diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 5da9874e17..9bc3d9530b 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2956,6 +2956,7 @@ virObjectListFree;
 virObjectListFreeCount;
 virObjectLock;
 virObjectLockableNew;
+virObjectLockGuard;
 virObjectNew;
 virObjectRef;
 virObjectRWLockableNew;
diff --git a/src/util/virobject.c b/src/util/virobject.c
index 588b41802c..74cc84205e 100644
--- a/src/util/virobject.c
+++ b/src/util/virobject.c
@@ -426,6 +426,22 @@ virObjectGetRWLockableObj(void *anyobj)
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * virObjectLockGuard:
+ * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectLockable
+ *
+ * Acquire a lock on @anyobj that will be managed by the virLockGuard object
+ * returned to the caller.
+ */
+virLockGuard
+virObjectLockGuard(void *anyobj)
+{
+    virObjectLockable *obj = virObjectGetLockableObj(anyobj);
+
+    return virLockGuardLock(&obj->lock);
+}
+
+
 /**
  * virObjectLock:
  * @anyobj: any instance of virObjectLockable
diff --git a/src/util/virobject.h b/src/util/virobject.h
index 1e34c77744..dc1ce66a4f 100644
--- a/src/util/virobject.h
+++ b/src/util/virobject.h
@@ -118,6 +118,10 @@ void *
 virObjectRWLockableNew(virClass *klass)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 
+virLockGuard
+virObjectLockGuard(void *lockableobj)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
+
 void
 virObjectLock(void *lockableobj)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);