diff --git a/block.c b/block.c
index 3e252a26c23b71ce02626ec25ffe728e283c6687..8cf519ba3a8a7001429ac4f94382424962941403 100644
--- a/block.c
+++ b/block.c
@@ -508,19 +508,24 @@ int bdrv_create_file(const char *filename, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
     return ret;
 }
 
-int bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+void bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     BlockDriver *drv = bs->drv;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     memset(&bs->bl, 0, sizeof(bs->bl));
 
     if (!drv) {
-        return 0;
+        return;
     }
 
     /* Take some limits from the children as a default */
     if (bs->file) {
-        bdrv_refresh_limits(bs->file);
+        bdrv_refresh_limits(bs->file, &local_err);
+        if (local_err) {
+            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+            return;
+        }
         bs->bl.opt_transfer_length = bs->file->bl.opt_transfer_length;
         bs->bl.opt_mem_alignment = bs->file->bl.opt_mem_alignment;
     } else {
@@ -528,7 +533,11 @@ int bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
     }
 
     if (bs->backing_hd) {
-        bdrv_refresh_limits(bs->backing_hd);
+        bdrv_refresh_limits(bs->backing_hd, &local_err);
+        if (local_err) {
+            error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+            return;
+        }
         bs->bl.opt_transfer_length =
             MAX(bs->bl.opt_transfer_length,
                 bs->backing_hd->bl.opt_transfer_length);
@@ -539,10 +548,8 @@ int bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
 
     /* Then let the driver override it */
     if (drv->bdrv_refresh_limits) {
-        return drv->bdrv_refresh_limits(bs);
+        drv->bdrv_refresh_limits(bs, errp);
     }
-
-    return 0;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -993,7 +1000,13 @@ static int bdrv_open_common(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *file,
         goto free_and_fail;
     }
 
-    bdrv_refresh_limits(bs);
+    bdrv_refresh_limits(bs, &local_err);
+    if (local_err) {
+        error_propagate(errp, local_err);
+        ret = -EINVAL;
+        goto free_and_fail;
+    }
+
     assert(bdrv_opt_mem_align(bs) != 0);
     assert((bs->request_alignment != 0) || bs->sg);
     return 0;
@@ -1154,7 +1167,7 @@ void bdrv_set_backing_hd(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *backing_hd)
     bdrv_op_unblock(bs->backing_hd, BLOCK_OP_TYPE_COMMIT,
                     bs->backing_blocker);
 out:
-    bdrv_refresh_limits(bs);
+    bdrv_refresh_limits(bs, NULL);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1778,7 +1791,7 @@ void bdrv_reopen_commit(BDRVReopenState *reopen_state)
                                               BDRV_O_CACHE_WB);
     reopen_state->bs->read_only = !(reopen_state->flags & BDRV_O_RDWR);
 
-    bdrv_refresh_limits(reopen_state->bs);
+    bdrv_refresh_limits(reopen_state->bs, NULL);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/block/iscsi.c b/block/iscsi.c
index f3e83e2332db9a0eb031d72fdd15a67f8bb1420a..a7bb6970acffaa2c06b360b98f84879214d7f981 100644
--- a/block/iscsi.c
+++ b/block/iscsi.c
@@ -1450,7 +1450,7 @@ static void iscsi_close(BlockDriverState *bs)
     memset(iscsilun, 0, sizeof(IscsiLun));
 }
 
-static int iscsi_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void iscsi_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     IscsiLun *iscsilun = bs->opaque;
 
@@ -1475,7 +1475,6 @@ static int iscsi_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
     }
     bs->bl.opt_transfer_length = sector_lun2qemu(iscsilun->bl.opt_xfer_len,
                                                  iscsilun);
-    return 0;
 }
 
 /* Since iscsi_open() ignores bdrv_flags, there is nothing to do here in
diff --git a/block/qcow2.c b/block/qcow2.c
index e1631d5086143d1aba461ff5cdddbafea5512ada..1e3ab6bd029c63a9fd0a4596fcfde2277fe144f7 100644
--- a/block/qcow2.c
+++ b/block/qcow2.c
@@ -866,13 +866,11 @@ static int qcow2_open(BlockDriverState *bs, QDict *options, int flags,
     return ret;
 }
 
-static int qcow2_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void qcow2_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     BDRVQcowState *s = bs->opaque;
 
     bs->bl.write_zeroes_alignment = s->cluster_sectors;
-
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static int qcow2_set_key(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *key)
diff --git a/block/qed.c b/block/qed.c
index cd4872b529eafdd1653d092f981ece94e783b0ad..79448321814a2e1d26221ed5508c368a518e99f4 100644
--- a/block/qed.c
+++ b/block/qed.c
@@ -528,13 +528,11 @@ out:
     return ret;
 }
 
-static int bdrv_qed_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void bdrv_qed_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     BDRVQEDState *s = bs->opaque;
 
     bs->bl.write_zeroes_alignment = s->header.cluster_size >> BDRV_SECTOR_BITS;
-
-    return 0;
 }
 
 /* We have nothing to do for QED reopen, stubs just return
diff --git a/block/raw-posix.c b/block/raw-posix.c
index 2bcc73dc37163d005961c78e207ca16c64bcc5cd..ef497b2d30af57383458a9a4db86ba18dc817bce 100644
--- a/block/raw-posix.c
+++ b/block/raw-posix.c
@@ -615,14 +615,12 @@ static void raw_reopen_abort(BDRVReopenState *state)
     state->opaque = NULL;
 }
 
-static int raw_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void raw_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     BDRVRawState *s = bs->opaque;
 
     raw_probe_alignment(bs);
     bs->bl.opt_mem_alignment = s->buf_align;
-
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static ssize_t handle_aiocb_ioctl(RawPosixAIOData *aiocb)
diff --git a/block/raw_bsd.c b/block/raw_bsd.c
index 492f58de6971f7faf9115a8e8cbd07e10be059a0..f82f4c25df8a476d25ae380cdf6a2bde37fd70d9 100644
--- a/block/raw_bsd.c
+++ b/block/raw_bsd.c
@@ -94,10 +94,9 @@ static int raw_get_info(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverInfo *bdi)
     return bdrv_get_info(bs->file, bdi);
 }
 
-static int raw_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void raw_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     bs->bl = bs->file->bl;
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static int raw_truncate(BlockDriverState *bs, int64_t offset)
diff --git a/block/stream.c b/block/stream.c
index 34de8ba0d9b8e688bd950e61699055651f102749..cdea3e8d0cf7c68cbf34737e7d356d78ac57342a 100644
--- a/block/stream.c
+++ b/block/stream.c
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ static void close_unused_images(BlockDriverState *top, BlockDriverState *base,
         bdrv_unref(unused);
     }
 
-    bdrv_refresh_limits(top);
+    bdrv_refresh_limits(top, NULL);
 }
 
 static void coroutine_fn stream_run(void *opaque)
diff --git a/block/vmdk.c b/block/vmdk.c
index 27a78daa02e4adf7b6c5eb1e5948d227de2cc4e0..0517bbaf918e0ebc87525c09a10d3bcb25513742 100644
--- a/block/vmdk.c
+++ b/block/vmdk.c
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ fail:
 }
 
 
-static int vmdk_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
+static void vmdk_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
 {
     BDRVVmdkState *s = bs->opaque;
     int i;
@@ -950,8 +950,6 @@ static int vmdk_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs)
                     s->extents[i].cluster_sectors);
         }
     }
-
-    return 0;
 }
 
 static int get_whole_cluster(BlockDriverState *bs,
diff --git a/include/block/block.h b/include/block/block.h
index 32d36760fdeff83b13089cd2d3b5c63cf10759f2..f08471d7e15649ce14978a83636c1de49866faaf 100644
--- a/include/block/block.h
+++ b/include/block/block.h
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ int bdrv_truncate(BlockDriverState *bs, int64_t offset);
 int64_t bdrv_getlength(BlockDriverState *bs);
 int64_t bdrv_get_allocated_file_size(BlockDriverState *bs);
 void bdrv_get_geometry(BlockDriverState *bs, uint64_t *nb_sectors_ptr);
-int bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs);
+void bdrv_refresh_limits(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp);
 int bdrv_commit(BlockDriverState *bs);
 int bdrv_commit_all(void);
 int bdrv_change_backing_file(BlockDriverState *bs,
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index f6c3befed807ec09b5bdead346fa78d69d6aacbf..7b541a06910ecf73242c75a5ba92f92e75ed31b9 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ struct BlockDriver {
     int (*bdrv_debug_resume)(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *tag);
     bool (*bdrv_debug_is_suspended)(BlockDriverState *bs, const char *tag);
 
-    int (*bdrv_refresh_limits)(BlockDriverState *bs);
+    void (*bdrv_refresh_limits)(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp);
 
     /*
      * Returns 1 if newly created images are guaranteed to contain only