diff --git a/src/util/logging.c b/src/util/logging.c
index bc76a2dc2c3c1085ca4f1d411e4ab88afe8f8f10..cdaf86ebfc24828b0e7a94421cc210e4d3aaa116 100644
--- a/src/util/logging.c
+++ b/src/util/logging.c
@@ -98,12 +98,12 @@ static virLogPriority virLogDefaultPriority = VIR_LOG_DEFAULT;
 
 static int virLogResetFilters(void);
 static int virLogResetOutputs(void);
-static int virLogOutputToFd(const char *category, int priority,
-                            const char *funcname, long long linenr,
-                            const char *timestamp,
-                            unsigned int flags,
-                            const char *str,
-                            void *data);
+static void virLogOutputToFd(const char *category, int priority,
+                             const char *funcname, long long linenr,
+                             const char *timestamp,
+                             unsigned int flags,
+                             const char *str,
+                             void *data);
 
 /*
  * Logs accesses must be serialized though a mutex
@@ -807,32 +807,29 @@ static void virLogStackTraceToFd(int fd)
 #undef STRIP_DEPTH
 }
 
-static int virLogOutputToFd(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            int priority ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            const char *funcname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            long long linenr ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                            const char *timestamp,
-                            unsigned int flags,
-                            const char *str,
-                            void *data)
+static void virLogOutputToFd(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             int priority ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             const char *funcname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             long long linenr ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                             const char *timestamp,
+                             unsigned int flags,
+                             const char *str,
+                             void *data)
 {
     int fd = (intptr_t) data;
-    int ret;
     char *msg;
 
     if (fd < 0)
-        return -1;
+        return;
 
     if (virAsprintf(&msg, "%s: %s", timestamp, str) < 0)
-        return -1;
+        return;
 
-    ret = safewrite(fd, msg, strlen(msg));
+    ignore_value(safewrite(fd, msg, strlen(msg)));
     VIR_FREE(msg);
 
     if (flags & VIR_LOG_STACK_TRACE)
         virLogStackTraceToFd(fd);
-
-    return ret;
 }
 
 static void virLogCloseFd(void *data)
@@ -865,18 +862,18 @@ static int virLogAddOutputToFile(int priority, const char *file) {
 }
 
 #if HAVE_SYSLOG_H
-static int virLogOutputToSyslog(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                int priority,
-                                const char *funcname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                long long linenr ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                const char *timestamp ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                unsigned int flags,
-                                const char *str,
-                                void *data ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+static void virLogOutputToSyslog(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                 int priority,
+                                 const char *funcname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                 long long linenr ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                 const char *timestamp ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                 unsigned int flags,
+                                 const char *str,
+                                 void *data ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     int prio;
 
-    virCheckFlags(VIR_LOG_STACK_TRACE, -1);
+    virCheckFlags(VIR_LOG_STACK_TRACE,);
 
     switch (priority) {
         case VIR_LOG_DEBUG:
@@ -895,7 +892,6 @@ static int virLogOutputToSyslog(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
             prio = LOG_ERR;
     }
     syslog(prio, "%s", str);
-    return strlen(str);
 }
 
 static char *current_ident = NULL;
diff --git a/src/util/logging.h b/src/util/logging.h
index 04a613e23b42b9931a42a364dc80aaa9dd855501..256e81699b427da2a0823f84cf1f3f49ab9a1e5e 100644
--- a/src/util/logging.h
+++ b/src/util/logging.h
@@ -94,15 +94,13 @@ typedef enum {
  * @data: extra output logging data
  *
  * Callback function used to output messages
- *
- * Returns the number of bytes written or -1 in case of error
  */
-typedef int (*virLogOutputFunc) (const char *category, int priority,
-                                 const char *funcname, long long linenr,
-                                 const char *timestamp,
-                                 unsigned int flags,
-                                 const char *str,
-                                 void *data);
+typedef void (*virLogOutputFunc) (const char *category, int priority,
+                                  const char *funcname, long long linenr,
+                                  const char *timestamp,
+                                  unsigned int flags,
+                                  const char *str,
+                                  void *data);
 
 /**
  * virLogCloseFunc:
diff --git a/tests/testutils.c b/tests/testutils.c
index 34edde9773b87cb37ad8f60adaa764ac9ff1593d..b555e062141fa1dc594ffc9fdc4b8f6550d307f4 100644
--- a/tests/testutils.c
+++ b/tests/testutils.c
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ struct virtTestLogData {
 
 static struct virtTestLogData testLog = { VIR_BUFFER_INITIALIZER };
 
-static int
+static void
 virtTestLogOutput(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                   int priority ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                   const char *funcname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
@@ -489,9 +489,8 @@ virtTestLogOutput(const char *category ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                   void *data)
 {
     struct virtTestLogData *log = data;
-    virCheckFlags(VIR_LOG_STACK_TRACE, -1);
+    virCheckFlags(VIR_LOG_STACK_TRACE,);
     virBufferAsprintf(&log->buf, "%s: %s", timestamp, str);
-    return strlen(timestamp) + 2 + strlen(str);
 }
 
 static void