diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 5ae3618ce4a4264be23426d5ea8c16919bb41a39..4cfaed53190fb46496f5d5069fd1b96cc8ed4d2c 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1370,6 +1370,7 @@ virDBusHasSystemBus;
 virDBusMessageDecode;
 virDBusMessageEncode;
 virDBusMessageRead;
+virDBusMessageUnref;
 virDBusSetSharedBus;
 
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetdaemon.c b/src/rpc/virnetdaemon.c
index 910f2662079bd42ee432e58be41997a97d98b3bc..18c962c1da0a809c98613d9f628cdb7f96bd04a4 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetdaemon.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetdaemon.c
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ virNetDaemonGotInhibitReply(DBusPendingCall *pending,
             VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(fd);
         }
     }
-    dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
 
  cleanup:
     virObjectUnlock(dmn);
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ virNetDaemonCallInhibit(virNetDaemonPtr dmn,
                                      dmn, NULL);
         dmn->autoShutdownCallingInhibit = true;
     }
-    dbus_message_unref(message);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(message);
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/src/util/virdbus.c b/src/util/virdbus.c
index 78fb7953dca2e6ae9716b95a516ddadf1e73f36b..3f4dbe34a7a1bfd71fd117e6882138268a7ff2c4 100644
--- a/src/util/virdbus.c
+++ b/src/util/virdbus.c
@@ -1398,7 +1398,7 @@ int virDBusCreateMethodV(DBusMessage **call,
     }
 
     if (virDBusMessageEncodeArgs(*call, types, args) < 0) {
-        dbus_message_unref(*call);
+        virDBusMessageUnref(*call);
         *call = NULL;
         goto cleanup;
     }
@@ -1467,7 +1467,7 @@ int virDBusCreateReplyV(DBusMessage **reply,
     }
 
     if (virDBusMessageEncodeArgs(*reply, types, args) < 0) {
-        dbus_message_unref(*reply);
+        virDBusMessageUnref(*reply);
         *reply = NULL;
         goto cleanup;
     }
@@ -1586,7 +1586,7 @@ virDBusCall(DBusConnection *conn,
         if (ret == 0 && replyout)
             *replyout = reply;
         else
-            dbus_message_unref(reply);
+            virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     }
     return ret;
 }
@@ -1650,8 +1650,7 @@ int virDBusCallMethod(DBusConnection *conn,
     ret = virDBusCall(conn, call, replyout, error);
 
  cleanup:
-    if (call)
-        dbus_message_unref(call);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(call);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1727,7 +1726,7 @@ static int virDBusIsServiceInList(const char *listMethod, const char *name)
     }
 
  cleanup:
-    dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -1763,7 +1762,8 @@ int virDBusIsServiceRegistered(const char *name)
 
 void virDBusMessageUnref(DBusMessage *msg)
 {
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    if (msg)
+        dbus_message_unref(msg);
 }
 
 #else /* ! WITH_DBUS */
diff --git a/src/util/virdbus.h b/src/util/virdbus.h
index 9e86538d5a7a3ac050d9ede7d3add5892181ca79..86b4223ffb4be47f6ad15564747b8b2662a46312 100644
--- a/src/util/virdbus.h
+++ b/src/util/virdbus.h
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@
 # else
 #  define DBusConnection void
 #  define DBusMessage void
-#  define dbus_message_unref(m) do {} while (0)
 # endif
 # include "internal.h"
 
diff --git a/src/util/virfirewall.c b/src/util/virfirewall.c
index a972c05d5baba3859dd5705939dd0bd655f61066..f26fd865c97bb2c595b962ae510f5795e0531bbc 100644
--- a/src/util/virfirewall.c
+++ b/src/util/virfirewall.c
@@ -822,8 +822,7 @@ virFirewallApplyRuleFirewallD(virFirewallRulePtr rule,
 
  cleanup:
     virResetError(&error);
-    if (reply)
-        dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/util/virsystemd.c b/src/util/virsystemd.c
index 667779809920617d41f3b5ba9998c648820b8c34..4883f94920da383edcdfa13a274b3833864f777c 100644
--- a/src/util/virsystemd.c
+++ b/src/util/virsystemd.c
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ virSystemdGetMachineNameByPID(pid_t pid)
 
  cleanup:
     VIR_FREE(object);
-    dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
 
     return name;
 }
diff --git a/tests/virdbustest.c b/tests/virdbustest.c
index 4ec3c0ddbdaac884de4897766d07ed5d15f0a1e6..1622b031158e2f466ec129e9d5db6bad11964757 100644
--- a/tests/virdbustest.c
+++ b/tests/virdbustest.c
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ static int testMessageSimple(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     VIR_FREE(out_string);
     VIR_FREE(out_signature);
     VIR_FREE(out_objectpath);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ static int testMessageVariant(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
  cleanup:
     VIR_FREE(out_str1);
     VIR_FREE(out_str2);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ static int testMessageArray(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
  cleanup:
     VIR_FREE(out_str1);
     VIR_FREE(out_str2);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ static int testMessageEmptyArrayRef(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     ret = 0;
 
  cleanup:
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ static int testMessageSingleArrayRef(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
  cleanup:
     if (out_strv1)
         VIR_FREE(out_strv1[0]);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ static int testMessageArrayRef(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     for (i = 0; i < out_nstrv2; i++)
         VIR_FREE(out_strv2[i]);
     VIR_FREE(out_strv2);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ static int testMessageStruct(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     VIR_FREE(out_string);
     VIR_FREE(out_signature);
     VIR_FREE(out_objectpath);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ static int testMessageDict(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     VIR_FREE(out_key1);
     VIR_FREE(out_key2);
     VIR_FREE(out_key3);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ static int testMessageDictRef(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
         VIR_FREE(out_strv1[5]);
     }
     VIR_FREE(out_strv1);
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -695,7 +695,7 @@ static int testMessageEmptyDictRef(const void *args ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
     ret = 0;
 
  cleanup:
-    dbus_message_unref(msg);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(msg);
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/virfirewalltest.c b/tests/virfirewalltest.c
index 1f8d8f1e9fa474cc549449bd8ec28883f9a7247c..8f6fc9e12d26d6a745505ba3a74d275e0107de67 100644
--- a/tests/virfirewalltest.c
+++ b/tests/virfirewalltest.c
@@ -179,8 +179,7 @@ VIR_MOCK_WRAP_RET_ARGS(dbus_connection_send_with_reply_and_block,
     return reply;
 
  error:
-    if (reply)
-        dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     reply = NULL;
     if (error && !dbus_error_is_set(error))
         dbus_set_error_const(error,
diff --git a/tests/virpolkittest.c b/tests/virpolkittest.c
index cdf78f56d7b916e0797263b51d7b630cb756dca0..b39beedf14183908bbed17381a98a67e484efea3 100644
--- a/tests/virpolkittest.c
+++ b/tests/virpolkittest.c
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ VIR_MOCK_WRAP_RET_ARGS(dbus_connection_send_with_reply_and_block,
     return reply;
 
  error:
-    dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     return NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/virsystemdtest.c b/tests/virsystemdtest.c
index 46452dd7436a083c03b4f3f9249345ec31626740..101f5e049fe010d80731287f04468414830ecb6d 100644
--- a/tests/virsystemdtest.c
+++ b/tests/virsystemdtest.c
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 # include <dbus/dbus.h>
 
 # include "virsystemd.h"
+# include "virdbus.h"
 # include "virlog.h"
 # include "virmock.h"
 # define VIR_FROM_THIS VIR_FROM_NONE
@@ -151,7 +152,7 @@ VIR_MOCK_WRAP_RET_ARGS(dbus_connection_send_with_reply_and_block,
     return reply;
 
  error:
-    dbus_message_unref(reply);
+    virDBusMessageUnref(reply);
     return NULL;
 }