diff --git a/migration/cpr-exec.c b/migration/cpr-exec.c
index 0b8344a86f..da287d8031 100644
--- a/migration/cpr-exec.c
+++ b/migration/cpr-exec.c
@@ -158,8 +158,9 @@ static void cpr_exec_cb(void *opaque)
 
     error_report_err(error_copy(err));
     migrate_set_state(&s->state, s->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
-    migrate_set_error(s, err);
-    error_free(err);
+
+    migrate_error_propagate(s, err);
+    /* We must reset the error because it'll be reused later */
     err = NULL;
 
     /* Note, we can go from state COMPLETED to FAILED */
diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index 0ff8b31a88..70813e5006 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -914,9 +914,7 @@ process_incoming_migration_co(void *opaque)
 fail:
     migrate_set_state(&mis->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_ACTIVE,
                       MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
-    migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-    error_free(local_err);
-
+    migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
     migration_incoming_state_destroy();
 
     if (mis->exit_on_error) {
@@ -1548,14 +1546,20 @@ static void migration_cleanup_bh(void *opaque)
     migration_cleanup(opaque);
 }
 
-void migrate_set_error(MigrationState *s, const Error *error)
+/*
+ * Propagate the Error* object to migration core.  The caller mustn't
+ * reference the error pointer after the function returned, because the
+ * Error* object might be freed.
+ */
+void migrate_error_propagate(MigrationState *s, Error *error)
 {
     QEMU_LOCK_GUARD(&s->error_mutex);
-
     trace_migrate_error(error_get_pretty(error));
 
     if (!s->error) {
-        s->error = error_copy(error);
+        s->error = error;
+    } else {
+        error_free(error);
     }
 }
 
@@ -1601,8 +1605,7 @@ static void migration_connect_error_propagate(MigrationState *s, Error *error)
     }
 
     migrate_set_state(&s->state, current, next);
-    migrate_set_error(s, error);
-    error_free(error);
+    migrate_error_propagate(s, error);
 }
 
 void migration_cancel(void)
@@ -2014,8 +2017,7 @@ void qmp_migrate_pause(Error **errp)
 
         /* Tell the core migration that we're pausing */
         error_setg(&error, "Postcopy migration is paused by the user");
-        migrate_set_error(ms, error);
-        error_free(error);
+        migrate_error_propagate(ms, error);
 
         qemu_mutex_lock(&ms->qemu_file_lock);
         if (ms->to_dst_file) {
@@ -2647,8 +2649,7 @@ static void *source_return_path_thread(void *opaque)
 
 out:
     if (err) {
-        migrate_set_error(ms, err);
-        error_free(err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(ms, err);
         trace_source_return_path_thread_bad_end();
     }
 
@@ -3094,12 +3095,10 @@ static void migration_completion(MigrationState *s)
 
 fail:
     if (qemu_file_get_error_obj(s->to_dst_file, &local_err)) {
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
     } else if (ret) {
         error_setg_errno(&local_err, -ret, "Error in migration completion");
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
     }
 
     if (s->state != MIGRATION_STATUS_CANCELLING) {
@@ -3326,8 +3325,7 @@ static MigThrError migration_detect_error(MigrationState *s)
     }
 
     if (local_error) {
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_error);
-        error_free(local_error);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_error);
     }
 
     if (state == MIGRATION_STATUS_POSTCOPY_ACTIVE && ret) {
@@ -3522,7 +3520,7 @@ static MigIterateState migration_iteration_run(MigrationState *s)
         if (must_precopy <= s->threshold_size &&
             can_switchover && qatomic_read(&s->start_postcopy)) {
             if (postcopy_start(s, &local_err)) {
-                migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
+                migrate_error_propagate(s, error_copy(local_err));
                 error_report_err(local_err);
             }
             return MIG_ITERATE_SKIP;
@@ -3819,8 +3817,7 @@ static void *migration_thread(void *opaque)
      * devices to unplug. This to preserve migration state transitions.
      */
     if (ret) {
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
         migrate_set_state(&s->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_ACTIVE,
                           MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
         goto out;
@@ -3944,8 +3941,7 @@ static void *bg_migration_thread(void *opaque)
      * devices to unplug. This to preserve migration state transitions.
      */
     if (ret) {
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
         migrate_set_state(&s->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_ACTIVE,
                           MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
         goto fail_setup;
@@ -4127,7 +4123,7 @@ void migration_connect(MigrationState *s, Error *error_in)
     return;
 
 fail:
-    migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
+    migrate_error_propagate(s, error_copy(local_err));
     if (s->state != MIGRATION_STATUS_CANCELLING) {
         migrate_set_state(&s->state, s->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
     }
diff --git a/migration/migration.h b/migration/migration.h
index 213b33fe6e..e4b4f25deb 100644
--- a/migration/migration.h
+++ b/migration/migration.h
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ void migration_incoming_process(void);
 
 bool  migration_has_all_channels(void);
 
-void migrate_set_error(MigrationState *s, const Error *error);
+void migrate_error_propagate(MigrationState *s, Error *error);
 bool migrate_has_error(MigrationState *s);
 
 void migration_connect(MigrationState *s, Error *error_in);
diff --git a/migration/multifd-device-state.c b/migration/multifd-device-state.c
index db3239fef5..91d5d81556 100644
--- a/migration/multifd-device-state.c
+++ b/migration/multifd-device-state.c
@@ -143,8 +143,6 @@ static int multifd_device_state_save_thread(void *opaque)
     Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (!data->hdlr(data, &local_err)) {
-        MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
-
         /*
          * Can't call abort_device_state_save_threads() here since new
          * save threads could still be in process of being launched
@@ -158,8 +156,7 @@ static int multifd_device_state_save_thread(void *opaque)
          * In case of multiple save threads failing which thread error
          * return we end setting is purely arbitrary.
          */
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(), local_err);
     }
 
     return 0;
diff --git a/migration/multifd.c b/migration/multifd.c
index 52e4d25857..bf6da85af8 100644
--- a/migration/multifd.c
+++ b/migration/multifd.c
@@ -428,8 +428,9 @@ static void multifd_send_error_propagate(Error *err)
 
     if (err) {
         MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
-        migrate_set_error(s, err);
-        error_free(err);
+
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, err);
+
         if (s->state == MIGRATION_STATUS_SETUP ||
             s->state == MIGRATION_STATUS_PRE_SWITCHOVER ||
             s->state == MIGRATION_STATUS_DEVICE ||
@@ -588,8 +589,7 @@ void multifd_send_shutdown(void)
         Error *local_err = NULL;
 
         if (!multifd_send_cleanup_channel(p, &local_err)) {
-            migrate_set_error(migrate_get_current(), local_err);
-            error_free(local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(), local_err);
         }
     }
 
@@ -962,8 +962,7 @@ bool multifd_send_setup(void)
         p->write_flags = 0;
 
         if (!multifd_new_send_channel_create(p, &local_err)) {
-            migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-            error_free(local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
             ret = -1;
         }
     }
@@ -987,8 +986,7 @@ bool multifd_send_setup(void)
 
         ret = multifd_send_state->ops->send_setup(p, &local_err);
         if (ret) {
-            migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-            error_free(local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
             goto err;
         }
         assert(p->iov);
@@ -1067,8 +1065,9 @@ static void multifd_recv_terminate_threads(Error *err)
 
     if (err) {
         MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
-        migrate_set_error(s, err);
-        error_free(err);
+
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, err);
+
         if (s->state == MIGRATION_STATUS_SETUP ||
             s->state == MIGRATION_STATUS_ACTIVE) {
             migrate_set_state(&s->state, s->state,
diff --git a/migration/postcopy-ram.c b/migration/postcopy-ram.c
index 715ef021a9..3623ab9dab 100644
--- a/migration/postcopy-ram.c
+++ b/migration/postcopy-ram.c
@@ -1928,8 +1928,7 @@ postcopy_preempt_send_channel_done(MigrationState *s,
                                    QIOChannel *ioc, Error *local_err)
 {
     if (local_err) {
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(s, local_err);
     } else {
         migration_ioc_register_yank(ioc);
         s->postcopy_qemufile_src = qemu_file_new_output(ioc);
@@ -2163,7 +2162,7 @@ static void *postcopy_listen_thread(void *opaque)
              * exit depending on if postcopy-exit-on-error is true, but the
              * migration cannot be recovered.
              */
-            migrate_set_error(migr, local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(migr, error_copy(local_err));
             error_report_err(local_err);
             migrate_set_state(&mis->state, mis->state, MIGRATION_STATUS_FAILED);
             goto out;
diff --git a/migration/ram.c b/migration/ram.c
index 117957da91..ecd81601e2 100644
--- a/migration/ram.c
+++ b/migration/ram.c
@@ -4748,9 +4748,7 @@ static void ram_mig_ram_block_resized(RAMBlockNotifier *n, void *host,
          * Abort and indicate a proper reason.
          */
         error_setg(&err, "RAM block '%s' resized during precopy.", rb->idstr);
-        migrate_set_error(migrate_get_current(), err);
-        error_free(err);
-
+        migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(), err);
         migration_cancel();
     }
 
diff --git a/migration/savevm.c b/migration/savevm.c
index 638e9b364f..470c9ef0f7 100644
--- a/migration/savevm.c
+++ b/migration/savevm.c
@@ -1125,13 +1125,13 @@ void qemu_savevm_send_open_return_path(QEMUFile *f)
 int qemu_savevm_send_packaged(QEMUFile *f, const uint8_t *buf, size_t len)
 {
     uint32_t tmp;
-    MigrationState *ms = migrate_get_current();
     Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (len > MAX_VM_CMD_PACKAGED_SIZE) {
         error_setg(&local_err, "%s: Unreasonably large packaged state: %zu",
                      __func__, len);
-        migrate_set_error(ms, local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(),
+                                error_copy(local_err));
         error_report_err(local_err);
         return -1;
     }
@@ -1373,7 +1373,7 @@ int qemu_savevm_state_setup(QEMUFile *f, Error **errp)
         if (se->vmsd && se->vmsd->early_setup) {
             ret = vmstate_save(f, se, vmdesc, errp);
             if (ret) {
-                migrate_set_error(ms, *errp);
+                migrate_error_propagate(ms, error_copy(*errp));
                 qemu_file_set_error(f, ret);
                 break;
             }
@@ -1681,7 +1681,7 @@ int qemu_savevm_state_complete_precopy_non_iterable(QEMUFile *f,
 
         ret = vmstate_save(f, se, vmdesc, &local_err);
         if (ret) {
-            migrate_set_error(ms, local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(ms, error_copy(local_err));
             error_report_err(local_err);
             qemu_file_set_error(f, ret);
             return ret;
@@ -1858,7 +1858,6 @@ void qemu_savevm_live_state(QEMUFile *f)
 
 int qemu_save_device_state(QEMUFile *f)
 {
-    MigrationState *ms = migrate_get_current();
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     SaveStateEntry *se;
 
@@ -1876,7 +1875,8 @@ int qemu_save_device_state(QEMUFile *f)
         }
         ret = vmstate_save(f, se, NULL, &local_err);
         if (ret) {
-            migrate_set_error(ms, local_err);
+            migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(),
+                                    error_copy(local_err));
             error_report_err(local_err);
             return ret;
         }
@@ -2826,8 +2826,6 @@ static int qemu_loadvm_load_thread(void *thread_opaque)
     Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (!data->function(data->opaque, &mis->load_threads_abort, &local_err)) {
-        MigrationState *s = migrate_get_current();
-
         /*
          * Can't set load_threads_abort here since processing of main migration
          * channel data could still be happening, resulting in launching of new
@@ -2840,8 +2838,7 @@ static int qemu_loadvm_load_thread(void *thread_opaque)
          * In case of multiple load threads failing which thread error
          * return we end setting is purely arbitrary.
          */
-        migrate_set_error(s, local_err);
-        error_free(local_err);
+        migrate_error_propagate(migrate_get_current(), local_err);
     }
 
     return 0;