diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index a9ed5f5901..6eea8a9fa5 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -7890,8 +7890,10 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriver *driver,
         disksrc->format < VIR_STORAGE_FILE_BACKING) {
 
         /* terminate the chain for such images as the code below would do */
-        if (!disksrc->backingStore)
+        if (!disksrc->backingStore) {
             disksrc->backingStore = virStorageSourceNew();
+            disksrc->backingStore->detected = true;
+        }
 
         /* we assume that FD-passed disks always exist */
         if (virStorageSourceIsFD(disksrc))
diff --git a/src/storage_file/storage_source.c b/src/storage_file/storage_source.c
index 47fc1edbd2..3c50239e29 100644
--- a/src/storage_file/storage_source.c
+++ b/src/storage_file/storage_source.c
@@ -1420,6 +1420,7 @@ virStorageSourceGetMetadataRecurse(virStorageSource *src,
     } else {
         /* add terminator */
         src->backingStore = virStorageSourceNew();
+        src->backingStore->detected = true;
     }
 
     return 0;