diff --git a/examples/domain-events/events-c/event-test.c b/examples/domain-events/events-c/event-test.c
index 39bea495c0..ede9796df4 100644
--- a/examples/domain-events/events-c/event-test.c
+++ b/examples/domain-events/events-c/event-test.c
@@ -149,6 +149,9 @@ static const char *eventDetailToString(int event, int detail) {
             case VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_FROM_SNAPSHOT:
                 ret = "Snapshot";
                 break;
+            case VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_API_ERROR:
+                ret = "API error";
+                break;
             }
             break;
         case VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_RESUMED:
diff --git a/examples/domain-events/events-python/event-test.py b/examples/domain-events/events-python/event-test.py
index 2bb51957ff..9fa0ea675e 100644
--- a/examples/domain-events/events-python/event-test.py
+++ b/examples/domain-events/events-python/event-test.py
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ def detailToString(event, detail):
         ( "Added", "Updated" ),
         ( "Removed", ),
         ( "Booted", "Migrated", "Restored", "Snapshot", "Wakeup" ),
-        ( "Paused", "Migrated", "IOError", "Watchdog", "Restored", "Snapshot" ),
+        ( "Paused", "Migrated", "IOError", "Watchdog", "Restored", "Snapshot", "API error" ),
         ( "Unpaused", "Migrated", "Snapshot" ),
         ( "Shutdown", "Destroyed", "Crashed", "Migrated", "Saved", "Failed", "Snapshot"),
         ( "Finished", ),
diff --git a/include/libvirt/libvirt.h.in b/include/libvirt/libvirt.h.in
index fe58c08292..bf584a0bf6 100644
--- a/include/libvirt/libvirt.h.in
+++ b/include/libvirt/libvirt.h.in
@@ -3159,6 +3159,7 @@ typedef enum {
     VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_WATCHDOG = 3,  /* Suspended due to a watchdog firing */
     VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_RESTORED = 4,  /* Restored from paused state file */
     VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_FROM_SNAPSHOT = 5, /* Restored from paused snapshot */
+    VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_API_ERROR = 6, /* suspended after failure during libvirt API call */
 
 #ifdef VIR_ENUM_SENTINELS
     VIR_DOMAIN_EVENT_SUSPENDED_LAST