diff --git a/hw/pci/pci-hotplug-old.c b/hw/pci/pci-hotplug-old.c
index 8077289756..619fe473e8 100644
--- a/hw/pci/pci-hotplug-old.c
+++ b/hw/pci/pci-hotplug-old.c
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ static int scsi_hot_add(Monitor *mon, DeviceState *adapter,
     dinfo->unit = qemu_opt_get_number(dinfo->opts, "unit", -1);
     dinfo->bus = scsibus->busnr;
     scsidev = scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(scsibus, dinfo->bdrv, dinfo->unit,
-                                        false, -1, NULL);
+                                        false, -1, NULL, NULL);
     if (!scsidev) {
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c b/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
index 6cdfd5338e..2ac21d4487 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
@@ -346,6 +346,7 @@ static int esp_pci_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
     DeviceState *d = DEVICE(dev);
     ESPState *s = &pci->esp;
     uint8_t *pci_conf;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     pci_conf = dev->config;
 
@@ -364,7 +365,11 @@ static int esp_pci_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, d, &esp_pci_scsi_info, NULL);
     if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        return scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus);
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_free(err);
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/esp.c b/hw/scsi/esp.c
index c24b6326ce..94639b8391 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/esp.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/esp.c
@@ -676,6 +676,7 @@ static void sysbus_esp_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     SysBusDevice *sbd = SYS_BUS_DEVICE(dev);
     SysBusESPState *sysbus = ESP(dev);
     ESPState *s = &sysbus->esp;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     sysbus_init_irq(sbd, &s->irq);
     assert(sysbus->it_shift != -1);
@@ -688,8 +689,9 @@ static void sysbus_esp_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     qdev_init_gpio_in(dev, sysbus_esp_gpio_demux, 2);
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, dev, &esp_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus) < 0) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Handling legacy SCSI command line failed");
+    scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+    if (err != NULL) {
+        error_propagate(errp, err);
         return;
     }
 }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c b/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
index e11224fe88..776e31abbe 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
@@ -2096,6 +2096,7 @@ static int lsi_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
     LSIState *s = LSI53C895A(dev);
     DeviceState *d = DEVICE(dev);
     uint8_t *pci_conf;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     pci_conf = dev->config;
 
@@ -2118,7 +2119,11 @@ static int lsi_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, d, &lsi_scsi_info, NULL);
     if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        return scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus);
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_free(err);
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/megasas.c b/hw/scsi/megasas.c
index 2ae434683e..eb52164f6d 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/megasas.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/megasas.c
@@ -2102,6 +2102,7 @@ static int megasas_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
     MegasasState *s = MEGASAS(dev);
     uint8_t *pci_conf;
     int i, bar_type;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     pci_conf = dev->config;
 
@@ -2172,7 +2173,11 @@ static int megasas_scsi_init(PCIDevice *dev)
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, DEVICE(dev), &megasas_scsi_info, NULL);
     if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        return scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus);
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_free(err);
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c b/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
index a92b7c1de4..b5a863aa5c 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
@@ -209,10 +209,11 @@ static int scsi_qdev_exit(DeviceState *qdev)
 /* handle legacy '-drive if=scsi,...' cmd line args */
 SCSIDevice *scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(SCSIBus *bus, BlockDriverState *bdrv,
                                       int unit, bool removable, int bootindex,
-                                      const char *serial)
+                                      const char *serial, Error **errp)
 {
     const char *driver;
     DeviceState *dev;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     driver = bdrv_is_sg(bdrv) ? "scsi-generic" : "scsi-disk";
     dev = qdev_create(&bus->qbus, driver);
@@ -227,19 +228,25 @@ SCSIDevice *scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(SCSIBus *bus, BlockDriverState *bdrv,
         qdev_prop_set_string(dev, "serial", serial);
     }
     if (qdev_prop_set_drive(dev, "drive", bdrv) < 0) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Setting drive property failed");
         qdev_free(dev);
         return NULL;
     }
-    if (qdev_init(dev) < 0)
+    object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(dev), true, "realized", &err);
+    if (err != NULL) {
+        error_propagate(errp, err);
+        qdev_free(dev);
         return NULL;
+    }
     return SCSI_DEVICE(dev);
 }
 
-int scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus)
+void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus, Error **errp)
 {
     Location loc;
     DriveInfo *dinfo;
-    int res = 0, unit;
+    int unit;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     loc_push_none(&loc);
     for (unit = 0; unit <= bus->info->max_target; unit++) {
@@ -248,13 +255,14 @@ int scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus)
             continue;
         }
         qemu_opts_loc_restore(dinfo->opts);
-        if (!scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(bus, dinfo->bdrv, unit, false, -1, NULL)) {
-            res = -1;
+        scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(bus, dinfo->bdrv, unit, false, -1, NULL,
+                                  &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_propagate(errp, err);
             break;
         }
     }
     loc_pop(&loc);
-    return res;
 }
 
 static int32_t scsi_invalid_field(SCSIRequest *req, uint8_t *buf)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c b/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
index e8978bfef1..55b44b9910 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
@@ -912,12 +912,17 @@ static void spapr_vscsi_reset(VIOsPAPRDevice *dev)
 static int spapr_vscsi_init(VIOsPAPRDevice *dev)
 {
     VSCSIState *s = VIO_SPAPR_VSCSI_DEVICE(dev);
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     dev->crq.SendFunc = vscsi_do_crq;
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, &dev->qdev, &vscsi_scsi_info, NULL);
     if (!dev->qdev.hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus);
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_free(err);
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
 
     return 0;
diff --git a/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c b/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
index 712f0ade22..42cb73bb4e 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
@@ -619,6 +619,7 @@ static int virtio_scsi_device_init(VirtIODevice *vdev)
     VirtIOSCSICommon *vs = VIRTIO_SCSI_COMMON(vdev);
     VirtIOSCSI *s = VIRTIO_SCSI(vdev);
     static int virtio_scsi_id;
+    Error *err = NULL;
     int ret;
 
     ret = virtio_scsi_common_init(vs);
@@ -629,7 +630,11 @@ static int virtio_scsi_device_init(VirtIODevice *vdev)
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, qdev, &virtio_scsi_scsi_info, vdev->bus_name);
 
     if (!qdev->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus);
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
+        if (err != NULL) {
+            error_free(err);
+            return -1;
+        }
     }
 
     register_savevm(qdev, "virtio-scsi", virtio_scsi_id++, 1,
diff --git a/hw/usb/dev-storage.c b/hw/usb/dev-storage.c
index fe914ab005..1954811ec4 100644
--- a/hw/usb/dev-storage.c
+++ b/hw/usb/dev-storage.c
@@ -595,6 +595,7 @@ static int usb_msd_initfn_storage(USBDevice *dev)
     MSDState *s = DO_UPCAST(MSDState, dev, dev);
     BlockDriverState *bs = s->conf.bs;
     SCSIDevice *scsi_dev;
+    Error *err = NULL;
 
     if (!bs) {
         error_report("drive property not set");
@@ -619,7 +620,8 @@ static int usb_msd_initfn_storage(USBDevice *dev)
     usb_desc_init(dev);
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, &s->dev.qdev, &usb_msd_scsi_info_storage, NULL);
     scsi_dev = scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(&s->bus, bs, 0, !!s->removable,
-                                            s->conf.bootindex, dev->serial);
+                                         s->conf.bootindex, dev->serial,
+                                         &err);
     if (!scsi_dev) {
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h b/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
index 9786e00642..87865313eb 100644
--- a/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
+++ b/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
@@ -162,8 +162,8 @@ static inline SCSIBus *scsi_bus_from_device(SCSIDevice *d)
 
 SCSIDevice *scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(SCSIBus *bus, BlockDriverState *bdrv,
                                       int unit, bool removable, int bootindex,
-                                      const char *serial);
-int scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus);
+                                      const char *serial, Error **errp);
+void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus, Error **errp);
 
 /*
  * Predefined sense codes