537ef 100644
--- a/src/util/virobject.c
+++ b/src/util/virobject.c
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ virObjectLock(void *anyobj)
  * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectRWLockable
  *
  * Acquire a read lock on @anyobj. The lock must be
- * released by virObjectUnlock.
+ * released by virObjectRWUnlock.
  *
  * The caller is expected to have acquired a reference
  * on the object before locking it (eg virObjectRef).
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ virObjectRWLockRead(void *anyobj)
  * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectRWLockable
  *
  * Acquire a write lock on @anyobj. The lock must be
- * released by virObjectUnlock.
+ * released by virObjectRWUnlock.
  *
  * The caller is expected to have acquired a reference
  * on the object before locking it (eg virObjectRef).
@@ -483,26 +483,39 @@ virObjectRWLockWrite(void *anyobj)
 
 /**
  * virObjectUnlock:
- * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectLockable or virObjectRWLockable
+ * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectLockable
  *
  * Release a lock on @anyobj. The lock must have been acquired by
- * virObjectLock, virObjectRWLockRead, or virObjectRWLockWrite.
+ * virObjectLock.
  */
 void
 virObjectUnlock(void *anyobj)
 {
-    if (virObjectIsClass(anyobj, virObjectLockableClass)) {
-        virObjectLockablePtr obj = anyobj;
-        virMutexUnlock(&obj->lock);
-    } else if (virObjectIsClass(anyobj, virObjectRWLockableClass)) {
-        virObjectRWLockablePtr obj = anyobj;
-        virRWLockUnlock(&obj->lock);
-    } else {
-        virObjectPtr obj = anyobj;
-        VIR_WARN("Object %p (%s) is not a virObjectLockable "
-                 "nor virObjectRWLockable instance",
-                 anyobj, obj ? obj->klass->name : "(unknown)");
-    }
+    virObjectLockablePtr obj = virObjectGetLockableObj(anyobj);
+
+    if (!obj)
+        return;
+
+    virMutexUnlock(&obj->lock);
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * virObjectRWUnlock:
+ * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectRWLockable
+ *
+ * Release a lock on @anyobj. The lock must have been acquired by
+ * virObjectRWLockRead or virObjectRWLockWrite.
+ */
+void
+virObjectRWUnlock(void *anyobj)
+{
+    virObjectRWLockablePtr obj = virObjectGetRWLockableObj(anyobj);
+
+    if (!obj)
+        return;
+
+    virRWLockUnlock(&obj->lock);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/virobject.h b/src/util/virobject.h
index 24ee6dda8b..ac6cf22f9e 100644
--- a/src/util/virobject.h
+++ b/src/util/virobject.h
@@ -136,6 +136,10 @@ void
 virObjectUnlock(void *lockableobj)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 
+void
+virObjectRWUnlock(void *lockableobj)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
+
 void
 virObjectListFree(void *list);