diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
index 5504119079..25dc16a9e9 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_migration.c
@@ -5203,17 +5203,20 @@ qemuMigrationSrcPerformNative(virQEMUDriver *driver,
             return -1;
         }
 
-        if (flags & VIR_MIGRATE_PARALLEL)
+        /* multi-fd and postcopy-preempt require QEMU to connect to the
+         * destination itself */
+        if (flags & (VIR_MIGRATE_PARALLEL | VIR_MIGRATE_POSTCOPY))
             spec.destType = MIGRATION_DEST_SOCKET;
         else
             spec.destType = MIGRATION_DEST_CONNECT_SOCKET;
 
         spec.dest.socket.path = uribits->path;
     } else {
-        /* RDMA and multi-fd migration requires QEMU to connect to the destination
-         * itself.
+        /* RDMA, multi-fd, and postcopy-preempt migration require QEMU to
+         * connect to the destination itself.
          */
-        if (STREQ(uribits->scheme, "rdma") || (flags & VIR_MIGRATE_PARALLEL))
+        if (STREQ(uribits->scheme, "rdma") ||
+            flags & (VIR_MIGRATE_PARALLEL | VIR_MIGRATE_POSTCOPY))
             spec.destType = MIGRATION_DEST_HOST;
         else
             spec.destType = MIGRATION_DEST_CONNECT_HOST;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.c b/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.c
index cdf437b51c..e955822f68 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.c
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ VIR_ENUM_IMPL(qemuMigrationCapability,
               "dirty-bitmaps",
               "return-path",
               "zero-copy-send",
+              "postcopy-preempt",
 );
 
 
@@ -197,6 +198,7 @@ static const qemuMigrationParamsFlagMapItem qemuMigrationParamsFlagMap[] = {
     {.match = QEMU_MIGRATION_FLAG_REQUIRED,
      .flag = VIR_MIGRATE_POSTCOPY,
      .cap = QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_POSTCOPY,
+     .optional = QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_POSTCOPY_PREEMPT,
      .party = QEMU_MIGRATION_SOURCE | QEMU_MIGRATION_DESTINATION},
 
     {.match = QEMU_MIGRATION_FLAG_REQUIRED,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.h b/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.h
index 115d7bc597..91bc6792cd 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_migration_params.h
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ typedef enum {
     QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_BLOCK_DIRTY_BITMAPS,
     QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_RETURN_PATH,
     QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_ZERO_COPY_SEND,
+    QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_POSTCOPY_PREEMPT,
 
     QEMU_MIGRATION_CAP_LAST
 } qemuMigrationCapability;