diff --git a/block/stream.c b/block/stream.c
index c065e99..913f04e 100644
--- a/block/stream.c
+++ b/block/stream.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ enum {
 
 typedef struct StreamBlockJob {
     BlockJob common;
-    BlockDriverState *base;
+    BlockDriverState *bottom;
     BlockdevOnError on_error;
     char *backing_file_str;
     bool bs_read_only;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static void stream_abort(Job *job)
 
     if (s->chain_frozen) {
         BlockJob *bjob = &s->common;
-        bdrv_unfreeze_backing_chain(blk_bs(bjob->blk), s->base);
+        bdrv_unfreeze_backing_chain(blk_bs(bjob->blk), s->bottom);
     }
 }
 
@@ -65,11 +65,11 @@ static int stream_prepare(Job *job)
     StreamBlockJob *s = container_of(job, StreamBlockJob, common.job);
     BlockJob *bjob = &s->common;
     BlockDriverState *bs = blk_bs(bjob->blk);
-    BlockDriverState *base = s->base;
+    BlockDriverState *base = backing_bs(s->bottom);
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     int ret = 0;
 
-    bdrv_unfreeze_backing_chain(bs, base);
+    bdrv_unfreeze_backing_chain(bs, s->bottom);
     s->chain_frozen = false;
 
     if (bs->backing) {
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ static int coroutine_fn stream_run(Job *job, Error **errp)
     StreamBlockJob *s = container_of(job, StreamBlockJob, common.job);
     BlockBackend *blk = s->common.blk;
     BlockDriverState *bs = blk_bs(blk);
-    BlockDriverState *base = s->base;
+    bool enable_cor = !backing_bs(s->bottom);
     int64_t len;
     int64_t offset = 0;
     uint64_t delay_ns = 0;
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ static int coroutine_fn stream_run(Job *job, Error **errp)
     int64_t n = 0; /* bytes */
     void *buf;
 
-    if (!bs->backing) {
+    if (bs == s->bottom) {
+        /* Nothing to stream */
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ static int coroutine_fn stream_run(Job *job, Error **errp)
      * backing chain since the copy-on-read operation does not take base into
      * account.
      */
-    if (!base) {
+    if (enable_cor) {
         bdrv_enable_copy_on_read(bs);
     }
 
@@ -161,9 +162,8 @@ static int coroutine_fn stream_run(Job *job, Error **errp)
         } else if (ret >= 0) {
             /* Copy if allocated in the intermediate images.  Limit to the
              * known-unallocated area [offset, offset+n*BDRV_SECTOR_SIZE).  */
-            ret = bdrv_is_allocated_above(backing_bs(bs), base,
-                                          offset, n, &n);
-
+            ret = bdrv_is_allocated_above_inclusive(backing_bs(bs), s->bottom,
+                                                    offset, n, &n);
             /* Finish early if end of backing file has been reached */
             if (ret == 0 && n == 0) {
                 n = len - offset;
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ static int coroutine_fn stream_run(Job *job, Error **errp)
         }
     }
 
-    if (!base) {
+    if (enable_cor) {
         bdrv_disable_copy_on_read(bs);
     }
 
@@ -225,13 +225,14 @@ static const BlockJobDriver stream_job_driver = {
 };
 
 void stream_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
-                  BlockDriverState *base, const char *backing_file_str,
+                  BlockDriverState *bottom, const char *backing_file_str,
                   int creation_flags, int64_t speed,
                   BlockdevOnError on_error, Error **errp)
 {
     StreamBlockJob *s;
     BlockDriverState *iter;
     bool bs_read_only;
+    int basic_flags = BLK_PERM_CONSISTENT_READ | BLK_PERM_WRITE_UNCHANGED;
 
     /* Make sure that the image is opened in read-write mode */
     bs_read_only = bdrv_is_read_only(bs);
@@ -245,37 +246,36 @@ void stream_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
      * already have our own plans. Also don't allow resize as the image size is
      * queried only at the job start and then cached. */
     s = block_job_create(job_id, &stream_job_driver, NULL, bs,
-                         BLK_PERM_CONSISTENT_READ | BLK_PERM_WRITE_UNCHANGED |
-                         BLK_PERM_GRAPH_MOD,
-                         BLK_PERM_CONSISTENT_READ | BLK_PERM_WRITE_UNCHANGED |
-                         BLK_PERM_WRITE,
+                         basic_flags | BLK_PERM_GRAPH_MOD,
+                         basic_flags | BLK_PERM_WRITE,
                          speed, creation_flags, NULL, NULL, errp);
     if (!s) {
         goto fail;
     }
 
-    /* Block all intermediate nodes between bs and base, because they will
-     * disappear from the chain after this operation. The streaming job reads
-     * every block only once, assuming that it doesn't change, so block writes
-     * and resizes. */
-    for (iter = backing_bs(bs); iter && iter != base; iter = backing_bs(iter)) {
-        block_job_add_bdrv(&s->common, "intermediate node", iter, 0,
-                           BLK_PERM_CONSISTENT_READ | BLK_PERM_WRITE_UNCHANGED,
-                           &error_abort);
+    /*
+     * Block all intermediate nodes between bs and bottom (inclusive), because
+     * they will disappear from the chain after this operation. The streaming
+     * job reads every block only once, assuming that it doesn't change, so
+     * forbid writes and resizes.
+     */
+    for (iter = bs; iter != bottom; iter = backing_bs(iter)) {
+        block_job_add_bdrv(&s->common, "intermediate node", backing_bs(iter),
+                           0, basic_flags, &error_abort);
     }
 
-    if (bdrv_freeze_backing_chain(bs, base, errp) < 0) {
+    if (bdrv_freeze_backing_chain(bs, bottom, errp) < 0) {
         job_early_fail(&s->common.job);
         goto fail;
     }
 
-    s->base = base;
+    s->bottom = bottom;
     s->backing_file_str = g_strdup(backing_file_str);
     s->bs_read_only = bs_read_only;
     s->chain_frozen = true;
 
     s->on_error = on_error;
-    trace_stream_start(bs, base, s);
+    trace_stream_start(bs, bottom, s);
     job_start(&s->common.job);
     return;
 
diff --git a/block/trace-events b/block/trace-events
index e6bb5a8..36e7b79 100644
--- a/block/trace-events
+++ b/block/trace-events
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ bdrv_co_copy_range_to(void *src, uint64_t src_offset, void *dst, uint64_t dst_of
 
 # stream.c
 stream_one_iteration(void *s, int64_t offset, uint64_t bytes, int is_allocated) "s %p offset %" PRId64 " bytes %" PRIu64 " is_allocated %d"
-stream_start(void *bs, void *base, void *s) "bs %p base %p s %p"
+stream_start(void *bs, void *bottom, void *s) "bs %p bottom %p s %p"
 
 # commit.c
 commit_one_iteration(void *s, int64_t offset, uint64_t bytes, int is_allocated) "s %p offset %" PRId64 " bytes %" PRIu64 " is_allocated %d"
diff --git a/blockdev.c b/blockdev.c
index 4775a07..ce0cad4 100644
--- a/blockdev.c
+++ b/blockdev.c
@@ -3164,6 +3164,7 @@ void qmp_block_stream(bool has_job_id, const char *job_id, const char *device,
 {
     BlockDriverState *bs, *iter;
     BlockDriverState *base_bs = NULL;
+    BlockDriverState *bottom_node = NULL;
     AioContext *aio_context;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     const char *base_name = NULL;
@@ -3237,7 +3238,11 @@ void qmp_block_stream(bool has_job_id, const char *job_id, const char *device,
         job_flags |= JOB_MANUAL_DISMISS;
     }
 
-    stream_start(has_job_id ? job_id : NULL, bs, base_bs, base_name,
+    /* Find the bottom node that has the base as its backing image */
+    bottom_node = bdrv_find_overlay(bs, base_bs);
+    assert(bottom_node);
+
+    stream_start(has_job_id ? job_id : NULL, bs, bottom_node, base_name,
                  job_flags, has_speed ? speed : 0, on_error, &local_err);
     if (local_err) {
         error_propagate(errp, local_err);
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index 01e855a..8ab1144 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -1019,8 +1019,8 @@ int is_windows_drive(const char *filename);
  * @job_id: The id of the newly-created job, or %NULL to use the
  * device name of @bs.
  * @bs: Block device to operate on.
- * @base: Block device that will become the new base, or %NULL to
- * flatten the whole backing file chain onto @bs.
+ * @bottom_node: The intermediate block device right above the new base.
+ * If base is %NULL, the whole backing file chain is flattened onto @bs.
  * @backing_file_str: The file name that will be written to @bs as the
  * the new backing file if the job completes. Ignored if @base is %NULL.
  * @creation_flags: Flags that control the behavior of the Job lifetime.
@@ -1037,7 +1037,7 @@ int is_windows_drive(const char *filename);
  * BlockDriverState.
  */
 void stream_start(const char *job_id, BlockDriverState *bs,
-                  BlockDriverState *base, const char *backing_file_str,
+                  BlockDriverState *bottom_node, const char *backing_file_str,
                   int creation_flags, int64_t speed,
                   BlockdevOnError on_error, Error **errp);
 
diff --git a/tests/qemu-iotests/245 b/tests/qemu-iotests/245
index 7891a21..d11e73c 100644
--- a/tests/qemu-iotests/245
+++ b/tests/qemu-iotests/245
@@ -859,9 +859,9 @@ class TestBlockdevReopen(iotests.QMPTestCase):
                              device = 'hd0', base_node = 'hd2', speed = 512 * 1024)
         self.assert_qmp(result, 'return', {})
 
-        # We can't remove hd2 while the stream job is ongoing
+        # We can remove hd2 while the stream job is ongoing
         opts['backing']['backing'] = None
-        self.reopen(opts, {}, "Cannot change 'backing' link from 'hd1' to 'hd2'")
+        self.reopen(opts, {})
 
         # We can't remove hd1 while the stream job is ongoing
         opts['backing'] = None
