diff --git a/src/conf/capabilities.c b/src/conf/capabilities.c
index 0f965002943c54735c834b10f0c4e9181b175ab5..a5187c69b3a6b201ccad3b68014d61e27bb25c63 100644
--- a/src/conf/capabilities.c
+++ b/src/conf/capabilities.c
@@ -604,46 +604,6 @@ virCapabilitiesHostSecModelAddBaseLabel(virCapsHostSecModelPtr secmodel,
     return -1;
 }
 
-static bool
-virCapsDomainDataCompare(virCapsGuestPtr guest,
-                         virCapsGuestDomainPtr domain,
-                         virCapsGuestMachinePtr machine,
-                         int ostype,
-                         virArch arch,
-                         virDomainVirtType domaintype,
-                         const char *emulator,
-                         const char *machinetype)
-{
-    const char *check_emulator = NULL;
-
-    if (ostype != -1 && guest->ostype != ostype)
-        return false;
-    if ((arch != VIR_ARCH_NONE) && (guest->arch.id != arch))
-        return false;
-
-    if (domaintype != VIR_DOMAIN_VIRT_NONE &&
-        (!domain || domain->type != domaintype))
-        return false;
-
-    if (emulator) {
-        if (domain)
-            check_emulator = domain->info.emulator;
-        if (!check_emulator)
-            check_emulator = guest->arch.defaultInfo.emulator;
-        if (STRNEQ_NULLABLE(check_emulator, emulator))
-            return false;
-    }
-
-    if (machinetype) {
-        if (!machine)
-            return false;
-        if (STRNEQ(machine->name, machinetype) &&
-            (STRNEQ_NULLABLE(machine->canonical, machinetype)))
-            return false;
-    }
-
-    return true;
-}
 
 static virCapsDomainDataPtr
 virCapabilitiesDomainDataLookupInternal(virCapsPtr caps,
@@ -659,13 +619,45 @@ virCapabilitiesDomainDataLookupInternal(virCapsPtr caps,
     virCapsDomainDataPtr ret = NULL;
     size_t i, j, k;
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Lookup ostype=%d arch=%d domaintype=%d emulator=%s machine=%s",
+              ostype, arch, domaintype, NULLSTR(emulator), NULLSTR(machinetype));
     for (i = 0; i < caps->nguests; i++) {
         virCapsGuestPtr guest = caps->guests[i];
 
+        if (ostype != -1 && guest->ostype != ostype) {
+            VIR_DEBUG("Skip os type want=%d vs got=%d", ostype, guest->ostype);
+            continue;
+        }
+        VIR_DEBUG("Match os type %d", ostype);
+
+        if ((arch != VIR_ARCH_NONE) && (guest->arch.id != arch)) {
+            VIR_DEBUG("Skip arch want=%d vs got=%d", arch, guest->arch.id);
+            continue;
+        }
+        VIR_DEBUG("Match arch %d", arch);
+
         for (j = 0; j < guest->arch.ndomains; j++) {
             virCapsGuestDomainPtr domain = guest->arch.domains[j];
             virCapsGuestMachinePtr *machinelist;
             int nmachines;
+            const char *check_emulator = NULL;
+
+            if (domaintype != VIR_DOMAIN_VIRT_NONE &&
+                (domain->type != domaintype)) {
+                VIR_DEBUG("Skip domain type want=%d vs got=%d", domaintype, domain->type);
+                continue;
+            }
+            VIR_DEBUG("Match domain type %d", domaintype);
+
+            check_emulator = domain->info.emulator;
+            if (!check_emulator)
+                check_emulator = guest->arch.defaultInfo.emulator;
+            if (emulator && STRNEQ_NULLABLE(check_emulator, emulator)) {
+                VIR_DEBUG("Skip emulator got=%s vs want=%s",
+                          emulator, NULLSTR(check_emulator));
+                continue;
+            }
+            VIR_DEBUG("Match emulator %s", NULLSTR(emulator));
 
             if (domain->info.nmachines) {
                 nmachines = domain->info.nmachines;
@@ -677,32 +669,29 @@ virCapabilitiesDomainDataLookupInternal(virCapsPtr caps,
 
             for (k = 0; k < nmachines; k++) {
                 virCapsGuestMachinePtr machine = machinelist[k];
-                if (!virCapsDomainDataCompare(guest, domain, machine,
-                                              ostype, arch, domaintype,
-                                              emulator, machinetype))
+
+                if (machinetype &&
+                    STRNEQ(machine->name, machinetype) &&
+                    STRNEQ_NULLABLE(machine->canonical, machinetype)) {
+                    VIR_DEBUG("Skip machine type want=%s vs got=%s got=%s",
+                              machinetype, machine->name, NULLSTR(machine->canonical));
                     continue;
+                }
+                VIR_DEBUG("Match machine type machine %s\n", NULLSTR(machinetype));
 
                 foundmachine = machine;
                 break;
             }
 
-            if (!foundmachine) {
-                if (!virCapsDomainDataCompare(guest, domain, NULL,
-                                              ostype, arch, domaintype,
-                                              emulator, machinetype))
-                    continue;
-            }
+            if (!foundmachine && nmachines)
+                continue;
 
             founddomain = domain;
             break;
         }
 
-        if (!founddomain) {
-            if (!virCapsDomainDataCompare(guest, NULL, NULL,
-                                          ostype, arch, domaintype,
-                                          emulator, machinetype))
-                continue;
-        }
+        if (!founddomain)
+            continue;
 
         foundguest = guest;
         break;