diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index a055db74f8..9d5dd07958 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -7532,19 +7532,16 @@ qemuDomainPrepareStorageSourceConfig(virStorageSource *src,
  * @vm: domain object
  * @disk: disk definition
  * @disksrc: source to determine the chain for, may be NULL
- * @report_broken: report broken chain verbosely
  *
  * Prepares and initializes the backing chain of disk @disk. In cases where
  * a new source is to be associated with @disk the @disksrc parameter can be
- * used to override the source. If @report_broken is true missing images
- * in the backing chain are reported.
+ * used to override the source.
  */
 int
 qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                              virDomainObj *vm,
                              virDomainDiskDef *disk,
-                             virStorageSource *disksrc,
-                             bool report_broken)
+                             virStorageSource *disksrc)
 {
     g_autoptr(virQEMUDriverConfig) cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
     virStorageSource *src; /* iterator for the backing chain declared in XML */
@@ -7566,8 +7563,7 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
         disksrc->format < VIR_STORAGE_FILE_BACKING) {
 
         if (!virFileExists(disksrc->path)) {
-            if (report_broken)
-                virStorageSourceReportBrokenChain(errno, disksrc, disksrc);
+            virStorageSourceReportBrokenChain(errno, disksrc, disksrc);
 
             return -1;
         }
@@ -7590,24 +7586,22 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     src = disksrc;
     /* skip to the end of the chain if there is any */
     while (virStorageSourceHasBacking(src)) {
-        if (report_broken) {
-            int rv = virStorageSourceSupportsAccess(src);
+        int rv = virStorageSourceSupportsAccess(src);
 
-            if (rv < 0)
+        if (rv < 0)
+            return -1;
+
+        if (rv > 0) {
+            if (qemuDomainStorageFileInit(driver, vm, src, disksrc) < 0)
                 return -1;
 
-            if (rv > 0) {
-                if (qemuDomainStorageFileInit(driver, vm, src, disksrc) < 0)
-                    return -1;
-
-                if (virStorageSourceAccess(src, F_OK) < 0) {
-                    virStorageSourceReportBrokenChain(errno, src, disksrc);
-                    virStorageSourceDeinit(src);
-                    return -1;
-                }
-
+            if (virStorageSourceAccess(src, F_OK) < 0) {
+                virStorageSourceReportBrokenChain(errno, src, disksrc);
                 virStorageSourceDeinit(src);
+                return -1;
             }
+
+            virStorageSourceDeinit(src);
         }
         src = src->backingStore;
     }
@@ -7625,7 +7619,7 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
 
     if (virStorageSourceGetMetadata(src, uid, gid,
                                     QEMU_DOMAIN_STORAGE_SOURCE_CHAIN_MAX_DEPTH,
-                                    report_broken) < 0)
+                                    true) < 0)
         return -1;
 
     for (n = src->backingStore; virStorageSourceIsBacking(n); n = n->backingStore) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
index dbd7bfcd30..592ee9805b 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
@@ -708,8 +708,7 @@ int qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(virStorageSource *src,
 int qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                                  virDomainObj *vm,
                                  virDomainDiskDef *disk,
-                                 virStorageSource *disksrc,
-                                 bool report_broken);
+                                 virStorageSource *disksrc);
 
 bool qemuDomainDiskChangeSupported(virDomainDiskDef *disk,
                                    virDomainDiskDef *orig_disk);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index e078044f9f..333225dd21 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -15084,7 +15084,7 @@ qemuDomainBlockCopyCommon(virDomainObj *vm,
     if (mirror_reuse &&
         mirror->format >= VIR_STORAGE_FILE_BACKING &&
         mirror->backingStore == NULL &&
-        qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, mirror, true) < 0)
+        qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, mirror) < 0)
         goto endjob;
 
     if (qemuDomainStorageSourceChainAccessAllow(driver, vm, mirror) < 0)
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
index 83f189ba5e..30f146f2f4 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ qemuDomainChangeEjectableMedia(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     if (virDomainDiskTranslateSourcePool(disk) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL, true) < 0)
+    if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (qemuDomainPrepareDiskSource(disk, priv, cfg) < 0)
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ qemuDomainAttachDeviceDiskLiveInternal(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     if (virDomainDiskTranslateSourcePool(disk) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL, true) < 0)
+    if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     for (i = 0; i < vm->def->ndisks; i++) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index ce4257d671..cfcf879f59 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -6774,7 +6774,7 @@ qemuProcessPrepareHostStorage(virQEMUDriver *driver,
         if (qemuDomainDiskIsMissingLocalOptional(disk) && cold_boot)
             VIR_INFO("optional disk '%s' source file is missing, "
                      "skip checking disk chain", disk->dst);
-        else if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL, true) >= 0)
+        else if (qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(driver, vm, disk, NULL) >= 0)
             continue;
 
         if (qemuDomainCheckDiskStartupPolicy(driver, vm, idx, cold_boot) >= 0)