diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
index b695b23fcc..bb1920146e 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
@@ -4152,7 +4152,6 @@ virQEMUCapsInitQMPMonitor(virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
     if (qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(mon) < 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Failed to set monitor capabilities %s",
                   virGetLastErrorMessage());
-        ret = 0;
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -4161,7 +4160,6 @@ virQEMUCapsInitQMPMonitor(virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
                               &package) < 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Failed to query monitor version %s",
                   virGetLastErrorMessage());
-        ret = 0;
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -4338,7 +4336,6 @@ virQEMUCapsInitQMPMonitorTCG(virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
     if (qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(mon) < 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Failed to set monitor capabilities %s",
                   virGetLastErrorMessage());
-        ret = 0;
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -4364,17 +4361,13 @@ virQEMUCapsInitQMPSingle(virQEMUCapsPtr qemuCaps,
 {
     qemuProcessQMPPtr proc = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
-    int rc;
 
     if (!(proc = qemuProcessQMPNew(qemuCaps->binary, libDir,
                                    runUid, runGid, qmperr, onlyTCG)))
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if ((rc = qemuProcessQMPRun(proc)) != 0) {
-        if (rc == 1)
-            ret = 0;
+    if (qemuProcessQMPRun(proc) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
-    }
 
     if (onlyTCG)
         ret = virQEMUCapsInitQMPMonitorTCG(qemuCaps, proc->mon);
@@ -4474,14 +4467,6 @@ virQEMUCapsNewForBinaryInternal(virArch hostArch,
         goto error;
     }
 
-    if (!qemuCaps->usedQMP) {
-        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                       _("Failed to probe QEMU binary with QMP: %s"),
-                       qmperr ? qmperr : _("unknown error"));
-        virQEMUCapsLogProbeFailure(binary);
-        goto error;
-    }
-
     qemuCaps->libvirtCtime = virGetSelfLastChanged();
     qemuCaps->libvirtVersion = LIBVIR_VERSION_NUMBER;
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index 6c0f7165c7..728176bbdf 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -8392,10 +8392,6 @@ qemuProcessQMPNew(const char *binary,
 }
 
 
-/* Returns -1 on fatal error,
- *          0 on success,
- *          1 when probing QEMU failed
- */
 int
 qemuProcessQMPRun(qemuProcessQMPPtr proc)
 {
@@ -8403,6 +8399,7 @@ qemuProcessQMPRun(qemuProcessQMPPtr proc)
     const char *machine;
     int status = 0;
     int ret = -1;
+    int rc;
 
     if (proc->forceTCG)
         machine = "none,accel=tcg";
@@ -8444,19 +8441,21 @@ qemuProcessQMPRun(qemuProcessQMPPtr proc)
 
     virCommandSetErrorBuffer(proc->cmd, proc->qmperr);
 
-    /* Log, but otherwise ignore, non-zero status.  */
     if (virCommandRun(proc->cmd, &status) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (status != 0) {
-        VIR_DEBUG("QEMU %s exited with status %d: %s",
-                  proc->binary, status, *proc->qmperr);
-        goto ignore;
+        VIR_DEBUG("QEMU %s exited with status %d", proc->binary, status);
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("Failed to start QEMU binary %s for probing: %s"),
+                       proc->binary,
+                       *proc->qmperr ? *proc->qmperr : _("unknown error"));
+        goto cleanup;
     }
 
-    if (virPidFileReadPath(proc->pidfile, &proc->pid) < 0) {
-        VIR_DEBUG("Failed to read pidfile %s", proc->pidfile);
-        goto ignore;
+    if ((rc = virPidFileReadPath(proc->pidfile, &proc->pid)) < 0) {
+        virReportSystemError(-rc, _("Failed to read pidfile %s"), proc->pidfile);
+        goto cleanup;
     }
 
     if (!(xmlopt = virDomainXMLOptionNew(NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL)) ||
@@ -8467,7 +8466,7 @@ qemuProcessQMPRun(qemuProcessQMPPtr proc)
 
     if (!(proc->mon = qemuMonitorOpen(proc->vm, &proc->config, true, true,
                                       0, &callbacks, NULL)))
-        goto ignore;
+        goto cleanup;
 
     virObjectLock(proc->mon);
 
@@ -8479,10 +8478,6 @@ qemuProcessQMPRun(qemuProcessQMPPtr proc)
     virObjectUnref(xmlopt);
 
     return ret;
-
- ignore:
-    ret = 1;
-    goto cleanup;
 }