diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 12f7d47388..87398df575 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 #include <config.h>
 
 #include <unistd.h>
-#include <assert.h>
 
 #include "virnetclient.h"
 #include "virnetclientprogram.h"
@@ -162,7 +161,26 @@ static void make_nonnull_domain_snapshot(remote_nonnull_domain_snapshot *snapsho
 /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
 /* Helper functions for remoteOpen. */
-static char *get_transport_from_scheme(char *scheme);
+static int remoteSplitURIScheme(virURIPtr uri,
+                                char **driver,
+                                char **transport)
+{
+    char *p = strchr(uri->scheme, '+');
+
+    *driver = *transport = NULL;
+
+    if (VIR_STRNDUP(*driver, uri->scheme, p ? p - uri->scheme : -1) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    if (p &&
+        VIR_STRDUP(*transport, p + 1) < 0) {
+        VIR_FREE(*driver);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 
 static int
 remoteStateInitialize(bool privileged ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
@@ -715,11 +733,12 @@ remoteConnectSupportsFeatureUnlocked(virConnectPtr conn,
 static int
 doRemoteOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
              struct private_data *priv,
+             const char *driver_str,
+             const char *transport_str,
              virConnectAuthPtr auth ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
              virConfPtr conf,
              unsigned int flags)
 {
-    char *transport_str = NULL;
     enum {
         trans_tls,
         trans_unix,
@@ -738,8 +757,6 @@ doRemoteOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
      * URIs we don't care about */
 
     if (conn->uri) {
-        transport_str = get_transport_from_scheme(conn->uri->scheme);
-
         if (!transport_str) {
             if (conn->uri->server)
                 transport = trans_tls;
@@ -873,26 +890,16 @@ doRemoteOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
                     goto failed;
             } else {
                 virURI tmpuri = {
-                    .scheme = conn->uri->scheme,
+                    .scheme = (char *)driver_str,
                     .query = virURIFormatParams(conn->uri),
                     .path = conn->uri->path,
                     .fragment = conn->uri->fragment,
                 };
 
-                /* Evil, blank out transport scheme temporarily */
-                if (transport_str) {
-                    assert(transport_str[-1] == '+');
-                    transport_str[-1] = '\0';
-                }
-
                 name = virURIFormat(&tmpuri);
 
                 VIR_FREE(tmpuri.query);
 
-                /* Restore transport scheme */
-                if (transport_str)
-                    transport_str[-1] = '+';
-
                 if (!name)
                     goto failed;
             }
@@ -1297,14 +1304,23 @@ remoteConnectOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
                   unsigned int flags)
 {
     struct private_data *priv;
-    int ret, rflags = 0;
+    int ret = VIR_DRV_OPEN_ERROR;
+    int rflags = 0;
     const char *autostart = virGetEnvBlockSUID("LIBVIRT_AUTOSTART");
+    char *driver = NULL;
+    char *transport = NULL;
 
-    if (inside_daemon && (!conn->uri || !conn->uri->server))
-        return VIR_DRV_OPEN_DECLINED;
+    if (conn->uri &&
+        remoteSplitURIScheme(conn->uri, &driver, &transport) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (inside_daemon && (!conn->uri || !conn->uri->server)) {
+        ret = VIR_DRV_OPEN_DECLINED;
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
 
     if (!(priv = remoteAllocPrivateData()))
-        return VIR_DRV_OPEN_ERROR;
+        goto cleanup;
 
     if (flags & VIR_CONNECT_RO)
         rflags |= VIR_DRV_OPEN_REMOTE_RO;
@@ -1319,8 +1335,7 @@ remoteConnectOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
         !conn->uri->server &&
         conn->uri->path &&
         conn->uri->scheme &&
-        ((strchr(conn->uri->scheme, '+') == 0)||
-         (strstr(conn->uri->scheme, "+unix") != NULL)) &&
+        (transport == NULL || STREQ(transport, "unix")) &&
         (STREQ(conn->uri->path, "/session") ||
          STRPREFIX(conn->uri->scheme, "test+")) &&
         geteuid() > 0) {
@@ -1348,7 +1363,7 @@ remoteConnectOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
         }
     }
 
-    ret = doRemoteOpen(conn, priv, auth, conf, rflags);
+    ret = doRemoteOpen(conn, priv, driver, transport, auth, conf, rflags);
     if (ret != VIR_DRV_OPEN_SUCCESS) {
         conn->privateData = NULL;
         remoteDriverUnlock(priv);
@@ -1357,18 +1372,14 @@ remoteConnectOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
         conn->privateData = priv;
         remoteDriverUnlock(priv);
     }
+
+ cleanup:
+    VIR_FREE(driver);
+    VIR_FREE(transport);
     return ret;
 }
 
 
-/* In a string "driver+transport" return a pointer to "transport". */
-static char *
-get_transport_from_scheme(char *scheme)
-{
-    char *p = strchr(scheme, '+');
-    return p ? p + 1 : NULL;
-}
-
 /*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/