diff --git a/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.c b/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.c
index e175917eae..a8d18928de 100644
--- a/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.c
@@ -513,16 +513,11 @@ virDomainCheckpointDefFormat(virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def,
 
 int
 virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(virDomainObjPtr vm,
-                                virDomainCheckpointDefPtr *defptr,
-                                virDomainMomentObjPtr *chk,
-                                virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt,
+                                virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def,
                                 bool *update_current)
 {
-    virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def = *defptr;
     char uuidstr[VIR_UUID_STRING_BUFLEN];
     virDomainMomentObjPtr parent = NULL;
-    virDomainMomentObjPtr other = NULL;
-    virDomainCheckpointDefPtr otherdef = NULL;
 
     virUUIDFormat(vm->def->uuid, uuidstr);
 
@@ -550,12 +545,26 @@ virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(virDomainObjPtr vm,
     if (virDomainCheckpointGetCurrent(vm->checkpoints) == NULL)
         *update_current = true;
 
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+virDomainMomentObjPtr
+virDomainCheckpointRedefineCommit(virDomainObjPtr vm,
+                                  virDomainCheckpointDefPtr *defptr,
+                                  virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt)
+{
+    virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def = *defptr;
+    virDomainMomentObjPtr other = NULL;
+    virDomainCheckpointDefPtr otherdef = NULL;
+    virDomainMomentObjPtr chk = NULL;
+
     other = virDomainCheckpointFindByName(vm->checkpoints, def->parent.name);
     if (other) {
         otherdef = virDomainCheckpointObjGetDef(other);
         if (!virDomainDefCheckABIStability(otherdef->parent.dom,
                                            def->parent.dom, xmlopt))
-            return -1;
+            return NULL;
 
         /* Drop and rebuild the parent relationship, but keep all
          * child relations by reusing chk.  */
@@ -563,8 +572,11 @@ virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(virDomainObjPtr vm,
         virObjectUnref(otherdef);
         other->def = &(*defptr)->parent;
         *defptr = NULL;
-        *chk = other;
+        chk = other;
+    } else {
+        chk = virDomainCheckpointAssignDef(vm->checkpoints, def);
+        *defptr = NULL;
     }
 
-    return 0;
+    return chk;
 }
diff --git a/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.h b/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.h
index f115b98c2b..631f863151 100644
--- a/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/checkpoint_conf.h
@@ -90,10 +90,14 @@ virDomainCheckpointDefFormat(virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def,
 int
 virDomainCheckpointAlignDisks(virDomainCheckpointDefPtr checkpoint);
 
-int virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(virDomainObjPtr vm,
-                                    virDomainCheckpointDefPtr *def,
-                                    virDomainMomentObjPtr *checkpoint,
-                                    virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt,
-                                    bool *update_current);
+int
+virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(virDomainObjPtr vm,
+                                virDomainCheckpointDefPtr def,
+                                bool *update_current);
+
+virDomainMomentObjPtr
+virDomainCheckpointRedefineCommit(virDomainObjPtr vm,
+                                  virDomainCheckpointDefPtr *defptr,
+                                  virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt);
 
 VIR_ENUM_DECL(virDomainCheckpoint);
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 279d8fe619..ddddc8f2d1 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ virDomainCheckpointDefFormat;
 virDomainCheckpointDefNew;
 virDomainCheckpointDefParseString;
 virDomainCheckpointFormatConvertXMLFlags;
+virDomainCheckpointRedefineCommit;
 virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep;
 virDomainCheckpointTypeFromString;
 virDomainCheckpointTypeToString;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_checkpoint.c b/src/qemu/qemu_checkpoint.c
index 050d78140a..48bcc775e4 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_checkpoint.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_checkpoint.c
@@ -377,22 +377,14 @@ qemuCheckpointRedefine(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
                        virDomainCheckpointDefPtr *def,
                        bool *update_current)
 {
-    virDomainMomentObjPtr chk = NULL;
-
-    if (virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(vm, def, &chk, driver->xmlopt,
-                                        update_current) < 0)
+    if (virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(vm, *def, update_current) < 0)
         return NULL;
 
     /* XXX Should we validate that the redefined checkpoint even
      * makes sense, such as checking that qemu-img recognizes the
      * checkpoint bitmap name in at least one of the domain's disks?  */
 
-    if (chk)
-        return chk;
-
-    chk = virDomainCheckpointAssignDef(vm->checkpoints, *def);
-    *def = NULL;
-    return chk;
+    return virDomainCheckpointRedefineCommit(vm, def, driver->xmlopt);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index 5c02a8ebb0..cd502781e1 100644
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -8989,9 +8989,10 @@ testDomainCheckpointCreateXML(virDomainPtr domain,
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (redefine) {
-        if (virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(vm, &def, &chk,
-                                            privconn->xmlopt,
-                                            &update_current) < 0)
+        if (virDomainCheckpointRedefinePrep(vm, def, &update_current) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
+        if (!(chk = virDomainCheckpointRedefineCommit(vm, &def, privconn->xmlopt)))
             goto cleanup;
     } else {
         if (!(def->parent.dom = virDomainDefCopy(vm->def,
@@ -9002,9 +9003,7 @@ testDomainCheckpointCreateXML(virDomainPtr domain,
 
         if (virDomainCheckpointAlignDisks(def) < 0)
             goto cleanup;
-    }
 
-    if (!chk) {
         if (!(chk = virDomainCheckpointAssignDef(vm->checkpoints, def)))
             goto cleanup;