diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
index a952ff9153..372bd7b189 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
@@ -3076,3 +3076,24 @@ void qemuMonitorMachineInfoFree(qemuMonitorMachineInfoPtr machine)
     VIR_FREE(machine->alias);
     VIR_FREE(machine);
 }
+
+int qemuMonitorGetCPUDefinitions(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
+                                 char ***cpus)
+{
+    VIR_DEBUG("mon=%p cpus=%p",
+              mon, cpus);
+
+    if (!mon) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG, "%s",
+                       _("monitor must not be NULL"));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!mon->json) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_CONFIG_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                       _("JSON monitor is required"));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return qemuMonitorJSONGetCPUDefinitions(mon, cpus);
+}
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
index d26608bc01..ed771bb465 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
@@ -593,6 +593,10 @@ int qemuMonitorGetMachines(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
 
 void qemuMonitorMachineInfoFree(qemuMonitorMachineInfoPtr machine);
 
+int qemuMonitorGetCPUDefinitions(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
+                                 char ***cpus);
+
+
 /**
  * When running two dd process and using <> redirection, we need a
  * shell that will not truncate files.  These two strings serve that
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
index b8cd627fcc..bc77321ced 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
@@ -4042,3 +4042,77 @@ cleanup:
     virJSONValueFree(reply);
     return ret;
 }
+
+
+int qemuMonitorJSONGetCPUDefinitions(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
+                                     char ***cpus)
+{
+    int ret;
+    virJSONValuePtr cmd;
+    virJSONValuePtr reply = NULL;
+    virJSONValuePtr data;
+    char **cpulist = NULL;
+    int n = 0;
+    size_t i;
+
+    *cpus = NULL;
+
+    if (!(cmd = qemuMonitorJSONMakeCommand("query-cpu-definitions", NULL)))
+        return -1;
+
+    ret = qemuMonitorJSONCommand(mon, cmd, &reply);
+
+    if (ret == 0)
+        ret = qemuMonitorJSONCheckError(cmd, reply);
+
+    if (ret < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    ret = -1;
+
+    if (!(data = virJSONValueObjectGet(reply, "return"))) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                       _("query-cpu-definitions reply was missing return data"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if ((n = virJSONValueArraySize(data)) < 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                       _("query-cpu-definitions reply data was not an array"));
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    if (VIR_ALLOC_N(cpulist, n) < 0) {
+        virReportOOMError();
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+    for (i = 0 ; i < n ; i++) {
+        virJSONValuePtr child = virJSONValueArrayGet(data, i);
+        const char *tmp;
+
+        if (!(tmp = virJSONValueObjectGetString(child, "name"))) {
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                           _("query-cpu-definitions reply data was missing 'name'"));
+            goto cleanup;
+        }
+
+        if (!(cpulist[i] = strdup(tmp))) {
+            virReportOOMError();
+            goto cleanup;
+        }
+    }
+
+    ret = n;
+    *cpus = cpulist;
+
+cleanup:
+    if (ret < 0 && cpulist) {
+        for (i = 0 ; i < n ; i++)
+            VIR_FREE(cpulist[i]);
+        VIR_FREE(cpulist);
+    }
+    virJSONValueFree(cmd);
+    virJSONValueFree(reply);
+    return ret;
+}
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
index f384a97801..ea6bf89684 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
@@ -294,4 +294,8 @@ int qemuMonitorJSONGetMachines(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                                qemuMonitorMachineInfoPtr **machines)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
 
+int qemuMonitorJSONGetCPUDefinitions(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
+                                     char ***cpus)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
+
 #endif /* QEMU_MONITOR_JSON_H */
diff --git a/tests/qemumonitorjsontest.c b/tests/qemumonitorjsontest.c
index f1947c5ae8..c447e693cc 100644
--- a/tests/qemumonitorjsontest.c
+++ b/tests/qemumonitorjsontest.c
@@ -300,6 +300,68 @@ cleanup:
 }
 
 
+static int
+testQemuMonitorJSONGetCPUDefinitions(const void *data)
+{
+    virCapsPtr caps = (virCapsPtr)data;
+    qemuMonitorTestPtr test = qemuMonitorTestNew(true, caps);
+    int ret = -1;
+    char **cpus = NULL;
+    int ncpus;
+
+    if (!test)
+        return -1;
+
+    if (qemuMonitorTestAddItem(test, "query-cpu-definitions",
+                               "{ "
+                               "  \"return\": [ "
+                               "   { "
+                               "     \"name\": \"qemu64\" "
+                               "   }, "
+                               "   { "
+                               "     \"name\": \"Opteron_G4\" "
+                               "   }, "
+                               "   { "
+                               "     \"name\": \"Westmere\" "
+                               "   } "
+                               "  ]"
+                               "}") < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if ((ncpus = qemuMonitorGetCPUDefinitions(qemuMonitorTestGetMonitor(test),
+                                              &cpus)) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (ncpus != 3) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       "ncpus %d is not 3", ncpus);
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
+#define CHECK(i, wantname)                                              \
+    do {                                                                \
+        if (STRNEQ(cpus[i], (wantname))) {                              \
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,                      \
+                           "name %s is not %s",                         \
+                           cpus[i], (wantname));                        \
+            goto cleanup;                                               \
+        }                                                               \
+    } while (0)
+
+    CHECK(0, "qemu64");
+    CHECK(1, "Opteron_G4");
+    CHECK(2, "Westmere");
+
+#undef CHECK
+
+    ret = 0;
+
+cleanup:
+    qemuMonitorTestFree(test);
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
 static int
 mymain(void)
 {
@@ -321,6 +383,7 @@ mymain(void)
     DO_TEST(GetStatus);
     DO_TEST(GetVersion);
     DO_TEST(GetMachines);
+    DO_TEST(GetCPUDefinitions);
 
     virCapabilitiesFree(caps);