diff --git a/hw/vfio/pci.c b/hw/vfio/pci.c
index 12fb534d796f52724f365746c9c8c2491265f03d..4fb5fd0c9f61627c402164fc4bed1868540350e0 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/pci.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/pci.c
@@ -1450,13 +1450,13 @@ static void vfio_pci_fixup_msix_region(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev)
     }
 }
 
-static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
+static bool vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 {
     int target_bar = -1;
     size_t msix_sz;
 
     if (!vdev->msix || vdev->msix_relo == OFF_AUTOPCIBAR_OFF) {
-        return;
+        return true;
     }
 
     /* The actual minimum size of MSI-X structures */
@@ -1479,7 +1479,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
         if (target_bar < 0) {
             error_setg(errp, "No automatic MSI-X relocation available for "
                        "device %04x:%04x", vdev->vendor_id, vdev->device_id);
-            return;
+            return false;
         }
     } else {
         target_bar = (int)(vdev->msix_relo - OFF_AUTOPCIBAR_BAR0);
@@ -1489,7 +1489,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
     if (vdev->bars[target_bar].ioport) {
         error_setg(errp, "Invalid MSI-X relocation BAR %d, "
                    "I/O port BAR", target_bar);
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     /* Cannot use a BAR in the "shadow" of a 64-bit BAR */
@@ -1497,7 +1497,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
          target_bar > 0 && vdev->bars[target_bar - 1].mem64) {
         error_setg(errp, "Invalid MSI-X relocation BAR %d, "
                    "consumed by 64-bit BAR %d", target_bar, target_bar - 1);
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     /* 2GB max size for 32-bit BARs, cannot double if already > 1G */
@@ -1505,7 +1505,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
         !vdev->bars[target_bar].mem64) {
         error_setg(errp, "Invalid MSI-X relocation BAR %d, "
                    "no space to extend 32-bit BAR", target_bar);
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     /*
@@ -1540,6 +1540,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 
     trace_vfio_msix_relo(vdev->vbasedev.name,
                          vdev->msix->table_bar, vdev->msix->table_offset);
+    return true;
 }
 
 /*
@@ -1550,7 +1551,7 @@ static void vfio_pci_relocate_msix(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
  * need to first look for where the MSI-X table lives.  So we
  * unfortunately split MSI-X setup across two functions.
  */
-static void vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
+static bool vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 {
     uint8_t pos;
     uint16_t ctrl;
@@ -1562,25 +1563,25 @@ static void vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 
     pos = pci_find_capability(&vdev->pdev, PCI_CAP_ID_MSIX);
     if (!pos) {
-        return;
+        return true;
     }
 
     if (pread(fd, &ctrl, sizeof(ctrl),
               vdev->config_offset + pos + PCI_MSIX_FLAGS) != sizeof(ctrl)) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to read PCI MSIX FLAGS");
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     if (pread(fd, &table, sizeof(table),
               vdev->config_offset + pos + PCI_MSIX_TABLE) != sizeof(table)) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to read PCI MSIX TABLE");
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     if (pread(fd, &pba, sizeof(pba),
               vdev->config_offset + pos + PCI_MSIX_PBA) != sizeof(pba)) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, errno, "failed to read PCI MSIX PBA");
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     ctrl = le16_to_cpu(ctrl);
@@ -1598,7 +1599,7 @@ static void vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
     if (ret < 0) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, -ret, "failed to get MSI-X irq info");
         g_free(msix);
-        return;
+        return false;
     }
 
     msix->noresize = !!(irq_info.flags & VFIO_IRQ_INFO_NORESIZE);
@@ -1630,7 +1631,7 @@ static void vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
             error_setg(errp, "hardware reports invalid configuration, "
                        "MSIX PBA outside of specified BAR");
             g_free(msix);
-            return;
+            return false;
         }
     }
 
@@ -1641,7 +1642,7 @@ static void vfio_msix_early_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, Error **errp)
 
     vfio_pci_fixup_msix_region(vdev);
 
-    vfio_pci_relocate_msix(vdev, errp);
+    return vfio_pci_relocate_msix(vdev, errp);
 }
 
 static int vfio_msix_setup(VFIOPCIDevice *vdev, int pos, Error **errp)
@@ -3130,9 +3131,7 @@ static void vfio_realize(PCIDevice *pdev, Error **errp)
 
     vfio_bars_prepare(vdev);
 
-    vfio_msix_early_setup(vdev, &err);
-    if (err) {
-        error_propagate(errp, err);
+    if (!vfio_msix_early_setup(vdev, errp)) {
         goto error;
     }
 
