diff --git a/async.c b/async.c
index 8d23681526..efce14b63a 100644
--- a/async.c
+++ b/async.c
@@ -79,8 +79,10 @@ int aio_bh_poll(AioContext *ctx)
          * aio_notify again if necessary.
          */
         if (!bh->deleted && atomic_xchg(&bh->scheduled, 0)) {
-            if (!bh->idle)
+            /* Idle BHs and the notify BH don't count as progress */
+            if (!bh->idle && bh != ctx->notify_dummy_bh) {
                 ret = 1;
+            }
             bh->idle = 0;
             bh->cb(bh->opaque);
         }
@@ -230,6 +232,7 @@ aio_ctx_finalize(GSource     *source)
 {
     AioContext *ctx = (AioContext *) source;
 
+    qemu_bh_delete(ctx->notify_dummy_bh);
     thread_pool_free(ctx->thread_pool);
 
     qemu_mutex_lock(&ctx->bh_lock);
@@ -298,8 +301,15 @@ static void aio_timerlist_notify(void *opaque)
 
 static void aio_rfifolock_cb(void *opaque)
 {
+    AioContext *ctx = opaque;
+
     /* Kick owner thread in case they are blocked in aio_poll() */
-    aio_notify(opaque);
+    qemu_bh_schedule(ctx->notify_dummy_bh);
+}
+
+static void notify_dummy_bh(void *opaque)
+{
+    /* Do nothing, we were invoked just to force the event loop to iterate */
 }
 
 static void event_notifier_dummy_cb(EventNotifier *e)
@@ -326,6 +336,8 @@ AioContext *aio_context_new(Error **errp)
     rfifolock_init(&ctx->lock, aio_rfifolock_cb, ctx);
     timerlistgroup_init(&ctx->tlg, aio_timerlist_notify, ctx);
 
+    ctx->notify_dummy_bh = aio_bh_new(ctx, notify_dummy_bh, NULL);
+
     return ctx;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/block/aio.h b/include/block/aio.h
index 9dd32e0f13..400b1b0020 100644
--- a/include/block/aio.h
+++ b/include/block/aio.h
@@ -114,6 +114,9 @@ struct AioContext {
     bool notified;
     EventNotifier notifier;
 
+    /* Scheduling this BH forces the event loop it iterate */
+    QEMUBH *notify_dummy_bh;
+
     /* Thread pool for performing work and receiving completion callbacks */
     struct ThreadPool *thread_pool;