diff --git a/tests/qemumonitortestutils.c b/tests/qemumonitortestutils.c
index 00f5b49439..a30851aa63 100644
--- a/tests/qemumonitortestutils.c
+++ b/tests/qemumonitortestutils.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include "virlog.h"
 #include "virerror.h"
 #include "virstring.h"
+#include "vireventthread.h"
 
 #define VIR_FROM_THIS VIR_FROM_NONE
 
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@ struct _qemuMonitorTest {
     virNetSocketPtr server;
     virNetSocketPtr client;
 
+    virEventThread *eventThread;
+
     qemuMonitorPtr mon;
     qemuAgentPtr agent;
 
@@ -389,6 +392,8 @@ qemuMonitorTestFree(qemuMonitorTestPtr test)
         qemuAgentClose(test->agent);
     }
 
+    g_object_unref(test->eventThread);
+
     virObjectUnref(test->vm);
 
     if (test->started)
@@ -1138,6 +1143,7 @@ qemuMonitorCommonTestInit(qemuMonitorTestPtr test)
                             "}"
 /* We skip the normal handshake reply of "{\"execute\":\"qmp_capabilities\"}" */
 
+
 qemuMonitorTestPtr
 qemuMonitorTestNew(virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt,
                    virDomainObjPtr vm,
@@ -1153,6 +1159,9 @@ qemuMonitorTestNew(virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt,
     if (!(test = qemuMonitorCommonTestNew(xmlopt, vm, &src)))
         goto error;
 
+    if (!(test->eventThread = virEventThreadNew("mon-test")))
+        goto error;
+
     test->qapischema = schema;
     if (!(test->mon = qemuMonitorOpen(test->vm,
                                       &src,
@@ -1391,6 +1400,9 @@ qemuMonitorTestNewAgent(virDomainXMLOptionPtr xmlopt)
     if (!(test = qemuMonitorCommonTestNew(xmlopt, NULL, &src)))
         goto error;
 
+    if (!(test->eventThread = virEventThreadNew("agent-test")))
+        goto error;
+
     if (!(test->agent = qemuAgentOpen(test->vm,
                                       &src,
                                       &qemuMonitorTestAgentCallbacks)))