diff --git a/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.c b/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.c
index 7cb1745525..5c147bdbbf 100644
--- a/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.c
+++ b/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.c
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ virDomainMomentDropChildren(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment)
 
 
 /* Add @moment to @parent's list of children. */
-void
+static void
 virDomainMomentSetParent(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment,
                          virDomainMomentObjPtr parent)
 {
@@ -162,6 +162,27 @@ virDomainMomentSetParent(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment,
 }
 
 
+/* Add @moment to the appropriate parent's list of children. The
+ * caller must ensure that moment->def->parent_name is either NULL
+ * (for a new root) or set to an existing moment already in the
+ * list. */
+void
+virDomainMomentLinkParent(virDomainMomentObjListPtr moments,
+                          virDomainMomentObjPtr moment)
+{
+    virDomainMomentObjPtr parent;
+
+    parent = virDomainMomentFindByName(moments, moment->def->parent_name);
+    if (!parent) {
+        parent = &moments->metaroot;
+        if (moment->def->parent_name)
+            VIR_WARN("moment %s lacks parent %s", moment->def->name,
+                     moment->def->parent_name);
+    }
+    virDomainMomentSetParent(moment, parent);
+}
+
+
 /* Take all children of @from and convert them into children of @to. */
 void
 virDomainMomentMoveChildren(virDomainMomentObjPtr from,
@@ -390,7 +411,9 @@ virDomainMomentObjPtr
 virDomainMomentFindByName(virDomainMomentObjListPtr moments,
                           const char *name)
 {
-    return name ? virHashLookup(moments->objs, name) : &moments->metaroot;
+    if (name)
+        return virHashLookup(moments->objs, name);
+    return NULL;
 }
 
 
@@ -484,9 +507,12 @@ virDomainMomentSetRelations(void *payload,
 
     parent = virDomainMomentFindByName(curr->moments, obj->def->parent_name);
     if (!parent) {
-        curr->err = -1;
         parent = &curr->moments->metaroot;
-        VIR_WARN("moment %s lacks parent", obj->def->name);
+        if (obj->def->parent_name) {
+            curr->err = -1;
+            VIR_WARN("moment %s lacks parent %s", obj->def->name,
+                     obj->def->parent_name);
+        }
     } else {
         tmp = parent;
         while (tmp && tmp->def) {
diff --git a/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.h b/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.h
index 4067e928f4..897d8d54d1 100644
--- a/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.h
+++ b/src/conf/virdomainmomentobjlist.h
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ void virDomainMomentDropParent(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment);
 void virDomainMomentDropChildren(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment);
 void virDomainMomentMoveChildren(virDomainMomentObjPtr from,
                                  virDomainMomentObjPtr to);
-void virDomainMomentSetParent(virDomainMomentObjPtr moment,
-                              virDomainMomentObjPtr parent);
+void virDomainMomentLinkParent(virDomainMomentObjListPtr moments,
+                               virDomainMomentObjPtr moment);
 
 virDomainMomentObjListPtr virDomainMomentObjListNew(void);
 void virDomainMomentObjListFree(virDomainMomentObjListPtr moments);
diff --git a/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.c b/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.c
index 99bc4bb0c5..95622f0ba7 100644
--- a/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.c
+++ b/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.c
@@ -223,6 +223,15 @@ virDomainSnapshotForEach(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
 }
 
 
+/* Populate parent link of a given snapshot. */
+void
+virDomainSnapshotLinkParent(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
+                            virDomainMomentObjPtr snap)
+{
+    return virDomainMomentLinkParent(snapshots->base, snap);
+}
+
+
 /* Populate parent link and child count of all snapshots, with all
  * assigned defs having relations starting as 0/NULL. Return 0 on
  * success, -1 if a parent is missing or if a circular relationship
diff --git a/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.h b/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.h
index fed8d22bc8..b8c80b39ed 100644
--- a/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.h
+++ b/src/conf/virdomainsnapshotobjlist.h
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ void virDomainSnapshotObjListRemoveAll(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots);
 int virDomainSnapshotForEach(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
                              virHashIterator iter,
                              void *data);
+void virDomainSnapshotLinkParent(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
+                                 virDomainMomentObjPtr moment);
 int virDomainSnapshotUpdateRelations(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots);
 int virDomainSnapshotCheckCycles(virDomainSnapshotObjListPtr snapshots,
                                  virDomainSnapshotDefPtr def,
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index dff97bd82a..ff5a77b0e2 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -978,7 +978,6 @@ virDomainMomentDropParent;
 virDomainMomentForEachChild;
 virDomainMomentForEachDescendant;
 virDomainMomentMoveChildren;
-virDomainMomentSetParent;
 
 
 # conf/virdomainobjlist.h
@@ -1007,6 +1006,7 @@ virDomainSnapshotFindByName;
 virDomainSnapshotForEach;
 virDomainSnapshotGetCurrent;
 virDomainSnapshotGetCurrentName;
+virDomainSnapshotLinkParent;
 virDomainSnapshotObjListFree;
 virDomainSnapshotObjListGetNames;
 virDomainSnapshotObjListNew;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 482f915b67..065e0a1bd8 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -15540,7 +15540,6 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotCreateXML(virDomainPtr domain,
     bool update_current = true;
     bool redefine = flags & VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_CREATE_REDEFINE;
     unsigned int parse_flags = VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_PARSE_DISKS;
-    virDomainMomentObjPtr other = NULL;
     int align_location = VIR_DOMAIN_SNAPSHOT_LOCATION_INTERNAL;
     bool align_match = true;
     virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = NULL;
@@ -15807,9 +15806,7 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotCreateXML(virDomainPtr domain,
                            snap->def->name);
             virDomainSnapshotObjListRemove(vm->snapshots, snap);
         } else {
-            other = virDomainSnapshotFindByName(vm->snapshots,
-                                                snap->def->parent_name);
-            virDomainMomentSetParent(snap, other);
+            virDomainSnapshotLinkParent(vm->snapshots, snap);
         }
     } else if (snap) {
         virDomainSnapshotObjListRemove(vm->snapshots, snap);
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index 22b96d435b..56f6b78ecc 100755
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -7663,12 +7663,9 @@ testDomainSnapshotCreateXML(virDomainPtr domain,
  cleanup:
     if (vm) {
         if (snapshot) {
-            virDomainMomentObjPtr other;
             if (update_current)
                 virDomainSnapshotSetCurrent(vm->snapshots, snap);
-            other = virDomainSnapshotFindByName(vm->snapshots,
-                                                snap->def->parent_name);
-            virDomainMomentSetParent(snap, other);
+            virDomainSnapshotLinkParent(vm->snapshots, snap);
         }
         virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     }