diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 45c2cd09f1..00d486e774 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -31685,53 +31685,31 @@ virHostdevIsPCIDevice(const virDomainHostdevDef *hostdev)
 /**
  * virDomainObjGetMessages:
  * @vm: domain object
- * @msgs: pointer to a variable to store messages
+ * @m: GPtrArray to be filled with messages
  * @flags: zero or more virDomainMessageType flags
- *
- * Returns number of messages stored in @msgs, -1 otherwise.
  */
-int
+void
 virDomainObjGetMessages(virDomainObj *vm,
-                        char ***msgs,
+                        GPtrArray *m,
                         unsigned int flags)
 {
     size_t i = 0;
-    size_t n = 0;
-    int nmsgs = 0;
-    int rv = -1;
-
-    *msgs = NULL;
 
     if (!flags || (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_MESSAGE_TAINTING)) {
-        nmsgs += __builtin_popcount(vm->taint);
-        *msgs = g_renew(char *, *msgs, nmsgs+1);
-
         for (i = 0; i < VIR_DOMAIN_TAINT_LAST; i++) {
             if (vm->taint & (1 << i)) {
-                (*msgs)[n++] = g_strdup_printf(
-                    _("tainted: %1$s"),
-                    _(virDomainTaintMessageTypeToString(i)));
+                g_ptr_array_add(m, g_strdup_printf(_("tainted: %1$s"),
+                                                   _(virDomainTaintMessageTypeToString(i))));
             }
         }
     }
 
     if (!flags || (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_MESSAGE_DEPRECATION)) {
-        nmsgs += vm->ndeprecations;
-        *msgs = g_renew(char *, *msgs, nmsgs+1);
-
         for (i = 0; i < vm->ndeprecations; i++) {
-            (*msgs)[n++] = g_strdup_printf(
-                _("deprecated configuration: %1$s"),
-                vm->deprecations[i]);
+            g_ptr_array_add(m, g_strdup_printf(_("deprecated configuration: %1$s"),
+                                               vm->deprecations[i]));
         }
     }
-
-    if (*msgs)
-        (*msgs)[nmsgs] = NULL;
-
-    rv = nmsgs;
-
-    return rv;
 }
 
 bool
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index ba1a495764..e996d3c0de 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -4588,9 +4588,9 @@ bool
 virHostdevIsPCIDevice(const virDomainHostdevDef *hostdev)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 
-int
+void
 virDomainObjGetMessages(virDomainObj *vm,
-                        char ***msgs,
+                        GPtrArray *m,
                         unsigned int flags);
 
 bool
diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
index 058fee0706..426c2b4278 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
@@ -6575,6 +6575,7 @@ libxlDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
                       char ***msgs,
                       unsigned int flags)
 {
+    g_autoptr(GPtrArray) m = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(g_free);
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
     int ret = -1;
 
@@ -6587,7 +6588,13 @@ libxlDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
     if (virDomainGetMessagesEnsureACL(dom->conn, vm->def) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    ret = virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, msgs, flags);
+    virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, m, flags);
+
+    ret = m->len;
+    if (m->len > 0) {
+        g_ptr_array_add(m, NULL);
+        *msgs = (char **) g_ptr_array_steal(m, NULL);
+    }
 
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index f326937585..72dd471b6e 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -19834,6 +19834,7 @@ qemuDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
                       char ***msgs,
                       unsigned int flags)
 {
+    g_autoptr(GPtrArray) m = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(g_free);
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
     int rv = -1;
 
@@ -19846,7 +19847,13 @@ qemuDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
     if (virDomainGetMessagesEnsureACL(dom->conn, vm->def) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    rv = virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, msgs, flags);
+    virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, m, flags);
+
+    rv = m->len;
+    if (m->len > 0) {
+        g_ptr_array_add(m, NULL);
+        *msgs = (char **) g_ptr_array_steal(m, NULL);
+    }
 
  cleanup:
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index f1cefb5c50..a10ec3bc41 100644
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -9522,6 +9522,7 @@ testDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
                       char ***msgs,
                       unsigned int flags)
 {
+    g_autoptr(GPtrArray) m = g_ptr_array_new_with_free_func(g_free);
     virDomainObj *vm = NULL;
     int rv = -1;
 
@@ -9531,7 +9532,13 @@ testDomainGetMessages(virDomainPtr dom,
     if (!(vm = testDomObjFromDomain(dom)))
         return -1;
 
-    rv = virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, msgs, flags);
+    virDomainObjGetMessages(vm, m, flags);
+
+    rv = m->len;
+    if (m->len > 0) {
+        g_ptr_array_add(m, NULL);
+        *msgs = (char **) g_ptr_array_steal(m, NULL);
+    }
 
     virDomainObjEndAPI(&vm);
     return rv;