diff --git a/scripts/qapi.py b/scripts/qapi.py
index 17bf633..8497777 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi.py
@@ -824,7 +824,7 @@ class QAPISchemaVisitor(object):


 class QAPISchemaType(QAPISchemaEntity):
-    def c_type(self, is_param=False):
+    def c_type(self, is_param=False, is_unboxed=False):
         return c_name(self.name) + pointer_suffix

     def c_null(self):
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ class QAPISchemaBuiltinType(QAPISchemaType):
     def c_name(self):
         return self.name

-    def c_type(self, is_param=False):
+    def c_type(self, is_param=False, is_unboxed=False):
         if is_param and self.name == 'str':
             return 'const ' + self._c_type_name
         return self._c_type_name
@@ -891,7 +891,7 @@ class QAPISchemaEnumType(QAPISchemaType):
         # See QAPISchema._make_implicit_enum_type()
         return self.name.endswith('Kind')

-    def c_type(self, is_param=False):
+    def c_type(self, is_param=False, is_unboxed=False):
         return c_name(self.name)

     def member_names(self):
@@ -987,9 +987,11 @@ class QAPISchemaObjectType(QAPISchemaType):
         assert not self.is_implicit()
         return QAPISchemaType.c_name(self)

-    def c_type(self, is_param=False):
+    def c_type(self, is_param=False, is_unboxed=False):
         assert not self.is_implicit()
-        return QAPISchemaType.c_type(self)
+        if is_unboxed:
+            return c_name(self.name)
+        return c_name(self.name) + pointer_suffix

     def json_type(self):
         return 'object'
diff --git a/scripts/qapi-types.py b/scripts/qapi-types.py
index 6ea0ae6..4dabe91 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi-types.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi-types.py
@@ -116,6 +116,14 @@ static inline %(base)s *qapi_%(c_name)s_base(const %(c_name)s *obj)


 def gen_variants(variants):
+    # HACK: Determine if this is an alternate (at least one variant
+    # is not an object); unions have all branches as objects.
+    unboxed = False
+    for v in variants.variants:
+        if not isinstance(v.type, QAPISchemaObjectType):
+            unboxed = True
+            break
+
     # FIXME: What purpose does data serve, besides preventing a union that
     # has a branch named 'data'? We use it in qapi-visit.py to decide
     # whether to bypass the switch statement if visiting the discriminator
@@ -136,7 +144,7 @@ def gen_variants(variants):
         ret += mcgen('''
         %(c_type)s %(c_name)s;
 ''',
-                     c_type=typ.c_type(),
+                     c_type=typ.c_type(is_unboxed=unboxed),
                      c_name=c_name(var.name))

     ret += mcgen('''
diff --git a/scripts/qapi-visit.py b/scripts/qapi-visit.py
index 089f4c4..61b7e72 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi-visit.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi-visit.py
@@ -201,11 +201,14 @@ void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s *obj, Error

 def gen_visit_alternate(name, variants):
     promote_int = 'true'
+    ret = ''
     for var in variants.variants:
         if var.type.alternate_qtype() == 'QTYPE_QINT':
             promote_int = 'false'
+        if isinstance(var.type, QAPISchemaObjectType):
+            ret += gen_visit_fields_decl(var.type)

-    ret = mcgen('''
+    ret += mcgen('''

 void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error **errp)
 {
@@ -221,17 +224,35 @@ void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error
     }
     switch ((*obj)->type) {
 ''',
-                c_name=c_name(name), promote_int=promote_int)
+                 c_name=c_name(name), promote_int=promote_int)

     for var in variants.variants:
         ret += mcgen('''
     case %(case)s:
+''',
+                     case=var.type.alternate_qtype())
+        if isinstance(var.type, QAPISchemaObjectType):
+            ret += mcgen('''
+        visit_start_struct(v, name, NULL, 0, &err);
+        if (err) {
+            break;
+        }
+        visit_type_%(c_type)s_fields(v, &(*obj)->u.%(c_name)s, &err);
+        error_propagate(errp, err);
+        err = NULL;
+        visit_end_struct(v, &err);
+''',
+                         c_type=var.type.c_name(),
+                         c_name=c_name(var.name))
+        else:
+            ret += mcgen('''
         visit_type_%(c_type)s(v, name, &(*obj)->u.%(c_name)s, &err);
-        break;
 ''',
-                     case=var.type.alternate_qtype(),
-                     c_type=var.type.c_name(),
-                     c_name=c_name(var.name))
+                         c_type=var.type.c_name(),
+                         c_name=c_name(var.name))
+        ret += mcgen('''
+        break;
+''')

     ret += mcgen('''
     default:
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
index ef836d5..47cf6aa 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
@@ -327,11 +327,11 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,
                                 "'enum1':'value1', 'boolean':true}");
     visit_type_UserDefAlternate(v, NULL, &tmp, &error_abort);
     g_assert_cmpint(tmp->type, ==, QTYPE_QDICT);
-    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu->integer, ==, 1);
-    g_assert_cmpstr(tmp->u.udfu->string, ==, "str");
-    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu->enum1, ==, ENUM_ONE_VALUE1);
-    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu->u.value1->boolean, ==, true);
-    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu->u.value1->has_a_b, ==, false);
+    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu.integer, ==, 1);
+    g_assert_cmpstr(tmp->u.udfu.string, ==, "str");
+    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu.enum1, ==, ENUM_ONE_VALUE1);
+    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu.u.value1->boolean, ==, true);
+    g_assert_cmpint(tmp->u.udfu.u.value1->has_a_b, ==, false);
     qapi_free_UserDefAlternate(tmp);

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "false");
@@ -355,11 +355,11 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,
                                 "'enum1':'value1', 'boolean':true} }");
     visit_type_WrapAlternate(v, NULL, &wrap, &error_abort);
     g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->type, ==, QTYPE_QDICT);
-    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu->integer, ==, 1);
-    g_assert_cmpstr(wrap->alt->u.udfu->string, ==, "str");
-    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu->enum1, ==, ENUM_ONE_VALUE1);
-    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu->u.value1->boolean, ==, true);
-    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu->u.value1->has_a_b, ==, false);
+    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu.integer, ==, 1);
+    g_assert_cmpstr(wrap->alt->u.udfu.string, ==, "str");
+    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu.enum1, ==, ENUM_ONE_VALUE1);
+    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu.u.value1->boolean, ==, true);
+    g_assert_cmpint(wrap->alt->u.udfu.u.value1->has_a_b, ==, false);
     qapi_free_WrapAlternate(wrap);
 }

diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-output-visitor.c b/tests/test-qmp-output-visitor.c
index 2b0f7e9..fe2f1a1 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-output-visitor.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-output-visitor.c
@@ -457,12 +457,11 @@ static void test_visitor_out_alternate(TestOutputVisitorData *data,

     tmp = g_new0(UserDefAlternate, 1);
     tmp->type = QTYPE_QDICT;
-    tmp->u.udfu = g_new0(UserDefFlatUnion, 1);
-    tmp->u.udfu->integer = 1;
-    tmp->u.udfu->string = g_strdup("str");
-    tmp->u.udfu->enum1 = ENUM_ONE_VALUE1;
-    tmp->u.udfu->u.value1 = g_new0(UserDefA, 1);
-    tmp->u.udfu->u.value1->boolean = true;
+    tmp->u.udfu.integer = 1;
+    tmp->u.udfu.string = g_strdup("str");
+    tmp->u.udfu.enum1 = ENUM_ONE_VALUE1;
+    tmp->u.udfu.u.value1 = g_new0(UserDefA, 1);
+    tmp->u.udfu.u.value1->boolean = true;

     visit_type_UserDefAlternate(data->ov, NULL, &tmp, &error_abort);
     arg = qmp_output_get_qobject(data->qov);
