diff --git a/hw/vfio/common.c b/hw/vfio/common.c
index b5102f54a6..2c97de6c73 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/common.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/common.c
@@ -147,10 +147,10 @@ bool vfio_viommu_preset(VFIODevice *vbasedev)
     return vbasedev->bcontainer->space->as != &address_space_memory;
 }
 
-static void vfio_set_migration_error(int err)
+static void vfio_set_migration_error(int ret)
 {
     if (migration_is_setup_or_active()) {
-        migration_file_set_error(err);
+        migration_file_set_error(ret, NULL);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/hw/vfio/migration.c b/hw/vfio/migration.c
index 06ae40969b..bf2fd0759b 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/migration.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/migration.c
@@ -726,7 +726,7 @@ static void vfio_vmstate_change_prepare(void *opaque, bool running,
          * Migration should be aborted in this case, but vm_state_notify()
          * currently does not support reporting failures.
          */
-        migration_file_set_error(ret);
+        migration_file_set_error(ret, NULL);
     }
 
     trace_vfio_vmstate_change_prepare(vbasedev->name, running,
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ static void vfio_vmstate_change(void *opaque, bool running, RunState state)
          * Migration should be aborted in this case, but vm_state_notify()
          * currently does not support reporting failures.
          */
-        migration_file_set_error(ret);
+        migration_file_set_error(ret, NULL);
     }
 
     trace_vfio_vmstate_change(vbasedev->name, running, RunState_str(state),
diff --git a/include/migration/misc.h b/include/migration/misc.h
index bf7339cc1e..bfadc5613b 100644
--- a/include/migration/misc.h
+++ b/include/migration/misc.h
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ void migration_add_notifier_mode(NotifierWithReturn *notify,
 
 void migration_remove_notifier(NotifierWithReturn *notify);
 bool migration_is_running(void);
-void migration_file_set_error(int err);
+void migration_file_set_error(int ret, Error *err);
 
 /* True if incoming migration entered POSTCOPY_INCOMING_DISCARD */
 bool migration_in_incoming_postcopy(void);
diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index e88b24f1e6..70d66a441b 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -2994,13 +2994,15 @@ static MigThrError postcopy_pause(MigrationState *s)
     }
 }
 
-void migration_file_set_error(int err)
+void migration_file_set_error(int ret, Error *err)
 {
     MigrationState *s = current_migration;
 
     WITH_QEMU_LOCK_GUARD(&s->qemu_file_lock) {
         if (s->to_dst_file) {
-            qemu_file_set_error(s->to_dst_file, err);
+            qemu_file_set_error_obj(s->to_dst_file, ret, err);
+        } else if (err) {
+            error_report_err(err);
         }
     }
 }