diff --git a/include/sysemu/tpm.h b/include/sysemu/tpm.h
index 03fb25941c..730c61ac97 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/tpm.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/tpm.h
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 #include "qom/object.h"
 
 int tpm_config_parse(QemuOptsList *opts_list, const char *optarg);
-void tpm_init(void);
+int tpm_init(void);
 void tpm_cleanup(void);
 
 typedef enum TPMVersion {
diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index 3416241557..660537a709 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -4258,7 +4258,9 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                       user_creatable_add_opts_foreach,
                       object_create_delayed, &error_fatal);
 
-    tpm_init();
+    if (tpm_init() < 0) {
+        exit(1);
+    }
 
     blk_mig_init();
     ram_mig_init();
diff --git a/stubs/tpm.c b/stubs/tpm.c
index 66c99d667d..9bded191d9 100644
--- a/stubs/tpm.c
+++ b/stubs/tpm.c
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@
 #include "sysemu/tpm.h"
 #include "hw/acpi/tpm.h"
 
-void tpm_init(void)
+int tpm_init(void)
 {
+    return 0;
 }
 
 void tpm_cleanup(void)
diff --git a/tpm.c b/tpm.c
index fe03b24858..f6045bb6da 100644
--- a/tpm.c
+++ b/tpm.c
@@ -81,26 +81,33 @@ TPMBackend *qemu_find_tpm_be(const char *id)
 
 static int tpm_init_tpmdev(void *dummy, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 {
+    /*
+     * Use of error_report() in a function with an Error ** parameter
+     * is suspicious.  It is okay here.  The parameter only exists to
+     * make the function usable with qemu_opts_foreach().  It is not
+     * actually used.
+     */
     const char *value;
     const char *id;
     const TPMBackendClass *be;
     TPMBackend *drv;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
     int i;
 
     if (!QLIST_EMPTY(&tpm_backends)) {
-        error_setg(errp, "Only one TPM is allowed.");
+        error_report("Only one TPM is allowed.");
         return 1;
     }
 
     id = qemu_opts_id(opts);
     if (id == NULL) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "id");
+        error_report(QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "id");
         return 1;
     }
 
     value = qemu_opt_get(opts, "type");
     if (!value) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "type");
+        error_report(QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "type");
         tpm_display_backend_drivers();
         return 1;
     }
@@ -108,14 +115,15 @@ static int tpm_init_tpmdev(void *dummy, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
     i = qapi_enum_parse(&TpmType_lookup, value, -1, NULL);
     be = i >= 0 ? tpm_be_find_by_type(i) : NULL;
     if (be == NULL) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE, "type",
-                   "a TPM backend type");
+        error_report(QERR_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE,
+                     "type", "a TPM backend type");
         tpm_display_backend_drivers();
         return 1;
     }
 
     /* validate backend specific opts */
-    if (!qemu_opts_validate(opts, be->opts, errp)) {
+    if (!qemu_opts_validate(opts, be->opts, &local_err)) {
+        error_report_err(local_err);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -148,10 +156,14 @@ void tpm_cleanup(void)
  * Initialize the TPM. Process the tpmdev command line options describing the
  * TPM backend.
  */
-void tpm_init(void)
+int tpm_init(void)
 {
-    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("tpmdev"),
-                      tpm_init_tpmdev, NULL, &error_fatal);
+    if (qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("tpmdev"),
+                          tpm_init_tpmdev, NULL, NULL)) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
 }
 
 /*