diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c b/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
index e32cd31b46..7d64ce7384 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
@@ -1246,11 +1246,13 @@ qemuRemoveCgroup(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
                  virDomainObjPtr vm)
 {
     qemuDomainObjPrivatePtr priv = vm->privateData;
-    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg;
 
     if (priv->cgroup == NULL)
         return 0; /* Not supported, so claim success */
 
+    cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+
     if (virCgroupTerminateMachine(vm->def->name,
                                   "qemu",
                                   cfg->privileged) < 0) {
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index e94caea8ed..3f0df5895b 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -8051,7 +8051,7 @@ qemuBuildInterfaceCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
     char **tapfdName = NULL;
     char **vhostfdName = NULL;
     int actualType = virDomainNetGetActualType(net);
-    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+    virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = NULL;
     virNetDevBandwidthPtr actualBandwidth;
     size_t i;
 
@@ -8088,6 +8088,8 @@ qemuBuildInterfaceCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
         return -1;
     }
 
+    cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+
     if (actualType == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_TYPE_NETWORK ||
         actualType == VIR_DOMAIN_NET_TYPE_BRIDGE) {
         tapfdSize = net->driver.virtio.queues;
@@ -8269,6 +8271,7 @@ qemuBuildInterfaceCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
     VIR_FREE(host);
     VIR_FREE(tapfdName);
     VIR_FREE(vhostfdName);
+    virObjectUnref(cfg);
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index 786e0b8da1..2845e4293b 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -1095,6 +1095,9 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
     virQEMUDriverPtr driver = opaque;
     virQEMUDriverConfigPtr cfg = NULL;
 
+    if (driver)
+        cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver);
+
     if (dev->type == VIR_DOMAIN_DEVICE_NET &&
         dev->data.net->type != VIR_DOMAIN_NET_TYPE_HOSTDEV &&
         !dev->data.net->model) {
@@ -1108,7 +1111,7 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         virDomainDiskDefPtr disk = dev->data.disk;
 
         /* both of these require data from the driver config */
-        if (driver && (cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver))) {
+        if (cfg) {
             /* assign default storage format and driver according to config */
             if (cfg->allowDiskFormatProbing) {
                 /* default disk format for drives */
@@ -1117,7 +1120,7 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
                      virDomainDiskGetType(disk) == VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_BLOCK))
                     virDomainDiskSetFormat(disk, VIR_STORAGE_FILE_AUTO);
 
-                 /* default disk format for mirrored drive */
+                /* default disk format for mirrored drive */
                 if (disk->mirror &&
                     disk->mirror->format == VIR_STORAGE_FILE_NONE)
                     disk->mirror->format = VIR_STORAGE_FILE_AUTO;
@@ -1125,7 +1128,7 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
                 /* default driver if probing is forbidden */
                 if (!virDomainDiskGetDriver(disk) &&
                     virDomainDiskSetDriver(disk, "qemu") < 0)
-                        goto cleanup;
+                    goto cleanup;
 
                 /* default disk format for drives */
                 if (virDomainDiskGetFormat(disk) == VIR_STORAGE_FILE_NONE &&
@@ -1133,7 +1136,7 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
                      virDomainDiskGetType(disk) == VIR_STORAGE_TYPE_BLOCK))
                     virDomainDiskSetFormat(disk, VIR_STORAGE_FILE_RAW);
 
-                 /* default disk format for mirrored drive */
+                /* default disk format for mirrored drive */
                 if (disk->mirror &&
                     disk->mirror->format == VIR_STORAGE_FILE_NONE)
                     disk->mirror->format = VIR_STORAGE_FILE_RAW;
@@ -1168,8 +1171,7 @@ qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
         dev->data.chr->deviceType == VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_DEVICE_TYPE_CHANNEL &&
         dev->data.chr->targetType == VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_CHANNEL_TARGET_TYPE_VIRTIO &&
         dev->data.chr->source.type == VIR_DOMAIN_CHR_TYPE_UNIX &&
-        !dev->data.chr->source.data.nix.path &&
-        (driver && (cfg = virQEMUDriverGetConfig(driver)))) {
+        !dev->data.chr->source.data.nix.path && cfg) {
 
         if (virAsprintf(&dev->data.chr->source.data.nix.path,
                         "%s/channel/target/%s.%s",