diff --git a/cfg.mk b/cfg.mk
index c0c240b2c0bf240f8ea5ff07f235c8865be4982a..f59cfd6e29799be5bd38dc8c0be41d4d3eda5741 100644
--- a/cfg.mk
+++ b/cfg.mk
@@ -614,6 +614,7 @@ msg_gen_function += virReportError
 msg_gen_function += virReportErrorHelper
 msg_gen_function += virReportSystemError
 msg_gen_function += xenapiSessionErrorHandler
+msg_gen_function += virLastErrorPrefixMessage
 
 # Uncomment the following and run "make syntax-check" to see diagnostics
 # that are not yet marked for translation, but that need to be rewritten
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index c06fa67d6aae28d252b7d36864634085532a4362..48df6bce0855bc99a4afb1c2d2674ddca8456acf 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1832,6 +1832,7 @@ virErrorPreserveLast;
 virErrorRestore;
 virErrorSetErrnoFromLastError;
 virLastErrorIsSystemErrno;
+virLastErrorPrefixMessage;
 virRaiseErrorFull;
 virRaiseErrorObject;
 virReportErrorHelper;
diff --git a/src/util/virerror.c b/src/util/virerror.c
index 67e2bc984e700256a588a182e95571b2dfa5de19..dfba8c5712384126888b884e94b668cbda1eb5e7 100644
--- a/src/util/virerror.c
+++ b/src/util/virerror.c
@@ -1461,3 +1461,41 @@ bool virLastErrorIsSystemErrno(int errnum)
         return false;
     return true;
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * virLastErrorPrefixMessage:
+ * @fmt: printf-style formatting string
+ * @...: Arguments for @fmt
+ *
+ * Prefixes last error reported with message formatted from @fmt. This is useful
+ * if the low level error message does not convey enough information to describe
+ * the problem.
+ */
+void
+virLastErrorPrefixMessage(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+    int save_errno = errno;
+    virErrorPtr err = virGetLastError();
+    VIR_AUTOFREE(char *) fmtmsg = NULL;
+    VIR_AUTOFREE(char *) newmsg = NULL;
+    va_list args;
+
+    if (!err)
+        return;
+
+    va_start(args, fmt);
+
+    if (virVasprintfQuiet(&fmtmsg, fmt, args) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virAsprintfQuiet(&newmsg, "%s: %s", fmtmsg, err->message) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    VIR_FREE(err->message);
+    VIR_STEAL_PTR(err->message, newmsg);
+
+ cleanup:
+    va_end(args);
+    errno = save_errno;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/virerror.h b/src/util/virerror.h
index 4cfb0c18dd91c2b5d6d51119a7b078621b10fb30..fa88217b274b4ee75de28ef20a5854d27f11f0f4 100644
--- a/src/util/virerror.h
+++ b/src/util/virerror.h
@@ -205,4 +205,7 @@ bool virLastErrorIsSystemErrno(int errnum);
 void virErrorPreserveLast(virErrorPtr *saveerr);
 void virErrorRestore(virErrorPtr *savederr);
 
+void virLastErrorPrefixMessage(const char *fmt, ...)
+    ATTRIBUTE_FMT_PRINTF(1, 2);
+
 VIR_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_FUNC(virError, virFreeError);