diff --git a/src/locking/lock_daemon.c b/src/locking/lock_daemon.c
index 3d33995bebb3a02054f52107572d33cf54177e89..4eff63014a951be1f6032912f94e2c31170e565a 100644
--- a/src/locking/lock_daemon.c
+++ b/src/locking/lock_daemon.c
@@ -872,7 +872,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     int pid_file_fd = -1;
     char *sock_file = NULL;
     char *admin_sock_file = NULL;
-    int timeout = -1;        /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
+    int timeout = 0;         /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
     char *state_file = NULL;
     bool implicit_conf = false;
     mode_t old_umask;
@@ -922,7 +922,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
         case 't':
             if (virStrToLong_i(optarg, &tmp, 10, &timeout) != 0
-                || timeout <= 0
+                || timeout < 0
                 /* Ensure that we can multiply by 1000 without overflowing.  */
                 || timeout > INT_MAX / 1000) {
                 VIR_ERROR(_("Invalid value for timeout"));
@@ -1123,7 +1123,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
             adminSrv = virNetDaemonGetServer(lockDaemon->dmn, "admin");
     }
 
-    if (timeout != -1) {
+    if (timeout > 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Registering shutdown timeout %d", timeout);
         virNetDaemonAutoShutdown(lockDaemon->dmn,
                                  timeout);
diff --git a/src/logging/log_daemon.c b/src/logging/log_daemon.c
index dcafcda926a0a66bcf2e4bfc9d66a2e4f2185228..f37054706e3724bab76b332edc034e14ce82450c 100644
--- a/src/logging/log_daemon.c
+++ b/src/logging/log_daemon.c
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     int pid_file_fd = -1;
     char *sock_file = NULL;
     char *admin_sock_file = NULL;
-    int timeout = -1;        /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
+    int timeout = 0;         /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
     char *state_file = NULL;
     bool implicit_conf = false;
     mode_t old_umask;
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
         case 't':
             if (virStrToLong_i(optarg, &tmp, 10, &timeout) != 0
-                || timeout <= 0
+                || timeout < 0
                 /* Ensure that we can multiply by 1000 without overflowing.  */
                 || timeout > INT_MAX / 1000) {
                 VIR_ERROR(_("Invalid value for timeout"));
@@ -905,7 +905,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
             adminSrv = virNetDaemonGetServer(logDaemon->dmn, "admin");
     }
 
-    if (timeout != -1) {
+    if (timeout > 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Registering shutdown timeout %d", timeout);
         virNetDaemonAutoShutdown(logDaemon->dmn,
                                  timeout);
diff --git a/src/remote/remote_daemon.c b/src/remote/remote_daemon.c
index a1552800e9ef73d9af5aeceba820fd613bb61f2a..7eec5991774ff2ccaca8fc0691a9924b2acc1e46 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_daemon.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_daemon.c
@@ -770,7 +770,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     char *sock_file = NULL;
     char *sock_file_ro = NULL;
     char *sock_file_adm = NULL;
-    int timeout = -1;        /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
+    int timeout = 0;         /* -t: Shutdown timeout */
     int verbose = 0;
     int godaemon = 0;
 #ifdef WITH_IP
@@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
 
         case 't':
             if (virStrToLong_i(optarg, &tmp, 10, &timeout) != 0
-                || timeout <= 0
+                || timeout < 0
                 /* Ensure that we can multiply by 1000 without overflowing.  */
                 || timeout > INT_MAX / 1000) {
                 VIR_ERROR(_("Invalid value for timeout"));
@@ -1107,7 +1107,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
-    if (timeout != -1) {
+    if (timeout > 0) {
         VIR_DEBUG("Registering shutdown timeout %d", timeout);
         virNetDaemonAutoShutdown(dmn, timeout);
     }