diff --git a/daemon/remote.c b/daemon/remote.c
index 34c63648dc..d5ead81e01 100644
--- a/daemon/remote.c
+++ b/daemon/remote.c
@@ -2495,7 +2495,7 @@ remoteDispatchDomainEventSend(virNetServerClientPtr client,
 {
     virNetMessagePtr msg;
 
-    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew()))
+    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false)))
         goto cleanup;
 
     msg->header.prog = virNetServerProgramGetID(program);
diff --git a/daemon/stream.c b/daemon/stream.c
index ba3adc21c9..e3214c2f57 100644
--- a/daemon/stream.c
+++ b/daemon/stream.c
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ daemonStreamEvent(virStreamPtr st, int events, void *opaque)
             virNetError(VIR_ERR_RPC,
                         "%s", _("stream had I/O failure"));
 
-        msg = virNetMessageNew();
+        msg = virNetMessageNew(false);
         if (!msg) {
             ret = -1;
         } else {
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ int daemonFreeClientStream(virNetServerClientPtr client,
         virNetMessagePtr tmp = msg->next;
         if (client) {
             /* Send a dummy reply to free up 'msg' & unblock client rx */
-            memset(msg, 0, sizeof(*msg));
+            virNetMessageClear(msg);
             msg->header.type = VIR_NET_REPLY;
             if (virNetServerClientSendMessage(client, msg) < 0) {
                 virNetServerClientImmediateClose(client);
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ daemonStreamHandleWrite(virNetServerClientPtr client,
          * its active request count / throttling
          */
         if (msg->header.status == VIR_NET_CONTINUE) {
-            memset(msg, 0, sizeof(*msg));
+            virNetMessageClear(msg);
             msg->header.type = VIR_NET_REPLY;
             if (virNetServerClientSendMessage(client, msg) < 0) {
                 virNetMessageFree(msg);
@@ -715,7 +715,7 @@ daemonStreamHandleRead(virNetServerClientPtr client,
 
         memset(&rerr, 0, sizeof(rerr));
 
-        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew()))
+        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false)))
             ret = -1;
         else
             ret = virNetServerProgramSendStreamError(remoteProgram,
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ daemonStreamHandleRead(virNetServerClientPtr client,
         stream->tx = 0;
         if (ret == 0)
             stream->recvEOF = 1;
-        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew()))
+        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false)))
             ret = -1;
 
         if (msg) {
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetclientprogram.c b/src/rpc/virnetclientprogram.c
index c39520abfd..a07b744d3c 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetclientprogram.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetclientprogram.c
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ int virNetClientProgramCall(virNetClientProgramPtr prog,
 {
     virNetMessagePtr msg;
 
-    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew()))
+    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false)))
         return -1;
 
     msg->header.prog = prog->program;
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetclientstream.c b/src/rpc/virnetclientstream.c
index fe15acdf61..2cc84d40dc 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetclientstream.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetclientstream.c
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ int virNetClientStreamSendPacket(virNetClientStreamPtr st,
     bool wantReply;
     VIR_DEBUG("st=%p status=%d data=%p nbytes=%zu", st, status, data, nbytes);
 
-    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew()))
+    if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false)))
         return -1;
 
     virMutexLock(&st->lock);
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ int virNetClientStreamRecvPacket(virNetClientStreamPtr st,
             goto cleanup;
         }
 
-        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew())) {
+        if (!(msg = virNetMessageNew(false))) {
             virReportOOMError();
             goto cleanup;
         }
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetmessage.c b/src/rpc/virnetmessage.c
index 072549190b..a1ae9c4d7b 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetmessage.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetmessage.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
     virReportErrorHelper(VIR_FROM_THIS, code, __FILE__,           \
                          __FUNCTION__, __LINE__, __VA_ARGS__)
 
-virNetMessagePtr virNetMessageNew(void)
+virNetMessagePtr virNetMessageNew(bool tracked)
 {
     virNetMessagePtr msg;
 
@@ -41,11 +41,21 @@ virNetMessagePtr virNetMessageNew(void)
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    VIR_DEBUG("msg=%p", msg);
+    msg->tracked = tracked;
+    VIR_DEBUG("msg=%p tracked=%d", msg, tracked);
 
     return msg;
 }
 
+
+void virNetMessageClear(virNetMessagePtr msg)
+{
+    bool tracked = msg->tracked;
+    memset(msg, 0, sizeof(*msg));
+    msg->tracked = tracked;
+}
+
+
 void virNetMessageFree(virNetMessagePtr msg)
 {
     if (!msg)
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetmessage.h b/src/rpc/virnetmessage.h
index 2aae3f6499..307a0413ef 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetmessage.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetmessage.h
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ typedef void (*virNetMessageFreeCallback)(virNetMessagePtr msg, void *opaque);
  * use virNetMessageNew() to allocate on the heap
  */
 struct _virNetMessage {
+    bool tracked;
+
     char buffer[VIR_NET_MESSAGE_MAX + VIR_NET_MESSAGE_LEN_MAX];
     size_t bufferLength;
     size_t bufferOffset;
@@ -48,7 +50,9 @@ struct _virNetMessage {
 };
 
 
-virNetMessagePtr virNetMessageNew(void);
+virNetMessagePtr virNetMessageNew(bool tracked);
+
+void virNetMessageClear(virNetMessagePtr);
 
 void virNetMessageFree(virNetMessagePtr msg);
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
index a73b06d692..412814def9 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ virNetServerClientCheckAccess(virNetServerClientPtr client)
         return -1;
     }
 
-    if (!(confirm = virNetMessageNew()))
+    if (!(confirm = virNetMessageNew(false)))
         return -1;
 
     /* Checks have succeeded.  Write a '\1' byte back to the client to
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ virNetServerClientPtr virNetServerClientNew(virNetSocketPtr sock,
         virNetTLSContextRef(tls);
 
     /* Prepare one for packet receive */
-    if (!(client->rx = virNetMessageNew()))
+    if (!(client->rx = virNetMessageNew(true)))
         goto error;
     client->rx->bufferLength = VIR_NET_MESSAGE_LEN_MAX;
     client->nrequests = 1;
@@ -805,7 +805,7 @@ readmore:
 
         /* Possibly need to create another receive buffer */
         if (client->nrequests < client->nrequests_max) {
-            if (!(client->rx = virNetMessageNew())) {
+            if (!(client->rx = virNetMessageNew(true))) {
                 client->wantClose = true;
             } else {
                 client->rx->bufferLength = VIR_NET_MESSAGE_LEN_MAX;
@@ -885,16 +885,14 @@ virNetServerClientDispatchWrite(virNetServerClientPtr client)
             /* Get finished msg from head of tx queue */
             msg = virNetMessageQueueServe(&client->tx);
 
-            if (msg->header.type == VIR_NET_REPLY ||
-                (msg->header.type == VIR_NET_STREAM &&
-                 msg->header.status != VIR_NET_CONTINUE)) {
+            if (msg->tracked) {
                 client->nrequests--;
                 /* See if the recv queue is currently throttled */
                 if (!client->rx &&
                     client->nrequests < client->nrequests_max) {
                     /* Ready to recv more messages */
+                    virNetMessageClear(msg);
                     client->rx = msg;
-                    memset(client->rx, 0, sizeof(*client->rx));
                     client->rx->bufferLength = VIR_NET_MESSAGE_LEN_MAX;
                     msg = NULL;
                     client->nrequests++;
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverprogram.c b/src/rpc/virnetserverprogram.c
index 2e9e3f7a15..643a97dba0 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverprogram.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverprogram.c
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ int virNetServerProgramDispatch(virNetServerProgramPtr prog,
         VIR_INFO("Ignoring unexpected stream data serial=%d proc=%d status=%d",
                  msg->header.serial, msg->header.proc, msg->header.status);
         /* Send a dummy reply to free up 'msg' & unblock client rx */
-        memset(msg, 0, sizeof(*msg));
+        virNetMessageClear(msg);
         msg->header.type = VIR_NET_REPLY;
         if (virNetServerClientSendMessage(client, msg) < 0) {
             ret = -1;