diff --git a/tests/qemumigrationcookiexmltest.c b/tests/qemumigrationcookiexmltest.c
index 74302dc55f..5270e3a7e7 100644
--- a/tests/qemumigrationcookiexmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemumigrationcookiexmltest.c
@@ -137,9 +137,17 @@ static int
 testQemuMigrationCookieParse(const void *opaque)
 {
     struct testQemuMigrationCookieData *data = (struct testQemuMigrationCookieData *) opaque;
-    qemuDomainObjPrivate *priv = data->vm->privateData;
+    qemuDomainObjPrivate *priv;
     g_auto(virBuffer) actual = VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER;
 
+    /* if the VM object parsing step failed there's nothing this test can do */
+    if (!data->vm) {
+        VIR_TEST_DEBUG("\nmissing VM object\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    priv = data->vm->privateData;
+
     if (!(data->cookie = qemuMigrationCookieParse(&driver,
                                                   data->vm,
                                                   data->vm->def,
@@ -314,6 +322,12 @@ testQemuMigrationCookieBlockDirtyBitmaps(const void *opaque)
         return -1;
     }
 
+    /* if the VM object parsing step failed there's nothing this test can do */
+    if (!data->vm) {
+        VIR_TEST_DEBUG("\nmissing VM object\n");
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     if (qemuMigrationCookieBlockDirtyBitmapsMatchDisks(data->vm->def,
                                                        data->cookie->blockDirtyBitmaps) < 0)
         return -1;