diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index 0ebae773c26b59a8186b1a02cebc2ad8c8b63575..2c75a79670123d1d76d2acfcfeb58112622f6125 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -9984,6 +9984,53 @@ qemuDomainStorageAlias(const char *device, int depth)
 }
 
 
+/**
+ * qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth:
+ * @src: storage source chain to validate
+ * @add: offsets the calculated number of images
+ * @diskdst: optional disk target to use in error message
+ *
+ * The XML parser limits the maximum element nesting to 256 layers. As libvirt
+ * reports the chain into the status and in some cases the config XML we must
+ * validate that any user-provided chains will not exceed the XML nesting limit
+ * when formatted to the XML.
+ *
+ * This function validates that the storage source chain starting @src is at
+ * most 200 layers deep. @add modifies the calculated value to offset the number
+ * to allow checking cases when new layers are going to be added to the chain.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success and -1 if the chain is too deep. Error is reported.
+ */
+int
+qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(virStorageSourcePtr src,
+                                     int add,
+                                     const char *diskdst)
+{
+    virStorageSourcePtr n;
+    size_t nlayers = 0;
+
+    for (n = src; virStorageSourceIsBacking(n); n = n->backingStore)
+        nlayers++;
+
+    nlayers += add;
+
+    if (nlayers > 200) {
+        if (diskdst)
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_UNSUPPORTED,
+                           _("backing chains more than 200 layers deep are not "
+                             "supported for disk '%s'"), diskdst);
+        else
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_UNSUPPORTED, "%s",
+                           _("backing chains more than 200 layers deep are not "
+                             "supported"));
+
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 /**
  * qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain:
  * @driver: qemu driver object
@@ -10073,8 +10120,12 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
 
     /* We skipped to the end of the chain. Skip detection if there's the
      * terminator. (An allocated but empty backingStore) */
-    if (src->backingStore)
+    if (src->backingStore) {
+        if (qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(disksrc, 0, disk->dst) < 0)
+            return -1;
+
         return 0;
+    }
 
     qemuDomainGetImageIds(cfg, vm, src, disksrc, &uid, &gid);
 
@@ -10093,6 +10144,9 @@ qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
             return -1;
     }
 
+    if (qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(disksrc, 0, disk->dst) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
index d097f233428c2e3588b322e247433b9855b41b09..33eb501e2a4c6faf1c0a833c0d0db5aa4c868af5 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.h
@@ -802,6 +802,10 @@ int qemuDomainCheckDiskPresence(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
                                 virDomainObjPtr vm,
                                 unsigned int flags);
 
+int qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(virStorageSourcePtr src,
+                                         int add,
+                                         const char *diskdst);
+
 int qemuDomainDetermineDiskChain(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
                                  virDomainObjPtr vm,
                                  virDomainDiskDefPtr disk,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 78f5471b794bde1db237852f16937a14dc7da64c..aa9efc684f38b5226f3978e7436dc9fc93d24930 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -15315,6 +15315,9 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotDiskDataCollectOne(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
 
     dd->disk = disk;
 
+    if (qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(disk->src, 1, disk->dst) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
     if (!(dd->src = virStorageSourceCopy(snapdisk->src, false)))
         return -1;
 
@@ -18330,6 +18333,9 @@ qemuDomainBlockCopyCommonValidateUserMirrorBackingStore(virStorageSourcePtr mirr
                            _("backingStore of mirror without VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_COPY_SHALLOW doesn't make sense"));
             return -1;
         }
+
+        if (qemuDomainStorageSourceValidateDepth(mirror, 0, NULL) < 0)
+            return -1;
     }
 
     return 0;