diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 44be81e2040e00b16e04d3b9048511c8f547f4c8..57cd9b1327f2d55136044ab7ea473aa05e9ba677 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -18314,3 +18314,44 @@ virDomainDiskDefGenSecurityLabelDef(const char *model)
 
     return seclabel;
 }
+
+
+typedef struct {
+    const char *devAlias;
+    virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev;
+} virDomainDefFindDeviceCallbackData;
+
+static int
+virDomainDefFindDeviceCallback(virDomainDefPtr def ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                               virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
+                               virDomainDeviceInfoPtr info,
+                               void *opaque)
+{
+    virDomainDefFindDeviceCallbackData *data = opaque;
+
+    if (STREQ_NULLABLE(info->alias, data->devAlias)) {
+        *data->dev = *dev;
+        return -1;
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
+int
+virDomainDefFindDevice(virDomainDefPtr def,
+                       const char *devAlias,
+                       virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev)
+{
+    virDomainDefFindDeviceCallbackData data = { devAlias, dev };
+
+    dev->type = VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_NONE;
+    virDomainDeviceInfoIterateInternal(def, virDomainDefFindDeviceCallback,
+                                       true, &data);
+
+    if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_NONE) {
+        virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                       _("no device found with alias %s"), devAlias);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index b14afd9a3c07412cf11d357149af215f877ec175..25dad16bf1a20b60ab7d2503c0b2afe23e1947c6 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -2688,4 +2688,8 @@ virDomainDefMaybeAddController(virDomainDefPtr def,
 
 char *virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator(virDomainDefPtr def, virCapsPtr caps);
 
+int virDomainDefFindDevice(virDomainDefPtr def,
+                           const char *devAlias,
+                           virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev);
+
 #endif /* __DOMAIN_CONF_H */
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 78a56db029218a0c4a824b86ff1df3973e91d19b..7790ede6d58d9ae03c5c12619a295ad60618f3b8 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ virDomainDefClearDeviceAliases;
 virDomainDefClearPCIAddresses;
 virDomainDefCompatibleDevice;
 virDomainDefCopy;
+virDomainDefFindDevice;
 virDomainDefFormat;
 virDomainDefFormatInternal;
 virDomainDefFree;