diff --git a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
index a1a522fdcdb..c0b53f2515c 100644
--- a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
+++ b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device.rs
@@ -593,11 +593,8 @@ pub fn post_load(&mut self, _version_id: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
 /// the same size as [`PL011State`]. We also expect the device is
 /// readable/writeable from one thread at any time.
 pub unsafe extern "C" fn pl011_can_receive(opaque: *mut c_void) -> c_int {
-    unsafe {
-        debug_assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
-        state.as_ref().can_receive().into()
-    }
+    let state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
+    unsafe { state.as_ref().can_receive().into() }
 }
 
 /// # Safety
@@ -608,9 +605,8 @@ pub fn post_load(&mut self, _version_id: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
 ///
 /// The buffer and size arguments must also be valid.
 pub unsafe extern "C" fn pl011_receive(opaque: *mut c_void, buf: *const u8, size: c_int) {
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
     unsafe {
-        debug_assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let mut state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
         if state.as_ref().loopback_enabled() {
             return;
         }
@@ -627,11 +623,8 @@ pub fn post_load(&mut self, _version_id: u32) -> Result<(), ()> {
 /// the same size as [`PL011State`]. We also expect the device is
 /// readable/writeable from one thread at any time.
 pub unsafe extern "C" fn pl011_event(opaque: *mut c_void, event: QEMUChrEvent) {
-    unsafe {
-        debug_assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let mut state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
-        state.as_mut().event(event)
-    }
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
+    unsafe { state.as_mut().event(event) }
 }
 
 /// # Safety
diff --git a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device_class.rs b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device_class.rs
index b052d98803f..6fa14ca0f9b 100644
--- a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device_class.rs
+++ b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/device_class.rs
@@ -12,12 +12,10 @@
 
 use crate::device::PL011State;
 
+#[allow(clippy::missing_const_for_fn)]
 extern "C" fn pl011_clock_needed(opaque: *mut c_void) -> bool {
-    unsafe {
-        debug_assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
-        state.as_ref().migrate_clock
-    }
+    let state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
+    unsafe { state.as_ref().migrate_clock }
 }
 
 /// Migration subsection for [`PL011State`] clock.
@@ -33,15 +31,12 @@ extern "C" fn pl011_clock_needed(opaque: *mut c_void) -> bool {
 };
 
 extern "C" fn pl011_post_load(opaque: *mut c_void, version_id: c_int) -> c_int {
-    unsafe {
-        debug_assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let mut state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
-        let result = state.as_mut().post_load(version_id as u32);
-        if result.is_err() {
-            -1
-        } else {
-            0
-        }
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
+    let result = unsafe { state.as_mut().post_load(version_id as u32) };
+    if result.is_err() {
+        -1
+    } else {
+        0
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/memory_ops.rs b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/memory_ops.rs
index c4e8599ba43..a286003d136 100644
--- a/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/memory_ops.rs
+++ b/rust/hw/char/pl011/src/memory_ops.rs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn pl011_read(opaque: *mut c_void, addr: hwaddr, size: c_uint) -> u64 {
     assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-    let mut state = unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>()) };
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
     let val = unsafe { state.as_mut().read(addr, size) };
     match val {
         std::ops::ControlFlow::Break(val) => val,
@@ -43,9 +43,6 @@
 }
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn pl011_write(opaque: *mut c_void, addr: hwaddr, data: u64, _size: c_uint) {
-    unsafe {
-        assert!(!opaque.is_null());
-        let mut state = NonNull::new_unchecked(opaque.cast::<PL011State>());
-        state.as_mut().write(addr, data)
-    }
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(opaque).unwrap().cast::<PL011State>();
+    unsafe { state.as_mut().write(addr, data) }
 }
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/qdev.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/qdev.rs
index a5121e31a37..42429903aae 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/src/qdev.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/qdev.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 //! Bindings to create devices and access device functionality from Rust.
 
-use std::ffi::CStr;
+use std::{ffi::CStr, ptr::NonNull};
 
 pub use bindings::{DeviceClass, DeviceState, Property};
 
@@ -55,9 +55,8 @@ fn vmsd() -> Option<&'static VMStateDescription> {
 /// can be downcasted to type `T`. We also expect the device is
 /// readable/writeable from one thread at any time.
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_realize_fn<T: DeviceImpl>(dev: *mut DeviceState, _errp: *mut *mut Error) {
-    assert!(!dev.is_null());
-    let state = dev.cast::<T>();
-    T::REALIZE.unwrap()(unsafe { &mut *state });
+    let state = NonNull::new(dev).unwrap().cast::<T>();
+    T::REALIZE.unwrap()(unsafe { state.as_ref() });
 }
 
 /// # Safety
@@ -66,9 +65,8 @@ fn vmsd() -> Option<&'static VMStateDescription> {
 /// can be downcasted to type `T`. We also expect the device is
 /// readable/writeable from one thread at any time.
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_reset_fn<T: DeviceImpl>(dev: *mut DeviceState) {
-    assert!(!dev.is_null());
-    let state = dev.cast::<T>();
-    T::RESET.unwrap()(unsafe { &mut *state });
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(dev).unwrap().cast::<T>();
+    T::RESET.unwrap()(unsafe { state.as_mut() });
 }
 
 impl<T> ClassInitImpl<DeviceClass> for T
diff --git a/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs b/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
index 97901fb9084..f50ee371aac 100644
--- a/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
+++ b/rust/qemu-api/src/qom.rs
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
     fmt,
     ops::{Deref, DerefMut},
     os::raw::c_void,
+    ptr::NonNull,
 };
 
 pub use bindings::{Object, ObjectClass};
@@ -153,27 +154,34 @@ fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), fmt::Error> {
 }
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_instance_init<T: ObjectImpl>(obj: *mut Object) {
+    let mut state = NonNull::new(obj).unwrap().cast::<T>();
     // SAFETY: obj is an instance of T, since rust_instance_init<T>
     // is called from QOM core as the instance_init function
     // for class T
-    unsafe { T::INSTANCE_INIT.unwrap()(&mut *obj.cast::<T>()) }
+    unsafe {
+        T::INSTANCE_INIT.unwrap()(state.as_mut());
+    }
 }
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_instance_post_init<T: ObjectImpl>(obj: *mut Object) {
+    let state = NonNull::new(obj).unwrap().cast::<T>();
     // SAFETY: obj is an instance of T, since rust_instance_post_init<T>
     // is called from QOM core as the instance_post_init function
     // for class T
-    T::INSTANCE_POST_INIT.unwrap()(unsafe { &*obj.cast::<T>() })
+    T::INSTANCE_POST_INIT.unwrap()(unsafe { state.as_ref() });
 }
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_class_init<T: ObjectType + ClassInitImpl<T::Class>>(
     klass: *mut ObjectClass,
     _data: *mut c_void,
 ) {
+    let mut klass = NonNull::new(klass)
+        .unwrap()
+        .cast::<<T as ObjectType>::Class>();
     // SAFETY: klass is a T::Class, since rust_class_init<T>
     // is called from QOM core as the class_init function
     // for class T
-    T::class_init(unsafe { &mut *klass.cast::<T::Class>() })
+    T::class_init(unsafe { klass.as_mut() })
 }
 
 unsafe extern "C" fn drop_object<T: ObjectImpl>(obj: *mut Object) {
@@ -581,11 +589,8 @@ pub trait ClassInitImpl<T> {
 /// can be downcasted to type `T`. We also expect the device is
 /// readable/writeable from one thread at any time.
 unsafe extern "C" fn rust_unparent_fn<T: ObjectImpl>(dev: *mut Object) {
-    unsafe {
-        assert!(!dev.is_null());
-        let state = core::ptr::NonNull::new_unchecked(dev.cast::<T>());
-        T::UNPARENT.unwrap()(state.as_ref());
-    }
+    let state = NonNull::new(dev).unwrap().cast::<T>();
+    T::UNPARENT.unwrap()(unsafe { state.as_ref() });
 }
 
 impl<T> ClassInitImpl<ObjectClass> for T
