diff --git a/hw/s390x/ipl.c b/hw/s390x/ipl.c
index 8c863cf386..1821c6faee 100644
--- a/hw/s390x/ipl.c
+++ b/hw/s390x/ipl.c
@@ -711,7 +711,6 @@ int s390_ipl_pv_unpack(void)
 void s390_ipl_prepare_cpu(S390CPU *cpu)
 {
     S390IPLState *ipl = get_ipl_device();
-    Error *err = NULL;
 
     cpu->env.psw.addr = ipl->start_addr;
     cpu->env.psw.mask = IPL_PSW_MASK;
@@ -723,10 +722,7 @@ void s390_ipl_prepare_cpu(S390CPU *cpu)
         }
     }
     if (ipl->netboot) {
-        if (load_netboot_image(&err) < 0) {
-            error_report_err(err);
-            exit(1);
-        }
+        load_netboot_image(&error_fatal);
         ipl->qipl.netboot_start_addr = cpu_to_be64(ipl->start_addr);
     }
     s390_ipl_set_boot_menu(ipl);
diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index 041b8451a6..b169943f35 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -188,8 +188,6 @@ static gint page_request_addr_cmp(gconstpointer ap, gconstpointer bp)
 
 void migration_object_init(void)
 {
-    Error *err = NULL;
-
     /* This can only be called once. */
     assert(!current_migration);
     current_migration = MIGRATION_OBJ(object_new(TYPE_MIGRATION));
@@ -210,10 +208,7 @@ void migration_object_init(void)
     qemu_mutex_init(&current_incoming->page_request_mutex);
     current_incoming->page_requested = g_tree_new(page_request_addr_cmp);
 
-    if (!migration_object_check(current_migration, &err)) {
-        error_report_err(err);
-        exit(1);
-    }
+    migration_object_check(current_migration, &error_fatal);
 
     blk_mig_init();
     ram_mig_init();
diff --git a/qemu-img.c b/qemu-img.c
index 908fd0cce5..d77f3e76a9 100644
--- a/qemu-img.c
+++ b/qemu-img.c
@@ -5350,7 +5350,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
     const img_cmd_t *cmd;
     const char *cmdname;
-    Error *local_error = NULL;
     int c;
     static const struct option long_options[] = {
         {"help", no_argument, 0, 'h'},
@@ -5368,10 +5367,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     qemu_init_exec_dir(argv[0]);
 
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&local_error)) {
-        error_report_err(local_error);
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
+    qemu_init_main_loop(&error_fatal);
 
     qcrypto_init(&error_fatal);
 
diff --git a/qemu-io.c b/qemu-io.c
index 57f07501df..3924639b92 100644
--- a/qemu-io.c
+++ b/qemu-io.c
@@ -529,7 +529,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     int flags = BDRV_O_UNMAP;
     int ret;
     bool writethrough = true;
-    Error *local_error = NULL;
     QDict *opts = NULL;
     const char *format = NULL;
     bool force_share = false;
@@ -629,10 +628,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         exit(1);
     }
 
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&local_error)) {
-        error_report_err(local_error);
-        exit(1);
-    }
+    qemu_init_main_loop(&error_fatal);
 
     if (!trace_init_backends()) {
         exit(1);
diff --git a/qemu-nbd.c b/qemu-nbd.c
index 26ffbf15af..65ebec598f 100644
--- a/qemu-nbd.c
+++ b/qemu-nbd.c
@@ -963,10 +963,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }
 
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&local_err)) {
-        error_report_err(local_err);
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
+    qemu_init_main_loop(&error_fatal);
     bdrv_init();
     atexit(qemu_nbd_shutdown);
 
diff --git a/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c b/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
index 7b9389b47b..f281daeced 100644
--- a/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
+++ b/scsi/qemu-pr-helper.c
@@ -1044,10 +1044,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }
 
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&local_err)) {
-        error_report_err(local_err);
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
+    qemu_init_main_loop(&error_fatal);
 
     server_watch = qio_channel_add_watch(QIO_CHANNEL(server_ioc),
                                          G_IO_IN,
@@ -1061,10 +1058,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }
 
-    if ((daemonize || pidfile_specified) &&
-        !qemu_write_pidfile(pidfile, &local_err)) {
-        error_report_err(local_err);
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    if (daemonize || pidfile_specified) {
+        qemu_write_pidfile(pidfile, &error_fatal);
     }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG
diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index 5ca11e7469..6227f8f10e 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -2694,12 +2694,7 @@ void qmp_x_exit_preconfig(Error **errp)
     qemu_machine_creation_done();
 
     if (loadvm) {
-        Error *local_err = NULL;
-        if (!load_snapshot(loadvm, NULL, false, NULL, &local_err)) {
-            error_report_err(local_err);
-            autostart = 0;
-            exit(1);
-        }
+        load_snapshot(loadvm, NULL, false, NULL, &error_fatal);
     }
     if (replay_mode != REPLAY_MODE_NONE) {
         replay_vmstate_init();
diff --git a/target/i386/sev.c b/target/i386/sev.c
index 83df8c09f6..0b2c8f594a 100644
--- a/target/i386/sev.c
+++ b/target/i386/sev.c
@@ -737,7 +737,6 @@ static void
 sev_launch_finish(SevGuestState *sev)
 {
     int ret, error;
-    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     trace_kvm_sev_launch_finish();
     ret = sev_ioctl(sev->sev_fd, KVM_SEV_LAUNCH_FINISH, 0, &error);
@@ -752,12 +751,7 @@ sev_launch_finish(SevGuestState *sev)
     /* add migration blocker */
     error_setg(&sev_mig_blocker,
                "SEV: Migration is not implemented");
-    ret = migrate_add_blocker(sev_mig_blocker, &local_err);
-    if (local_err) {
-        error_report_err(local_err);
-        error_free(sev_mig_blocker);
-        exit(1);
-    }
+    migrate_add_blocker(sev_mig_blocker, &error_fatal);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/ui/console.c b/ui/console.c
index 1103b65314..5d2e6178ff 100644
--- a/ui/console.c
+++ b/ui/console.c
@@ -1508,7 +1508,6 @@ void register_displaychangelistener(DisplayChangeListener *dcl)
         "This VM has no graphic display device.";
     static DisplaySurface *dummy;
     QemuConsole *con;
-    Error *err = NULL;
 
     assert(!dcl->ds);
 
@@ -1523,9 +1522,8 @@ void register_displaychangelistener(DisplayChangeListener *dcl)
         dcl->con->gl = dcl;
     }
 
-    if (dcl->con && !dpy_compatible_with(dcl->con, dcl, &err)) {
-        error_report_err(err);
-        exit(1);
+    if (dcl->con) {
+        dpy_compatible_with(dcl->con, dcl, &error_fatal);
     }
 
     trace_displaychangelistener_register(dcl, dcl->ops->dpy_name);
diff --git a/ui/spice-core.c b/ui/spice-core.c
index 0371055e6c..31974b8d6c 100644
--- a/ui/spice-core.c
+++ b/ui/spice-core.c
@@ -671,18 +671,13 @@ static void qemu_spice_init(void)
     }
     passwordSecret = qemu_opt_get(opts, "password-secret");
     if (passwordSecret) {
-        Error *local_err = NULL;
         if (qemu_opt_get(opts, "password")) {
             error_report("'password' option is mutually exclusive with "
                          "'password-secret'");
             exit(1);
         }
         password = qcrypto_secret_lookup_as_utf8(passwordSecret,
-                                                 &local_err);
-        if (!password) {
-            error_report_err(local_err);
-            exit(1);
-        }
+                                                 &error_fatal);
     } else {
         str = qemu_opt_get(opts, "password");
         if (str) {