diff --git a/net/clients.h b/net/clients.h
index 2e8fedad8d..d47530e82f 100644
--- a/net/clients.h
+++ b/net/clients.h
@@ -28,38 +28,38 @@
 #include "qapi-types.h"
 
 int net_init_dump(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                  NetClientState *peer);
+                  NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
 int net_init_slirp(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                   NetClientState *peer);
+                   NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 #endif
 
 int net_init_hubport(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                     NetClientState *peer);
+                     NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 int net_init_socket(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer);
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 int net_init_tap(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                 NetClientState *peer);
+                 NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 int net_init_bridge(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer);
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 int net_init_l2tpv3(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer);
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 #ifdef CONFIG_VDE
 int net_init_vde(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                 NetClientState *peer);
+                 NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 #endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_NETMAP
 int net_init_netmap(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer);
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 #endif
 
 int net_init_vhost_user(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                        NetClientState *peer);
+                        NetClientState *peer, Error **errp);
 
 #endif /* QEMU_NET_CLIENTS_H */
diff --git a/net/dump.c b/net/dump.c
index 9d3a09e334..214e88a768 100644
--- a/net/dump.c
+++ b/net/dump.c
@@ -146,8 +146,9 @@ static int net_dump_init(NetClientState *peer, const char *device,
 }
 
 int net_init_dump(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                  NetClientState *peer)
+                  NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     int len;
     const char *file;
     char def_file[128];
diff --git a/net/hub.c b/net/hub.c
index 261f8ccc3f..3047f12766 100644
--- a/net/hub.c
+++ b/net/hub.c
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ int net_hub_id_for_client(NetClientState *nc, int *id)
 }
 
 int net_init_hubport(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                     NetClientState *peer)
+                     NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
     const NetdevHubPortOptions *hubport;
 
diff --git a/net/l2tpv3.c b/net/l2tpv3.c
index 8c598b09bc..ed395dc126 100644
--- a/net/l2tpv3.c
+++ b/net/l2tpv3.c
@@ -536,10 +536,9 @@ static NetClientInfo net_l2tpv3_info = {
 
 int net_init_l2tpv3(const NetClientOptions *opts,
                     const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer)
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
-
-
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevL2TPv3Options *l2tpv3;
     NetL2TPV3State *s;
     NetClientState *nc;
diff --git a/net/net.c b/net/net.c
index d9aaeb5341..3295741d1d 100644
--- a/net/net.c
+++ b/net/net.c
@@ -740,8 +740,9 @@ int qemu_find_nic_model(NICInfo *nd, const char * const *models,
 }
 
 static int net_init_nic(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                        NetClientState *peer)
+                        NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     int idx;
     NICInfo *nd;
     const NetLegacyNicOptions *nic;
@@ -809,7 +810,7 @@ static int net_init_nic(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
 static int (* const net_client_init_fun[NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_MAX])(
     const NetClientOptions *opts,
     const char *name,
-    NetClientState *peer) = {
+    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp) = {
         [NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_NIC]       = net_init_nic,
 #ifdef CONFIG_SLIRP
         [NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_USER]      = net_init_slirp,
@@ -902,10 +903,12 @@ static int net_client_init1(const void *object, int is_netdev, Error **errp)
             peer = net_hub_add_port(u.net->has_vlan ? u.net->vlan : 0, NULL);
         }
 
-        if (net_client_init_fun[opts->kind](opts, name, peer) < 0) {
-            /* TODO push error reporting into init() methods */
-            error_set(errp, QERR_DEVICE_INIT_FAILED,
-                      NetClientOptionsKind_lookup[opts->kind]);
+        if (net_client_init_fun[opts->kind](opts, name, peer, errp) < 0) {
+            /* FIXME drop when all init functions store an Error */
+            if (errp && !*errp) {
+                error_set(errp, QERR_DEVICE_INIT_FAILED,
+                          NetClientOptionsKind_lookup[opts->kind]);
+            }
             return -1;
         }
     }
diff --git a/net/netmap.c b/net/netmap.c
index 0c1772b03f..69300eb1ae 100644
--- a/net/netmap.c
+++ b/net/netmap.c
@@ -446,8 +446,9 @@ static NetClientInfo net_netmap_info = {
  * ... -net netmap,ifname="..."
  */
 int net_init_netmap(const NetClientOptions *opts,
-        const char *name, NetClientState *peer)
+                    const char *name, NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevNetmapOptions *netmap_opts = opts->netmap;
     NetClientState *nc;
     NetmapPriv me;
diff --git a/net/slirp.c b/net/slirp.c
index 9bbed7447a..0e15cf6750 100644
--- a/net/slirp.c
+++ b/net/slirp.c
@@ -737,8 +737,9 @@ static const char **slirp_dnssearch(const StringList *dnsname)
 }
 
 int net_init_slirp(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                   NetClientState *peer)
+                   NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     struct slirp_config_str *config;
     char *vnet;
     int ret;
diff --git a/net/socket.c b/net/socket.c
index c30e03f5ae..5a19aa1881 100644
--- a/net/socket.c
+++ b/net/socket.c
@@ -693,8 +693,9 @@ static int net_socket_udp_init(NetClientState *peer,
 }
 
 int net_init_socket(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer)
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     Error *err = NULL;
     const NetdevSocketOptions *sock;
 
diff --git a/net/tap-win32.c b/net/tap-win32.c
index 8aee611f7d..f6fc9610a7 100644
--- a/net/tap-win32.c
+++ b/net/tap-win32.c
@@ -752,8 +752,9 @@ static int tap_win32_init(NetClientState *peer, const char *model,
 }
 
 int net_init_tap(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                 NetClientState *peer)
+                 NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevTapOptions *tap;
 
     assert(opts->kind == NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_TAP);
diff --git a/net/tap.c b/net/tap.c
index 968df46c8c..8f06cb7382 100644
--- a/net/tap.c
+++ b/net/tap.c
@@ -531,8 +531,9 @@ static int net_bridge_run_helper(const char *helper, const char *bridge)
 }
 
 int net_init_bridge(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                    NetClientState *peer)
+                    NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevBridgeOptions *bridge;
     const char *helper, *br;
 
@@ -699,8 +700,9 @@ static int get_fds(char *str, char *fds[], int max)
 }
 
 int net_init_tap(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                 NetClientState *peer)
+                 NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevTapOptions *tap;
     int fd, vnet_hdr = 0, i = 0, queues;
     /* for the no-fd, no-helper case */
diff --git a/net/vde.c b/net/vde.c
index 2a619fbc81..dacaa64b47 100644
--- a/net/vde.c
+++ b/net/vde.c
@@ -110,8 +110,9 @@ static int net_vde_init(NetClientState *peer, const char *model,
 }
 
 int net_init_vde(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                 NetClientState *peer)
+                 NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevVdeOptions *vde;
 
     assert(opts->kind == NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_VDE);
diff --git a/net/vhost-user.c b/net/vhost-user.c
index 1d86a2be11..11899c53c0 100644
--- a/net/vhost-user.c
+++ b/net/vhost-user.c
@@ -223,8 +223,9 @@ static int net_vhost_check_net(QemuOpts *opts, void *opaque)
 }
 
 int net_init_vhost_user(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
-                        NetClientState *peer)
+                        NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
+    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     const NetdevVhostUserOptions *vhost_user_opts;
     CharDriverState *chr;