diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 91f13a4ef1..57312c3f62 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1865,7 +1865,7 @@ virStorageFileFormatTypeToString;
 virStorageFileGetLVMKey;
 virStorageFileGetMetadataFromBuf;
 virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFD;
-virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFDInternal;
+virStorageFileGetMetadataInternal;
 virStorageFileGetSCSIKey;
 virStorageFileIsClusterFS;
 virStorageFileParseChainIndex;
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_driver.c b/src/storage/storage_driver.c
index 5c4188fafe..b074047570 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_driver.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_driver.c
@@ -3132,10 +3132,11 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataRecurse(virStorageSourcePtr src,
                                  bool allow_probe,
                                  virHashTablePtr cycle)
 {
-    int fd;
     int ret = -1;
     struct stat st;
     const char *uniqueName;
+    char *buf = NULL;
+    ssize_t headerLen;
     virStorageSourcePtr backingStore = NULL;
     int backingFormat;
 
@@ -3163,26 +3164,13 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataRecurse(virStorageSourcePtr src,
     if (virHashAddEntry(cycle, uniqueName, (void *)1) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (virStorageSourceGetActualType(src) != VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_NETWORK) {
-        if ((fd = virFileOpenAs(src->path, O_RDONLY, 0, uid, gid, 0)) < 0) {
-            virReportSystemError(-fd, _("Failed to open file '%s'"),
-                                 src->path);
-            goto cleanup;
-        }
-
-        if (virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFDInternal(src, fd,
-                                                    &backingFormat) < 0) {
-            VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(fd);
-            goto cleanup;
-        }
-
-        if (VIR_CLOSE(fd) < 0)
-            VIR_WARN("could not close file %s", src->path);
-    } else {
-        /* TODO: currently we call this only for local storage */
-        ret = 0;
+    if ((headerLen = virStorageFileReadHeader(src, VIR_STORAGE_MAX_HEADER,
+                                              &buf)) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virStorageFileGetMetadataInternal(src, buf, headerLen,
+                                          &backingFormat) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
-    }
 
     /* check whether we need to go deeper */
     if (!src->backingStoreRaw) {
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.c b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
index 4956808c69..a80131a97f 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.c
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
@@ -740,8 +740,7 @@ qcow2GetFeatures(virBitmapPtr *features,
  * with information about the file and its backing store. Return format
  * of the backing store as BACKING_FORMAT. PATH and FORMAT have to be
  * pre-populated in META */
-static int ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2)
-ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(4)
+int
 virStorageFileGetMetadataInternal(virStorageSourcePtr meta,
                                   char *buf,
                                   size_t len,
@@ -955,7 +954,7 @@ virStorageFileGetMetadataFromBuf(const char *path,
 
 
 /* Internal version that also supports a containing directory name.  */
-int
+static int
 virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFDInternal(virStorageSourcePtr meta,
                                         int fd,
                                         int *backingFormat)
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.h b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
index 99472039f4..b516fbea31 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.h
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.h
@@ -265,9 +265,12 @@ struct _virStorageSource {
 
 int virStorageFileProbeFormat(const char *path, uid_t uid, gid_t gid);
 
-int virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFDInternal(virStorageSourcePtr meta,
-                                            int fd,
-                                            int *backingFormat);
+int virStorageFileGetMetadataInternal(virStorageSourcePtr meta,
+                                      char *buf,
+                                      size_t len,
+                                      int *backingFormat)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(4);
+
 virStorageSourcePtr virStorageFileGetMetadataFromFD(const char *path,
                                                     int fd,
                                                     int format,