diff --git a/block/dirty-bitmap.c b/block/dirty-bitmap.c
index 17d3068336b2ec7c3cff34cf2897270a00d604b9..06dc7a3ac94acbe1a7fc0ef5603c858fa4326470 100644
--- a/block/dirty-bitmap.c
+++ b/block/dirty-bitmap.c
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ struct BdrvDirtyBitmap {
                                    Such operations must fail and both the image
                                    and this bitmap must remain unchanged while
                                    this flag is set. */
+    bool autoload;              /* For persistent bitmaps: bitmap must be
+                                   autoloaded on image opening */
     QLIST_ENTRY(BdrvDirtyBitmap) list;
 };
 
@@ -100,6 +102,7 @@ void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_make_anon(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap)
     assert(!bdrv_dirty_bitmap_frozen(bitmap));
     g_free(bitmap->name);
     bitmap->name = NULL;
+    bitmap->autoload = false;
 }
 
 /* Called with BQL taken.  */
@@ -296,6 +299,8 @@ BdrvDirtyBitmap *bdrv_dirty_bitmap_abdicate(BlockDriverState *bs,
     bitmap->name = NULL;
     successor->name = name;
     bitmap->successor = NULL;
+    successor->autoload = bitmap->autoload;
+    bitmap->autoload = false;
     bdrv_release_dirty_bitmap(bs, bitmap);
 
     return successor;
@@ -671,3 +676,16 @@ bool bdrv_has_readonly_bitmaps(BlockDriverState *bs)
 
     return false;
 }
+
+/* Called with BQL taken. */
+void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_set_autoload(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap, bool autoload)
+{
+    qemu_mutex_lock(bitmap->mutex);
+    bitmap->autoload = autoload;
+    qemu_mutex_unlock(bitmap->mutex);
+}
+
+bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_get_autoload(const BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap)
+{
+    return bitmap->autoload;
+}
diff --git a/block/qcow2-bitmap.c b/block/qcow2-bitmap.c
index a21fab8ce86ecd28338b8acfa5121ec1cbdd4f41..ee6d8f75a9a4ec97dbd8dac44a4fe90a6a0e832b 100644
--- a/block/qcow2-bitmap.c
+++ b/block/qcow2-bitmap.c
@@ -793,6 +793,8 @@ bool qcow2_load_autoloading_dirty_bitmaps(BlockDriverState *bs, Error **errp)
             if (bitmap == NULL) {
                 goto fail;
             }
+
+            bdrv_dirty_bitmap_set_autoload(bitmap, true);
             bm->flags |= BME_FLAG_IN_USE;
             created_dirty_bitmaps =
                     g_slist_append(created_dirty_bitmaps, bitmap);
diff --git a/include/block/dirty-bitmap.h b/include/block/dirty-bitmap.h
index cb43fa37e27279a14a8945f3e7e61cf94e1b8211..e2fea12b943e3a839be04f8598376e2012418d12 100644
--- a/include/block/dirty-bitmap.h
+++ b/include/block/dirty-bitmap.h
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_deserialize_ones(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap,
 void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_deserialize_finish(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap);
 
 void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_set_readonly(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap, bool value);
+void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_set_autoload(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap, bool autoload);
 
 /* Functions that require manual locking.  */
 void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_lock(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap);
@@ -89,5 +90,6 @@ int64_t bdrv_get_meta_dirty_count(BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap);
 void bdrv_dirty_bitmap_truncate(BlockDriverState *bs);
 bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_readonly(const BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap);
 bool bdrv_has_readonly_bitmaps(BlockDriverState *bs);
+bool bdrv_dirty_bitmap_get_autoload(const BdrvDirtyBitmap *bitmap);
 
 #endif