diff --git a/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt b/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
index 4bde05124c..a8be132171 100644
--- a/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
+++ b/docs/qmp/qmp-events.txt
@@ -42,23 +42,6 @@ Example:
 { "event": "GUEST_PANICKED",
      "data": { "action": "pause" } }
 
-NIC_RX_FILTER_CHANGED
----------------------
-
-The event is emitted once until the query command is executed,
-the first event will always be emitted.
-
-Data:
-
-- "name": net client name (json-string)
-- "path": device path (json-string)
-
-{ "event": "NIC_RX_FILTER_CHANGED",
-  "data": { "name": "vnet0",
-            "path": "/machine/peripheral/vnet0/virtio-backend" },
-  "timestamp": { "seconds": 1368697518, "microseconds": 326866 } }
-}
-
 QUORUM_FAILURE
 --------------
 
diff --git a/hw/net/virtio-net.c b/hw/net/virtio-net.c
index d8588f3808..00b5e07ddd 100644
--- a/hw/net/virtio-net.c
+++ b/hw/net/virtio-net.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 #include "net/vhost_net.h"
 #include "hw/virtio/virtio-bus.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp/qjson.h"
-#include "monitor/monitor.h"
+#include "qapi-event.h"
 
 #define VIRTIO_NET_VM_VERSION    11
 
@@ -199,19 +199,12 @@ static void virtio_net_set_link_status(NetClientState *nc)
 
 static void rxfilter_notify(NetClientState *nc)
 {
-    QObject *event_data;
     VirtIONet *n = qemu_get_nic_opaque(nc);
 
     if (nc->rxfilter_notify_enabled) {
         gchar *path = object_get_canonical_path(OBJECT(n->qdev));
-        if (n->netclient_name) {
-            event_data = qobject_from_jsonf("{ 'name': %s, 'path': %s }",
-                                    n->netclient_name, path);
-        } else {
-            event_data = qobject_from_jsonf("{ 'path': %s }", path);
-        }
-        monitor_protocol_event(QEVENT_NIC_RX_FILTER_CHANGED, event_data);
-        qobject_decref(event_data);
+        qapi_event_send_nic_rx_filter_changed(!!n->netclient_name,
+                                              n->netclient_name, path, &error_abort);
         g_free(path);
 
         /* disable event notification to avoid events flooding */
diff --git a/qapi-event.json b/qapi-event.json
index c880d77291..b8dec4771b 100644
--- a/qapi-event.json
+++ b/qapi-event.json
@@ -122,3 +122,18 @@
 ##
 { 'event': 'DEVICE_DELETED',
   'data': { '*device': 'str', 'path': 'str' } }
+
+##
+# @NIC_RX_FILTER_CHANGED
+#
+# Emitted once until the 'query-rx-filter' command is executed, the first event
+# will always be emitted
+#
+# @name: #optional, net client name
+#
+# @path: device path
+#
+# Since: 1.6
+##
+{ 'event': 'NIC_RX_FILTER_CHANGED',
+  'data': { '*name': 'str', 'path': 'str' } }