diff --git a/hw/core/qdev.c b/hw/core/qdev.c
index 01796823b4..96772a15bd 100644
--- a/hw/core/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/core/qdev.c
@@ -128,13 +128,6 @@ void qdev_set_parent_bus(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus)
     }
 }
 
-/*
- * Create a device on the heap.
- * A type @name must exist.
- * This only initializes the device state structure and allows
- * properties to be set.  The device still needs to be realized.  See
- * qdev-core.h.
- */
 DeviceState *qdev_new(const char *name)
 {
     if (!object_class_by_name(name)) {
@@ -143,11 +136,6 @@ DeviceState *qdev_new(const char *name)
     return DEVICE(object_new(name));
 }
 
-/*
- * Try to create a device on the heap.
- * This is like qdev_new(), except it returns %NULL when type @name
- * does not exist.
- */
 DeviceState *qdev_try_new(const char *name)
 {
     if (!module_object_class_by_name(name)) {
@@ -378,14 +366,6 @@ void qdev_simple_device_unplug_cb(HotplugHandler *hotplug_dev,
     qdev_unrealize(dev);
 }
 
-/*
- * Realize @dev.
- * @dev must not be plugged into a bus.
- * If @bus, plug @dev into @bus.  This takes a reference to @dev.
- * If @dev has no QOM parent, make one up, taking another reference.
- * On success, return true.
- * On failure, store an error through @errp and return false.
- */
 bool qdev_realize(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp)
 {
     assert(!dev->realized && !dev->parent_bus);
@@ -399,16 +379,6 @@ bool qdev_realize(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp)
     return object_property_set_bool(OBJECT(dev), "realized", true, errp);
 }
 
-/*
- * Realize @dev and drop a reference.
- * This is like qdev_realize(), except the caller must hold a
- * (private) reference, which is dropped on return regardless of
- * success or failure.  Intended use:
- *     dev = qdev_new();
- *     [...]
- *     qdev_realize_and_unref(dev, bus, errp);
- * Now @dev can go away without further ado.
- */
 bool qdev_realize_and_unref(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp)
 {
     bool ret;
@@ -814,9 +784,6 @@ static void qdev_class_add_property(DeviceClass *klass, Property *prop)
                                           prop->info->description);
 }
 
-/* @qdev_alias_all_properties - Add alias properties to the source object for
- * all qdev properties on the target DeviceState.
- */
 void qdev_alias_all_properties(DeviceState *target, Object *source)
 {
     ObjectClass *class;
diff --git a/include/hw/qdev-core.h b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
index fe78073c70..2d441d1fb2 100644
--- a/include/hw/qdev-core.h
+++ b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
@@ -320,9 +320,66 @@ compat_props_add(GPtrArray *arr,
 
 /*** Board API.  This should go away once we have a machine config file.  ***/
 
+/**
+ * qdev_new: Create a device on the heap
+ * @name: device type to create (we assert() that this type exists)
+ *
+ * This only allocates the memory and initializes the device state
+ * structure, ready for the caller to set properties if they wish.
+ * The device still needs to be realized.
+ * The returned object has a reference count of 1.
+ */
 DeviceState *qdev_new(const char *name);
+/**
+ * qdev_try_new: Try to create a device on the heap
+ * @name: device type to create
+ *
+ * This is like qdev_new(), except it returns %NULL when type @name
+ * does not exist, rather than asserting.
+ */
 DeviceState *qdev_try_new(const char *name);
+/**
+ * qdev_realize: Realize @dev.
+ * @dev: device to realize
+ * @bus: bus to plug it into (may be NULL)
+ * @errp: pointer to error object
+ *
+ * "Realize" the device, i.e. perform the second phase of device
+ * initialization.
+ * @dev must not be plugged into a bus already.
+ * If @bus, plug @dev into @bus.  This takes a reference to @dev.
+ * If @dev has no QOM parent, make one up, taking another reference.
+ * On success, return true.
+ * On failure, store an error through @errp and return false.
+ *
+ * If you created @dev using qdev_new(), you probably want to use
+ * qdev_realize_and_unref() instead.
+ */
 bool qdev_realize(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp);
+/**
+ * qdev_realize_and_unref: Realize @dev and drop a reference
+ * @dev: device to realize
+ * @bus: bus to plug it into (may be NULL)
+ * @errp: pointer to error object
+ *
+ * Realize @dev and drop a reference.
+ * This is like qdev_realize(), except the caller must hold a
+ * (private) reference, which is dropped on return regardless of
+ * success or failure.  Intended use::
+ *
+ *     dev = qdev_new();
+ *     [...]
+ *     qdev_realize_and_unref(dev, bus, errp);
+ *
+ * Now @dev can go away without further ado.
+ *
+ * If you are embedding the device into some other QOM device and
+ * initialized it via some variant on object_initialize_child() then
+ * do not use this function, because that family of functions arrange
+ * for the only reference to the child device to be held by the parent
+ * via the child<> property, and so the reference-count-drop done here
+ * would be incorrect. For that use case you want qdev_realize().
+ */
 bool qdev_realize_and_unref(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp);
 void qdev_unrealize(DeviceState *dev);
 void qdev_set_legacy_instance_id(DeviceState *dev, int alias_id,
diff --git a/include/hw/qdev-properties.h b/include/hw/qdev-properties.h
index 587e5b7d31..8f3a98cba6 100644
--- a/include/hw/qdev-properties.h
+++ b/include/hw/qdev-properties.h
@@ -282,6 +282,19 @@ void error_set_from_qdev_prop_error(Error **errp, int ret, DeviceState *dev,
  */
 void qdev_property_add_static(DeviceState *dev, Property *prop);
 
+/**
+ * qdev_alias_all_properties: Create aliases on source for all target properties
+ * @target: Device which has properties to be aliased
+ * @source: Object to add alias properties to
+ *
+ * Add alias properties to the @source object for all qdev properties on
+ * the @target DeviceState.
+ *
+ * This is useful when @target is an internal implementation object
+ * owned by @source, and you want to expose all the properties of that
+ * implementation object as properties on the @source object so that users
+ * of @source can set them.
+ */
 void qdev_alias_all_properties(DeviceState *target, Object *source);
 
 /**