diff --git a/docs/formatdomain.html.in b/docs/formatdomain.html.in
index 35b47f2dd7..1ef80b06ca 100644
--- a/docs/formatdomain.html.in
+++ b/docs/formatdomain.html.in
@@ -4294,6 +4294,7 @@ qemu-kvm -net nic,model=? /dev/null
   ...
   <devices>
     <rng model='virtio'>
+      <rate period="2000" bytes="1234"/>
       <backend model='random'>/dev/random</backend>
       <!-- OR -->
       <backend model='egd' type='udp'>
@@ -4316,6 +4317,18 @@ qemu-kvm -net nic,model=? /dev/null
           <li>'virtio' &mdash; supported by qemu and virtio-rng kernel module</li>
         </ul>
       </dd>
+      <dt><code>rate</code></dt>
+      <dd>
+        <p>
+          The optional <code>rate</code> element allows limiting the rate at
+          which entropy can be consumed from the source.  The mandatory
+          attribute <code>bytes</code> specifies how many bytes are permitted
+          to be consumed per period.  An optional <code>period</code> attribute
+          specifies the duration of a period in milliseconds; if omitted, the
+          period is taken as 1000 milliseconds (1 second).
+          <span class='since'>Since 1.0.4</span>
+        </p>
+      </dd>
       <dt><code>backend</code></dt>
       <dd>
         <p>
diff --git a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
index c40263c76b..97920653df 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
+++ b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
@@ -3522,7 +3522,12 @@
           <value>virtio</value>
         </choice>
       </attribute>
-      <ref name="rng-backend"/>
+      <interleave>
+        <ref name="rng-backend"/>
+        <optional>
+          <ref name="rng-rate"/>
+        </optional>
+      </interleave>
     </element>
   </define>
 
@@ -3550,6 +3555,20 @@
     </element>
   </define>
 
+  <define name="rng-rate">
+    <element name="rate">
+      <attribute name="bytes">
+        <ref name="positiveInteger"/>
+      </attribute>
+      <optional>
+        <attribute name="period">
+          <ref name="positiveInteger"/>
+        </attribute>
+      </optional>
+      <empty/>
+    </element>
+  </define>
+
   <define name="usbmaster">
     <element name="master">
       <attribute name="startport">
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 95d2ff22b8..3278e9c15e 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -7570,6 +7570,19 @@ virDomainRNGDefParseXML(const xmlNodePtr node,
 
     ctxt->node = node;
 
+    if (virXPathUInt("string(./rate/@bytes)", ctxt, &def->rate) < -1) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_XML_ERROR, "%s",
+                       _("invalid RNG rate bytes value"));
+        goto error;
+    }
+
+    if (def->rate > 0 &&
+        virXPathUInt("string(./rate/@period)", ctxt, &def->period) < -1) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_XML_ERROR, "%s",
+                       _("invalid RNG rate period value"));
+        goto error;
+    }
+
     if ((nbackends = virXPathNodeSet("./backend", ctxt, &backends)) < 0)
         goto error;
 
@@ -13897,6 +13910,12 @@ virDomainRNGDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
     const char *backend = virDomainRNGBackendTypeToString(def->backend);
 
     virBufferAsprintf(buf, "    <rng model='%s'>\n", model);
+    if (def->rate) {
+        virBufferAsprintf(buf, "      <rate bytes='%u'", def->rate);
+        if (def->period)
+            virBufferAsprintf(buf, " period='%u'", def->period);
+        virBufferAddLit(buf, "/>\n");
+    }
     virBufferAsprintf(buf, "      <backend model='%s'", backend);
 
     switch ((enum virDomainRNGBackend) def->backend) {
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index 0fe43c5869..96f11ba76d 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -1736,6 +1736,8 @@ enum virDomainRNGBackend {
 struct _virDomainRNGDef {
     int model;
     int backend;
+    unsigned int rate; /* bytes per period */
+    unsigned int period; /* milliseconds */
 
     union {
         char *file; /* file name for 'random' source */
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index e7f232579a..78c5cfc4f5 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -4492,6 +4492,14 @@ qemuBuildRNGDeviceArgs(virCommandPtr cmd,
 
     virBufferAsprintf(&buf, "virtio-rng-pci,rng=%s", dev->info.alias);
 
+    if (dev->rate > 0) {
+        virBufferAsprintf(&buf, ",max-bytes=%u", dev->rate);
+        if (dev->period)
+            virBufferAsprintf(&buf, ",period=%u", dev->period);
+        else
+            virBufferAddLit(&buf, ",period=1000");
+    }
+
     if (qemuBuildDeviceAddressStr(&buf, &dev->info, qemuCaps) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.args b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.args
index 7ab9dbc0c0..5d296e825e 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.args
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.args
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ LC_ALL=C PATH=/bin HOME=/home/test USER=test LOGNAME=test /usr/bin/qemu \
 -monitor unix:/tmp/test-monitor,server,nowait -no-acpi -boot c -usb \
 -device virtio-balloon-pci,id=balloon0,bus=pci.0,addr=0x3 \
 -object rng-random,id=rng0,filename=/dev/hwrng \
--device virtio-rng-pci,rng=rng0,bus=pci.0,addr=0x4
+-device virtio-rng-pci,rng=rng0,max-bytes=123,period=1234,bus=pci.0,addr=0x4
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.xml b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.xml
index 1e2c4be95a..354ae42932 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-virtio-rng-random.xml
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
     <controller type='usb' index='0'/>
     <memballoon model='virtio'/>
     <rng model='virtio'>
+      <rate bytes='123' period='1234'/>
       <backend model='random'>/dev/hwrng</backend>
     </rng>
   </devices>