diff --git a/include/qapi/visitor.h b/include/qapi/visitor.h
index 3095455..a430c19 100644
--- a/include/qapi/visitor.h
+++ b/include/qapi/visitor.h
@@ -66,12 +66,14 @@
  * member @name is not present, or is present but not the specified
  * type).
  *
- * FIXME: At present, visit_type_FOO() is an awkward interface: input
- * visitors may allocate an incomplete *@obj even when reporting an
- * error, but using an output visitor with an incomplete object has
- * undefined behavior.  To avoid a memory leak, callers must use
- * qapi_free_FOO() even on error (this uses the dealloc visitor, and
- * safely handles an incomplete object).
+ * If an error is detected during visit_type_FOO() with an input
+ * visitor, then *@obj will be NULL for pointer types, and left
+ * unchanged for scalar types.  Using an output visitor with an
+ * incomplete object has undefined behavior (other than a special case
+ * for visit_type_str() treating NULL like ""), while the dealloc
+ * visitor safely handles incomplete objects.  Since input visitors
+ * never produce an incomplete object, such an object is possible only
+ * by manual construction.
  *
  * For the QAPI object types (structs, unions, and alternates), there
  * is an additional generated function in qapi-visit.h compatible
@@ -106,7 +108,6 @@
  *  v = ...obtain input visitor...
  *  visit_type_Foo(v, NULL, &f, &err);
  *  if (err) {
- *      qapi_free_Foo(f);
  *      ...handle error...
  *  } else {
  *      ...use f...
@@ -124,7 +125,6 @@
  *  v = ...obtain input visitor...
  *  visit_type_FooList(v, NULL, &l, &err);
  *  if (err) {
- *      qapi_free_FooList(l);
  *      ...handle error...
  *  } else {
  *      for ( ; l; l = l->next) {
@@ -154,7 +154,9 @@
  * helpers that rely on in-tree information to control the walk:
  * visit_optional() for the 'has_member' field associated with
  * optional 'member' in the C struct; and visit_next_list() for
- * advancing through a FooList linked list.  Only the generated
+ * advancing through a FooList linked list.  Similarly, the
+ * visit_is_input() helper makes it possible to write code that is
+ * visitor-agnostic everywhere except for cleanup.  Only the generated
  * visit_type functions need to use these helpers.
  *
  * It is also possible to use the visitors to do a virtual walk, where
@@ -404,6 +406,11 @@ bool visit_optional(Visitor *v, const char *name, bool *present);
 void visit_type_enum(Visitor *v, const char *name, int *obj,
                      const char *const strings[], Error **errp);

+/*
+ * Check if visitor is an input visitor.
+ */
+bool visit_is_input(Visitor *v);
+
 /*** Visiting built-in types ***/

 /*
diff --git a/scripts/qapi-visit.py b/scripts/qapi-visit.py
index 8b7efcc..70ea8ca 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi-visit.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi-visit.py
@@ -108,10 +108,6 @@ out:


 def gen_visit_list(name, element_type):
-    # FIXME: if *obj is NULL on entry, and the first visit_next_list()
-    # assigns to *obj, while a later one fails, we should clean up *obj
-    # rather than leaving it non-NULL. As currently written, the caller must
-    # call qapi_free_FOOList() to avoid a memory leak of the partial FOOList.
     return mcgen('''

 void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error **errp)
@@ -134,6 +130,10 @@ void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error
     }

     visit_end_list(v);
+    if (err && visit_is_input(v)) {
+        qapi_free_%(c_name)s(*obj);
+        *obj = NULL;
+    }
 out:
     error_propagate(errp, err);
 }
@@ -211,20 +211,20 @@ void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error
                    "%(name)s");
     }
     visit_end_alternate(v);
+    if (err && visit_is_input(v)) {
+        qapi_free_%(c_name)s(*obj);
+        *obj = NULL;
+    }
 out:
     error_propagate(errp, err);
 }
 ''',
-                 name=name)
+                 name=name, c_name=c_name(name))

     return ret


 def gen_visit_object(name, base, members, variants):
-    # FIXME: if *obj is NULL on entry, and visit_start_struct() assigns to
-    # *obj, but then visit_type_FOO_members() fails, we should clean up *obj
-    # rather than leaving it non-NULL. As currently written, the caller must
-    # call qapi_free_FOO() to avoid a memory leak of the partial FOO.
     return mcgen('''

 void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error **errp)
@@ -245,6 +245,10 @@ void visit_type_%(c_name)s(Visitor *v, const char *name, %(c_name)s **obj, Error
     visit_check_struct(v, &err);
 out_obj:
     visit_end_struct(v);
+    if (err && visit_is_input(v)) {
+        qapi_free_%(c_name)s(*obj);
+        *obj = NULL;
+    }
 out:
     error_propagate(errp, err);
 }
diff --git a/qapi/qapi-visit-core.c b/qapi/qapi-visit-core.c
index 2aa9137..f5d4b52 100644
--- a/qapi/qapi-visit-core.c
+++ b/qapi/qapi-visit-core.c
@@ -104,6 +104,11 @@ bool visit_optional(Visitor *v, const char *name, bool *present)
     return *present;
 }

+bool visit_is_input(Visitor *v)
+{
+    return v->type == VISITOR_INPUT;
+}
+
 void visit_type_int(Visitor *v, const char *name, int64_t *obj, Error **errp)
 {
     assert(obj);
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-commands.c b/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
index 597fb44..5c3edd7 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
@@ -228,14 +228,13 @@ static void test_dealloc_partial(void)
         QDECREF(ud2_dict);
     }

-    /* verify partial success */
-    assert(ud2 != NULL);
-    assert(ud2->string0 != NULL);
-    assert(strcmp(ud2->string0, text) == 0);
-    assert(ud2->dict1 == NULL);
-
-    /* confirm & release construction error */
+    /* verify that visit_type_XXX() cleans up properly on error */
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
+    assert(!ud2);
+
+    /* Manually create a partial object, leaving ud2->dict1 at NULL */
+    ud2 = g_new0(UserDefTwo, 1);
+    ud2->string0 = g_strdup(text);

     /* tear down partial object */
     qapi_free_UserDefTwo(ud2);
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c b/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
index 2b053a2..4602529 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
@@ -182,10 +182,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_struct(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_TestStruct(v, NULL, &p, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    if (p) {
-        g_free(p->string);
-    }
-    g_free(p);
+    g_assert(!p);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_struct_nested(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -199,7 +196,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_struct_nested(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefTwo(v, NULL, &udp, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefTwo(udp);
+    g_assert(!udp);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -213,7 +210,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefOneList(v, NULL, &head, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefOneList(head);
+    g_assert(!head);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_union_native_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -228,7 +225,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_native_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefNativeListUnion(v, NULL, &tmp, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefNativeListUnion(tmp);
+    g_assert(!tmp);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_union_flat(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -242,7 +239,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_flat(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefFlatUnion(v, NULL, &tmp, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefFlatUnion(tmp);
+    g_assert(!tmp);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_union_flat_no_discrim(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -257,7 +254,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_flat_no_discrim(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefFlatUnion2(v, NULL, &tmp, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefFlatUnion2(tmp);
+    g_assert(!tmp);
 }

 static void test_validate_fail_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -271,7 +268,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_UserDefAlternate(v, NULL, &tmp, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    qapi_free_UserDefAlternate(tmp);
+    g_assert(!tmp);
 }

 static void do_test_validate_qmp_introspect(TestInputVisitorData *data,
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
index 6617276..cee07ce 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
@@ -773,18 +773,12 @@ static void test_visitor_in_errors(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     visit_type_TestStruct(v, NULL, &p, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    /* FIXME - a failed parse should not leave a partially-allocated p
-     * for us to clean up; this could cause callers to leak memory. */
-    g_assert(p->string == NULL);
-
-    g_free(p->string);
-    g_free(p);
+    g_assert(!p);

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "[ '1', '2', false, '3' ]");
     visit_type_strList(v, NULL, &q, &err);
     error_free_or_abort(&err);
-    assert(q);
-    qapi_free_strList(q);
+    assert(!q);
 }

 static void test_visitor_in_wrong_type(TestInputVisitorData *data,
diff --git a/docs/qapi-code-gen.txt b/docs/qapi-code-gen.txt
index fe61c5c..d7d6987 100644
--- a/docs/qapi-code-gen.txt
+++ b/docs/qapi-code-gen.txt
@@ -905,6 +905,10 @@ Example:
         visit_check_struct(v, &err);
     out_obj:
         visit_end_struct(v);
+        if (err && visit_is_input(v)) {
+            qapi_free_UserDefOne(*obj);
+            *obj = NULL;
+        }
     out:
         error_propagate(errp, err);
     }
@@ -929,6 +933,10 @@ Example:
         }

         visit_end_list(v);
+        if (err && visit_is_input(v)) {
+            qapi_free_UserDefOneList(*obj);
+            *obj = NULL;
+        }
     out:
         error_propagate(errp, err);
     }
