diff --git a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
index 44927ca8c3583246145defe043ac34da604d39bf..202e23cb6b800983b036bf3808c0ec38b1c363d0 100644
--- a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
+++ b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ struct VFIOIOMMUClass {
     InterfaceClass parent_class;
 
     /* basic feature */
-    int (*setup)(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp);
+    bool (*setup)(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp);
     int (*dma_map)(const VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
                    hwaddr iova, ram_addr_t size,
                    void *vaddr, bool readonly);
diff --git a/hw/vfio/container.c b/hw/vfio/container.c
index e7c416774791d506cc7c4696fb6a6d94dc809c8e..f2e9560a1906c4151535260e3488ee80ca90e78b 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/container.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/container.c
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ static void vfio_get_iommu_info_migration(VFIOContainer *container,
     }
 }
 
-static int vfio_legacy_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp)
+static bool vfio_legacy_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp)
 {
     VFIOContainer *container = container_of(bcontainer, VFIOContainer,
                                             bcontainer);
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ static int vfio_legacy_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp)
     ret = vfio_get_iommu_info(container, &info);
     if (ret) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, -ret, "Failed to get VFIO IOMMU info");
-        return ret;
+        return false;
     }
 
     if (info->flags & VFIO_IOMMU_INFO_PGSIZES) {
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ static int vfio_legacy_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, Error **errp)
     vfio_get_info_iova_range(info, bcontainer);
 
     vfio_get_iommu_info_migration(container, info);
-    return 0;
+    return true;
 }
 
 static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
@@ -635,8 +635,8 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
 
     assert(bcontainer->ops->setup);
 
-    ret = bcontainer->ops->setup(bcontainer, errp);
-    if (ret) {
+    if (!bcontainer->ops->setup(bcontainer, errp)) {
+        ret = -EINVAL;
         goto enable_discards_exit;
     }
 
diff --git a/hw/vfio/spapr.c b/hw/vfio/spapr.c
index 0d949bb728212534a7e2296e491aa8d95f45945d..148b257c9ca6a0f957115f8060ddb50e377dfcb8 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/spapr.c
@@ -458,8 +458,8 @@ static void vfio_spapr_container_release(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer)
     }
 }
 
-static int vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
-                                      Error **errp)
+static bool vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
+                                       Error **errp)
 {
     VFIOContainer *container = container_of(bcontainer, VFIOContainer,
                                             bcontainer);
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ static int vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
         ret = ioctl(fd, VFIO_IOMMU_ENABLE);
         if (ret) {
             error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to enable container");
-            return -errno;
+            return false;
         }
     } else {
         scontainer->prereg_listener = vfio_prereg_listener;
@@ -488,7 +488,6 @@ static int vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
         memory_listener_register(&scontainer->prereg_listener,
                                  &address_space_memory);
         if (bcontainer->error) {
-            ret = -1;
             error_propagate_prepend(errp, bcontainer->error,
                     "RAM memory listener initialization failed: ");
             goto listener_unregister_exit;
@@ -500,7 +499,6 @@ static int vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
     if (ret) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, errno,
                          "VFIO_IOMMU_SPAPR_TCE_GET_INFO failed");
-        ret = -errno;
         goto listener_unregister_exit;
     }
 
@@ -527,13 +525,13 @@ static int vfio_spapr_container_setup(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
                           0x1000);
     }
 
-    return 0;
+    return true;
 
 listener_unregister_exit:
     if (v2) {
         memory_listener_unregister(&scontainer->prereg_listener);
     }
-    return ret;
+    return false;
 }
 
 static void vfio_iommu_spapr_class_init(ObjectClass *klass, void *data)
