diff --git a/qapi-schema.json b/qapi-schema.json
index c68a17f4d8..2284f0f12a 100644
--- a/qapi-schema.json
+++ b/qapi-schema.json
@@ -214,12 +214,18 @@
 #
 # @filename: the filename of the character device
 #
+# @frontend-open: shows whether the frontend device attached to this backend
+#                 (eg. with the chardev=... option) is in open or closed state
+#                 (since 2.1)
+#
 # Notes: @filename is encoded using the QEMU command line character device
 #        encoding.  See the QEMU man page for details.
 #
 # Since: 0.14.0
 ##
-{ 'type': 'ChardevInfo', 'data': {'label': 'str', 'filename': 'str'} }
+{ 'type': 'ChardevInfo', 'data': {'label': 'str',
+                                  'filename': 'str',
+                                  'frontend-open': 'bool'} }
 
 ##
 # @query-chardev:
diff --git a/qemu-char.c b/qemu-char.c
index cbd6b9a025..51917de462 100644
--- a/qemu-char.c
+++ b/qemu-char.c
@@ -3705,6 +3705,7 @@ ChardevInfoList *qmp_query_chardev(Error **errp)
         info->value = g_malloc0(sizeof(*info->value));
         info->value->label = g_strdup(chr->label);
         info->value->filename = g_strdup(chr->filename);
+        info->value->frontend_open = chr->fe_open;
 
         info->next = chr_list;
         chr_list = info;
diff --git a/qmp-commands.hx b/qmp-commands.hx
index e4a1c80434..35f51466fb 100644
--- a/qmp-commands.hx
+++ b/qmp-commands.hx
@@ -1921,19 +1921,28 @@ Each json-object contain the following:
 
 - "label": device's label (json-string)
 - "filename": device's file (json-string)
+- "frontend-open": open/closed state of the frontend device attached to this
+                   backend (json-bool)
 
 Example:
 
 -> { "execute": "query-chardev" }
 <- {
-      "return":[
+      "return": [
          {
-            "label":"monitor",
-            "filename":"stdio"
+            "label": "charchannel0",
+            "filename": "unix:/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/seabios.rhel6.agent,server",
+            "frontend-open": false
          },
          {
-            "label":"serial0",
-            "filename":"vc"
+            "label": "charmonitor",
+            "filename": "unix:/var/lib/libvirt/qemu/seabios.rhel6.monitor,server",
+            "frontend-open": true
+         },
+         {
+            "label": "charserial0",
+            "filename": "pty:/dev/pts/2",
+            "frontend-open": true
          }
       ]
    }