diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index 2dd02a3f69..e8e03134f5 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -6385,6 +6385,11 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
             goto cleanup;
         }
 
+        /* terminate the chain for such images as the code below would do */
+        if (!src->backingStore &&
+            VIR_ALLOC(src->backingStore) < 0)
+            goto cleanup;
+
         ret = 0;
         goto cleanup;
     }
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live+ccw-virtio.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live+ccw-virtio.xml
index 0fa8d036b9..cd03d0e09b 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live+ccw-virtio.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live+ccw-virtio.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='vde' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-1-reverse.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-1-reverse.xml
index 135427fff5..7be75f977b 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-1-reverse.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-1-reverse.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='hda' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='hdb' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio.xml
index e17c4e43b2..a83f1b5d73 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-2-ccw-virtio.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='hda' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2-explicit.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2-explicit.xml
index 326d312fa9..3e90207519 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2-explicit.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2-explicit.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='hda' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2.xml
index 326d312fa9..3e90207519 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-ccw-live-with-ccw-virtio+ccw-virtio-2.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='hda' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi-wwn+disk-scsi-duplicate-wwn.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi-wwn+disk-scsi-duplicate-wwn.xml
index 16caeb3542..4c3ea3202b 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi-wwn+disk-scsi-duplicate-wwn.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi-wwn+disk-scsi-duplicate-wwn.xml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='sdg' bus='scsi'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi.xml
index a6dbf0b1bd..493a615fd3 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-scsi.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='sdf' bus='scsi'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-usb.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-usb.xml
index 6ccb88f140..3609819ea3 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-usb.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-usb.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='sdq' bus='usb'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-virtio.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-virtio.xml
index b97c0b41e2..b88b220e33 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-virtio.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-live+disk-virtio.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='vde' bus='virtio'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>
diff --git a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-without-scsi-controller-live+disk-scsi-2.xml b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-without-scsi-controller-live+disk-scsi-2.xml
index 6422e1640d..c12d18f716 100644
--- a/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-without-scsi-controller-live+disk-scsi-2.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuhotplugtestdomains/qemuhotplug-base-without-scsi-controller-live+disk-scsi-2.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     <disk type='file' device='disk'>
       <driver name='qemu' type='raw' cache='none'/>
       <source file='/dev/null'/>
+      <backingStore/>
       <target dev='sdf' bus='scsi'/>
       <readonly/>
       <shareable/>