diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
index 5d2d9cf19f8683880d4cda9bedf074899cf91d0a..a89816e3347bda28c4f32a719efc7e1d99144b2f 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
@@ -6172,6 +6172,7 @@ libxlDomainMigrateConfirm3Params(virDomainPtr domain,
 {
     libxlDriverPrivatePtr driver = domain->conn->privateData;
     virDomainObjPtr vm = NULL;
+    int ret = -1;
 
 #ifdef LIBXL_HAVE_NO_SUSPEND_RESUME
     virReportUnsupportedError();
@@ -6185,12 +6186,14 @@ libxlDomainMigrateConfirm3Params(virDomainPtr domain,
     if (!(vm = libxlDomObjFromDomain(domain)))
         return -1;
 
-    if (virDomainMigrateConfirm3ParamsEnsureACL(domain->conn, vm->def) < 0) {
-        virObjectUnlock(vm);
-        return -1;
-    }
+    if (virDomainMigrateConfirm3ParamsEnsureACL(domain->conn, vm->def) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
 
-    return libxlDomainMigrationConfirm(driver, vm, flags, cancelled);
+    ret = libxlDomainMigrationConfirm(driver, vm, flags, cancelled);
+
+ cleanup:
+    virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
+    return ret;
 }
 
 static int libxlNodeGetSecurityModel(virConnectPtr conn,
diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_migration.c b/src/libxl/libxl_migration.c
index 4b848c920041b4be4051ae7cf0968a9c8801b2a8..42a84bd3582952c849153416de589de89c2a9dae 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_migration.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_migration.c
@@ -1392,7 +1392,8 @@ libxlDomainMigrationConfirm(libxlDriverPrivatePtr driver,
 
     if (!vm->persistent || (flags & VIR_MIGRATE_UNDEFINE_SOURCE)) {
         virDomainObjListRemove(driver->domains, vm);
-        vm = NULL;
+        /* Caller passed a locked vm and expects the same on return */
+        virObjectLock(vm);
     }
 
     ret = 0;
@@ -1400,8 +1401,6 @@ libxlDomainMigrationConfirm(libxlDriverPrivatePtr driver,
  cleanup:
     if (event)
         libxlDomainEventQueue(driver, event);
-    if (vm)
-        virObjectUnlock(vm);
     virObjectUnref(cfg);
     return ret;
 }