diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_block.c b/src/qemu/qemu_block.c
index 544b4893b4..254075b2c4 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_block.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_block.c
@@ -572,7 +572,6 @@ qemuBlockStorageSourceGetBackendProps(virStorageSourcePtr src)
 {
     int actualType = virStorageSourceGetActualType(src);
     virJSONValuePtr fileprops = NULL;
-    virJSONValuePtr ret = NULL;
 
     switch ((virStorageType) actualType) {
     case VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_BLOCK:
@@ -587,12 +586,12 @@ qemuBlockStorageSourceGetBackendProps(virStorageSourcePtr src)
         switch ((virStorageNetProtocol) src->protocol) {
         case VIR_STORAGE_NET_PROTOCOL_GLUSTER:
             if (!(fileprops = qemuBlockStorageSourceGetGlusterProps(src)))
-                goto cleanup;
+                return NULL;
             break;
 
         case VIR_STORAGE_NET_PROTOCOL_VXHS:
             if (!(fileprops = qemuBlockStorageSourceGetVxHSProps(src)))
-                goto cleanup;
+                return NULL;
             break;
 
         case VIR_STORAGE_NET_PROTOCOL_NBD:
@@ -612,12 +611,5 @@ qemuBlockStorageSourceGetBackendProps(virStorageSourcePtr src)
         break;
     }
 
-    if (virJSONValueObjectCreate(&ret, "a:file", fileprops, NULL) < 0)
-        goto cleanup;
-
-    fileprops = NULL;
-
- cleanup:
-    virJSONValueFree(fileprops);
-    return ret;
+    return fileprops;
 }
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index f68b82d083..f943e38705 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -1370,6 +1370,31 @@ qemuDiskSourceNeedsProps(virStorageSourcePtr src)
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * qemuDiskSourceGetProps:
+ * @src: disk source struct
+ *
+ * Returns the disk source struct wrapped so that it can be used as disk source
+ * directly by converting it from json.
+ */
+static virJSONValuePtr
+qemuDiskSourceGetProps(virStorageSourcePtr src)
+{
+    virJSONValuePtr props;
+    virJSONValuePtr ret;
+
+    if (!(props = qemuBlockStorageSourceGetBackendProps(src)))
+        return NULL;
+
+    if (virJSONValueObjectCreate(&ret, "a:file", props, NULL) < 0) {
+        virJSONValueFree(props);
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
 static int
 qemuBuildDriveSourceStr(virDomainDiskDefPtr disk,
                         virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg,
@@ -1385,7 +1410,7 @@ qemuBuildDriveSourceStr(virDomainDiskDefPtr disk,
     int ret = -1;
 
     if (qemuDiskSourceNeedsProps(disk->src) &&
-        !(srcprops = qemuBlockStorageSourceGetBackendProps(disk->src)))
+        !(srcprops = qemuDiskSourceGetProps(disk->src)))
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (!srcprops &&