diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
index 84d1f39358..ae6e328adb 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
@@ -971,8 +971,6 @@ static int lxcDomainCreateWithFiles(virDomainPtr dom,
 
     virCheckFlags(VIR_DOMAIN_START_AUTODESTROY, -1);
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(vm = lxcDomObjFromDomain(dom)))
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -1014,7 +1012,6 @@ static int lxcDomainCreateWithFiles(virDomainPtr dom,
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     virObjectEventStateQueue(driver->domainEventState, event);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1080,8 +1077,6 @@ lxcDomainCreateXMLWithFiles(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_START_VALIDATE)
         parse_flags |= VIR_DOMAIN_DEF_PARSE_VALIDATE_SCHEMA;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(caps = virLXCDriverGetCapabilities(driver, false)))
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -1138,7 +1133,6 @@ lxcDomainCreateXMLWithFiles(virConnectPtr conn,
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     virObjectEventStateQueue(driver->domainEventState, event);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return dom;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 812a900fa8..c1b3bd8536 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -1606,8 +1606,6 @@ static virDomainPtr qemuDomainCreateXML(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_START_RESET_NVRAM)
         start_flags |= VIR_QEMU_PROCESS_START_RESET_NVRAM;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(def = virDomainDefParseString(xml, driver->xmlopt,
                                         NULL, parse_flags)))
         goto cleanup;
@@ -1661,7 +1659,6 @@ static virDomainPtr qemuDomainCreateXML(virConnectPtr conn,
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     virObjectEventStateQueue(driver->domainEventState, event);
     virObjectEventStateQueue(driver->domainEventState, event2);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return dom;
 }
 
@@ -5776,8 +5773,6 @@ qemuDomainRestoreFlags(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SAVE_RESET_NVRAM)
         reset_nvram = true;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     fd = qemuSaveImageOpen(driver, NULL, path, &def, &data,
                            (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SAVE_BYPASS_CACHE) != 0,
                            &wrapperFd, false, false);
@@ -5849,7 +5844,6 @@ qemuDomainRestoreFlags(virConnectPtr conn,
     if (vm && ret < 0)
         qemuDomainRemoveInactiveJob(driver, vm);
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -6403,8 +6397,6 @@ qemuDomainCreateWithFlags(virDomainPtr dom, unsigned int flags)
                   VIR_DOMAIN_START_FORCE_BOOT |
                   VIR_DOMAIN_START_RESET_NVRAM, -1);
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(vm = qemuDomainObjFromDomain(dom)))
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -6433,7 +6425,6 @@ qemuDomainCreateWithFlags(virDomainPtr dom, unsigned int flags)
 
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -7815,8 +7806,6 @@ qemuDomainAttachDeviceFlags(virDomainPtr dom,
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(vm = qemuDomainObjFromDomain(dom)))
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -7839,7 +7828,6 @@ qemuDomainAttachDeviceFlags(virDomainPtr dom,
 
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -7869,8 +7857,6 @@ static int qemuDomainUpdateDeviceFlags(virDomainPtr dom,
                   VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG |
                   VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_MODIFY_FORCE, -1);
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
 
     if (!(vm = qemuDomainObjFromDomain(dom)))
@@ -7947,7 +7933,6 @@ static int qemuDomainUpdateDeviceFlags(virDomainPtr dom,
     if (dev != dev_copy)
         virDomainDeviceDefFree(dev_copy);
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -13654,8 +13639,6 @@ qemuDomainRevertToSnapshot(virDomainSnapshotPtr snapshot,
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (!(vm = qemuDomObjFromSnapshot(snapshot)))
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -13666,7 +13649,6 @@ qemuDomainRevertToSnapshot(virDomainSnapshotPtr snapshot,
 
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
index 5aecdddff0..43ee094486 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
@@ -2782,8 +2782,6 @@ qemuMigrationDstPrepareAny(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     int rv;
     g_autofree char *tlsAlias = NULL;
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     if (flags & VIR_MIGRATE_OFFLINE) {
         if (flags & (VIR_MIGRATE_NON_SHARED_DISK |
                      VIR_MIGRATE_NON_SHARED_INC)) {
@@ -3103,7 +3101,6 @@ qemuMigrationDstPrepareAny(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     virObjectEventStateQueue(driver->domainEventState, event);
     qemuMigrationCookieFree(mig);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     virErrorRestore(&origErr);
     return ret;
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index 5af925e521..b19a6218d0 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -9004,7 +9004,6 @@ qemuProcessReconnect(void *opaque)
             qemuDomainRemoveInactiveJob(driver, obj);
     }
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&obj);
-    virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
     virIdentitySetCurrent(NULL);
     return;
 
@@ -9056,8 +9055,6 @@ qemuProcessReconnectHelper(virDomainObj *obj,
     data->obj = obj;
     data->identity = virIdentityGetCurrent();
 
-    virNWFilterReadLockFilterUpdates();
-
     /* this lock and reference will be eventually transferred to the thread
      * that handles the reconnect */
     virObjectLock(obj);
@@ -9080,7 +9077,6 @@ qemuProcessReconnectHelper(virDomainObj *obj,
         qemuDomainRemoveInactiveJobLocked(src->driver, obj);
 
         virDomainObjEndAPI(&obj);
-        virNWFilterUnlockFilterUpdates();
         g_clear_object(&data->identity);
         VIR_FREE(data);
         return -1;