diff --git a/compiler.h b/compiler.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9af5dc6c91dc7315559449589d3209488c07e2f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler.h
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/* public domain */
+
+#ifndef COMPILER_H
+#define COMPILER_H
+
+#include "config-host.h"
+
+#define QEMU_NORETURN __attribute__ ((__noreturn__))
+#ifdef CONFIG_GCC_ATTRIBUTE_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
+#define QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT __attribute__((warn_unused_result))
+#else
+#define QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
+#endif
+
+#define QEMU_BUILD_BUG_ON(x) \
+    typedef char qemu_build_bug_on__##__LINE__[(x)?-1:1];
+
+#if defined __GNUC__
+# if (__GNUC__ < 4) || \
+     defined(__GNUC_MINOR__) && (__GNUC__ == 4) && (__GNUC_MINOR__ < 4)
+   /* gcc versions before 4.4.x don't support gnu_printf, so use printf. */
+#  define GCC_ATTR __attribute__((__unused__, format(printf, 1, 2)))
+#  define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m) __attribute__((format(printf, n, m)))
+# else
+   /* Use gnu_printf when supported (qemu uses standard format strings). */
+#  define GCC_ATTR __attribute__((__unused__, format(gnu_printf, 1, 2)))
+#  define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m) __attribute__((format(gnu_printf, n, m)))
+# endif
+#else
+#define GCC_ATTR /**/
+#define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m)
+#endif
+
+#endif /* COMPILER_H */
diff --git a/qemu-common.h b/qemu-common.h
index c2b79bd60e7d73ade0da015d91881d1ba5affef8..ba55719700b6d5ff4f12d5338d5049124efc8c07 100644
--- a/qemu-common.h
+++ b/qemu-common.h
@@ -2,16 +2,9 @@
 #ifndef QEMU_COMMON_H
 #define QEMU_COMMON_H
 
+#include "compiler.h"
 #include "config-host.h"
 
-#define QEMU_NORETURN __attribute__ ((__noreturn__))
-#ifdef CONFIG_GCC_ATTRIBUTE_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
-#define QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT __attribute__((warn_unused_result))
-#else
-#define QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT
-#endif
-
-#define QEMU_BUILD_BUG_ON(x) typedef char __build_bug_on__##__LINE__[(x)?-1:1];
 #define TFR(expr) do { if ((expr) != -1) break; } while (errno == EINTR)
 
 typedef struct QEMUTimer QEMUTimer;
@@ -82,22 +75,6 @@ struct iovec {
 #include <sys/uio.h>
 #endif
 
-#if defined __GNUC__
-# if (__GNUC__ < 4) || \
-     defined(__GNUC_MINOR__) && (__GNUC__ == 4) && (__GNUC_MINOR__ < 4)
-   /* gcc versions before 4.4.x don't support gnu_printf, so use printf. */
-#  define GCC_ATTR __attribute__((__unused__, format(printf, 1, 2)))
-#  define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m) __attribute__((format(printf, n, m)))
-# else
-   /* Use gnu_printf when supported (qemu uses standard format strings). */
-#  define GCC_ATTR __attribute__((__unused__, format(gnu_printf, 1, 2)))
-#  define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m) __attribute__((format(gnu_printf, n, m)))
-# endif
-#else
-#define GCC_ATTR /**/
-#define GCC_FMT_ATTR(n, m)
-#endif
-
 typedef int (*fprintf_function)(FILE *f, const char *fmt, ...)
     GCC_FMT_ATTR(2, 3);