diff --git a/exec.c b/exec.c
index 995ff60..5557cc9 100644
--- a/exec.c
+++ b/exec.c
@@ -2726,12 +2726,16 @@ MemTxResult address_space_read_full(AddressSpace *as, hwaddr addr,
 }
 
 MemTxResult address_space_rw(AddressSpace *as, hwaddr addr, MemTxAttrs attrs,
-                             uint8_t *buf, int len, bool is_write)
+                             uint8_t *buf, int len,
+                             MemoryAccessType access_type)
 {
-    if (is_write) {
+    switch (access_type) {
+    case MEM_DATA_STORE:
         return address_space_write(as, addr, attrs, buf, len);
-    } else {
+    case MEM_DATA_LOAD:
         return address_space_read(as, addr, attrs, buf, len);
+    default:
+        abort();
     }
 }
 
@@ -2739,7 +2743,7 @@ void cpu_physical_memory_rw(hwaddr addr, uint8_t *buf,
                             int len, int is_write)
 {
     address_space_rw(&address_space_memory, addr, MEMTXATTRS_UNSPECIFIED,
-                     buf, len, is_write);
+                     buf, len, is_write ? MEM_DATA_STORE : MEM_DATA_LOAD);
 }
 
 enum write_rom_type {
@@ -3651,7 +3655,7 @@ int cpu_memory_rw_debug(CPUState *cpu, target_ulong addr,
         } else {
             address_space_rw(cpu->cpu_ases[asidx].as, phys_addr,
                              MEMTXATTRS_UNSPECIFIED,
-                             buf, l, 0);
+                             buf, l, access_type);
         }
         len -= l;
         buf += l;
diff --git a/include/exec/memory.h b/include/exec/memory.h
index 7851ca9..da56c0e 100644
--- a/include/exec/memory.h
+++ b/include/exec/memory.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #define DIRTY_MEMORY_NUM       3        /* num of dirty bits */
 
 #include "exec/cpu-common.h"
+#include "qom/cpu.h"
 #ifndef CONFIG_USER_ONLY
 #include "exec/hwaddr.h"
 #endif
@@ -1284,11 +1285,13 @@ void address_space_destroy(AddressSpace *as);
  * @addr: address within that address space
  * @attrs: memory transaction attributes
  * @buf: buffer with the data transferred
- * @is_write: indicates the transfer direction
+ * @access_type: indicates the transfer direction (only valid values
+ * are MEM_DATA_LOAD for data reads and MEM_DATA_STORE for data
+ * writes)
  */
 MemTxResult address_space_rw(AddressSpace *as, hwaddr addr,
                              MemTxAttrs attrs, uint8_t *buf,
-                             int len, bool is_write);
+                             int len, MemoryAccessType access_type);
 
 /**
  * address_space_write: write to address space.
diff --git a/kvm-all.c b/kvm-all.c
index a88f917..ed45a95 100644
--- a/kvm-all.c
+++ b/kvm-all.c
@@ -1767,11 +1767,12 @@ static void kvm_handle_io(uint16_t port, MemTxAttrs attrs, void *data, int direc
 {
     int i;
     uint8_t *ptr = data;
+    MemoryAccessType access_type =
+        (direction == KVM_EXIT_IO_OUT) ? MEM_DATA_STORE : MEM_DATA_LOAD;
 
     for (i = 0; i < count; i++) {
         address_space_rw(&address_space_io, port, attrs,
-                         ptr, size,
-                         direction == KVM_EXIT_IO_OUT);
+                         ptr, size, access_type);
         ptr += size;
     }
 }
@@ -1947,7 +1948,8 @@ int kvm_cpu_exec(CPUState *cpu)
                              run->mmio.phys_addr, attrs,
                              run->mmio.data,
                              run->mmio.len,
-                             run->mmio.is_write);
+                             run->mmio.is_write ?
+                             MEM_DATA_STORE : MEM_DATA_LOAD);
             ret = 0;
             break;
         case KVM_EXIT_IRQ_WINDOW_OPEN:
diff --git a/scripts/coverity-model.c b/scripts/coverity-model.c
index ee5bf9d..c5603b5 100644
--- a/scripts/coverity-model.c
+++ b/scripts/coverity-model.c
@@ -68,13 +68,18 @@ static void __bufread(uint8_t *buf, ssize_t len)
 }
 
 MemTxResult address_space_rw(AddressSpace *as, hwaddr addr, MemTxAttrs attrs,
-                             uint8_t *buf, int len, bool is_write)
+                             uint8_t *buf, int len,
+                             MemoryAccessType access_type)
 {
     MemTxResult result;
 
     // TODO: investigate impact of treating reads as producing
     // tainted data, with __coverity_tainted_data_argument__(buf).
-    if (is_write) __bufread(buf, len); else __bufwrite(buf, len);
+    if (access_type == MEM_DATA_STORE) {
+        __bufread(buf, len);
+    } else {
+        __bufwrite(buf, len);
+    }
 
     return result;
 }
