diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_dbus.c b/src/qemu/qemu_dbus.c
index a5807527a6..74cb5457ea 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_dbus.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_dbus.c
@@ -182,7 +182,6 @@ qemuDBusStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     virTimeBackOffVar timebackoff;
     const unsigned long long timeout = 500 * 1000; /* ms */
     VIR_AUTOCLOSE errfd = -1;
-    int cmdret = 0;
     int exitstatus = 0;
     pid_t cpid = -1;
     int ret = -1;
@@ -219,15 +218,12 @@ qemuDBusStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     virCommandDaemonize(cmd);
     virCommandAddArgFormat(cmd, "--config-file=%s", configfile);
 
-    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1,
-                               &exitstatus, &cmdret) < 0)
+    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (cmdret < 0 || exitstatus != 0) {
-        if (cmdret >= 0) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                           _("Could not start dbus-daemon. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
-        }
+    if (exitstatus != 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("Could not start dbus-daemon. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_passt.c b/src/qemu/qemu_passt.c
index 158bd5b5b2..7f67c3dcc3 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_passt.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_passt.c
@@ -173,7 +173,6 @@ qemuPasstStart(virDomainObj *vm,
     char macaddr[VIR_MAC_STRING_BUFLEN];
     size_t i;
     int exitstatus = 0;
-    int cmdret = 0;
 
     cmd = virCommandNew(PASST);
 
@@ -285,14 +284,12 @@ qemuPasstStart(virDomainObj *vm,
     if (qemuExtDeviceLogCommand(driver, vm, cmd, "passt") < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus, &cmdret) < 0)
+    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (cmdret < 0 || exitstatus != 0) {
-        if (cmdret >= 0) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                           _("Could not start 'passt': %s"), NULLSTR(errbuf));
-        }
+    if (exitstatus != 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("Could not start 'passt': %s"), NULLSTR(errbuf));
         goto error;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_security.c b/src/qemu/qemu_security.c
index 2548fc0ecd..07fcffb288 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_security.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_security.c
@@ -623,11 +623,9 @@ qemuSecurityDomainRestorePathLabel(virQEMUDriver *driver,
  * @uid: the uid to force
  * @gid: the gid to force
  * @existstatus: pointer to int returning exit status of process
- * @cmdret: pointer to int returning result of virCommandRun
  *
  * Run @cmd with seclabels set on it. If @uid and/or @gid are not
- * -1 then their value is enforced. If @cmdret is negative upon
- *  return, then appropriate error was already reported.
+ * -1 then their value is enforced.
  *
  * Returns: 0 on success,
  *         -1 otherwise (with error reported).
@@ -638,11 +636,11 @@ qemuSecurityCommandRun(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                        virCommand *cmd,
                        uid_t uid,
                        gid_t gid,
-                       int *exitstatus,
-                       int *cmdret)
+                       int *exitstatus)
 {
     g_autoptr(virQEMUDriverConfig) cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
     qemuDomainObjPrivate *priv = vm->privateData;
+    int ret = -1;
 
     if (virSecurityManagerSetChildProcessLabel(driver->securityManager,
                                                vm->def, cmd) < 0)
@@ -664,9 +662,9 @@ qemuSecurityCommandRun(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     if (virSecurityManagerPreFork(driver->securityManager) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    *cmdret = virCommandRun(cmd, exitstatus);
+    ret = virCommandRun(cmd, exitstatus);
 
     virSecurityManagerPostFork(driver->securityManager);
 
-    return 0;
+    return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_security.h b/src/qemu/qemu_security.h
index 8d1c6b38c3..dc8e67cc81 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_security.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_security.h
@@ -115,8 +115,7 @@ int qemuSecurityCommandRun(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                            virCommand *cmd,
                            uid_t uid,
                            gid_t gid,
-                           int *exitstatus,
-                           int *cmdret);
+                           int *exitstatus);
 
 /* Please note that for these APIs there is no wrapper yet. Do NOT blindly add
  * new APIs here. If an API can touch a file add a proper wrapper instead.
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_slirp.c b/src/qemu/qemu_slirp.c
index 1bd45cb06c..bbe919f37a 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_slirp.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_slirp.c
@@ -248,7 +248,6 @@ qemuSlirpStart(virDomainObj *vm,
     pid_t pid = (pid_t) -1;
     int rc;
     int exitstatus = 0;
-    int cmdret = 0;
     bool killDBusDaemon = false;
     g_autofree char *fdname = g_strdup_printf("slirpfd-%s", net->info.alias);
 
@@ -327,14 +326,12 @@ qemuSlirpStart(virDomainObj *vm,
     if (qemuExtDeviceLogCommand(driver, vm, cmd, "slirp") < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus, &cmdret) < 0)
+    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (cmdret < 0 || exitstatus != 0) {
-        if (cmdret >= 0) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                           _("Could not start 'slirp'. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
-        }
+    if (exitstatus != 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("Could not start 'slirp'. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
         goto error;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_tpm.c b/src/qemu/qemu_tpm.c
index 5831ffc32e..982e5f13b6 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_tpm.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_tpm.c
@@ -927,7 +927,6 @@ qemuTPMEmulatorStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     virTimeBackOffVar timebackoff;
     const unsigned long long timeout = 1000; /* ms */
     bool setTPMStateLabel = true;
-    int cmdret = 0;
     pid_t pid = -1;
 
     cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
@@ -963,15 +962,9 @@ qemuTPMEmulatorStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
         return -1;
 
     if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, cfg->swtpm_user,
-                               cfg->swtpm_group, NULL, &cmdret) < 0)
+                               cfg->swtpm_group, NULL) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (cmdret < 0) {
-        /* virCommandRun() hidden in qemuSecurityCommandRun()
-         * already reported error. */
-        goto error;
-    }
-
     if (virPidFileReadPath(pidfile, &pid) < 0) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
                        _("swtpm didn't show up"));
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_vhost_user_gpu.c b/src/qemu/qemu_vhost_user_gpu.c
index a9a5fe3a3e..196ebc7dff 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_vhost_user_gpu.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_vhost_user_gpu.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ int qemuExtVhostUserGPUStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
     g_autofree char *pidfile = NULL;
     g_autoptr(virCommand) cmd = NULL;
     int pair[2] = { -1, -1 };
-    int cmdret = 0, rc;
+    int rc;
     int exitstatus = 0;
     pid_t pid;
     int ret = -1;
@@ -153,14 +153,12 @@ int qemuExtVhostUserGPUStart(virQEMUDriver *driver,
             virCommandAddArgFormat(cmd, "--render-node=%s", video->accel->rendernode);
     }
 
-    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus, &cmdret) < 0)
+    if (qemuSecurityCommandRun(driver, vm, cmd, -1, -1, &exitstatus) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (cmdret < 0 || exitstatus != 0) {
-        if (cmdret >= 0) {
-            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                           _("Could not start 'vhost-user-gpu'. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
-        }
+    if (exitstatus != 0) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("Could not start 'vhost-user-gpu'. exitstatus: %d"), exitstatus);
         goto cleanup;
     }