diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index 1fb0eca2d5483a7cb01c944db026f9f759814c0f..755275ab9dcb61e8e4642bc06a2928f1eb823431 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -321,6 +321,7 @@ doRemoteOpen (virConnectPtr conn,
         trans_ext,
         trans_tcp,
     } transport;
+    const char *daemonPath;
 
     /* We handle *ALL*  URIs here. The caller has rejected any
      * URIs we don't care about */
@@ -588,9 +589,14 @@ doRemoteOpen (virConnectPtr conn,
             VIR_DEBUG("Proceeding with sockname %s", sockname);
         }
 
+        if (!(daemonPath = remoteFindDaemonPath())) {
+            remoteError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+                        _("Unable to locate libvirtd daemon in $PATH"));
+            goto failed;
+        }
         if (!(priv->client = virNetClientNewUNIX(sockname,
                                                  flags & VIR_DRV_OPEN_REMOTE_AUTOSTART,
-                                                 remoteFindDaemonPath())))
+                                                 daemonPath)))
             goto failed;
 
         priv->is_secure = 1;
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
index 2747f66c6fcebf8b89a5b346d4c6e6709b41bd09..af4fc5e9a7cdd00fa5c52c8e3854d18636496c5b 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
@@ -481,6 +481,12 @@ int virNetSocketNewConnectUNIX(const char *path,
 
     remoteAddr.len = sizeof(remoteAddr.data.un);
 
+    if (spawnDaemon && !binary) {
+        virNetError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                    _("Auto-spawn of daemon requested, but no binary specified"));
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     if ((fd = socket(PF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s", _("Failed to create socket"));
         goto error;