diff --git a/hw/display/virtio-gpu.c b/hw/display/virtio-gpu.c
index 58dc0b2737..0506d2c1b0 100644
--- a/hw/display/virtio-gpu.c
+++ b/hw/display/virtio-gpu.c
@@ -962,7 +962,7 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_virtio_gpu_scanouts = {
     .version_id = 1,
     .fields = (VMStateField[]) {
         VMSTATE_INT32(enable, struct VirtIOGPU),
-        VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL(conf.max_outputs, struct VirtIOGPU),
+        VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL(conf.max_outputs, struct VirtIOGPU, NULL),
         VMSTATE_STRUCT_VARRAY_UINT32(scanout, struct VirtIOGPU,
                                      conf.max_outputs, 1,
                                      vmstate_virtio_gpu_scanout,
diff --git a/hw/nvram/eeprom93xx.c b/hw/nvram/eeprom93xx.c
index 848692abc0..2fd0e3c29f 100644
--- a/hw/nvram/eeprom93xx.c
+++ b/hw/nvram/eeprom93xx.c
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_eeprom = {
         VMSTATE_UINT8(addrbits, eeprom_t),
         VMSTATE_UINT16_HACK_TEST(size, eeprom_t, is_old_eeprom_version),
         VMSTATE_UNUSED_TEST(is_old_eeprom_version, 1),
-        VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL_V(size, eeprom_t, EEPROM_VERSION),
+        VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL_V(size, eeprom_t, EEPROM_VERSION, NULL),
         VMSTATE_UINT16(data, eeprom_t),
         VMSTATE_VARRAY_UINT16_UNSAFE(contents, eeprom_t, size, 0,
                                      vmstate_info_uint16, uint16_t),
diff --git a/hw/pci/pci.c b/hw/pci/pci.c
index 98ccc27533..b7fee4bdf2 100644
--- a/hw/pci/pci.c
+++ b/hw/pci/pci.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static const VMStateDescription vmstate_pcibus = {
     .version_id = 1,
     .minimum_version_id = 1,
     .fields = (VMStateField[]) {
-        VMSTATE_INT32_EQUAL(nirq, PCIBus),
+        VMSTATE_INT32_EQUAL(nirq, PCIBus, NULL),
         VMSTATE_VARRAY_INT32(irq_count, PCIBus,
                              nirq, 0, vmstate_info_int32,
                              int32_t),
diff --git a/hw/pci/pcie_aer.c b/hw/pci/pcie_aer.c
index 828052b0c0..97200742b4 100644
--- a/hw/pci/pcie_aer.c
+++ b/hw/pci/pcie_aer.c
@@ -813,7 +813,7 @@ const VMStateDescription vmstate_pcie_aer_log = {
     .minimum_version_id = 1,
     .fields = (VMStateField[]) {
         VMSTATE_UINT16(log_num, PCIEAERLog),
-        VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL(log_max, PCIEAERLog),
+        VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL(log_max, PCIEAERLog, NULL),
         VMSTATE_VALIDATE("log_num <= log_max", pcie_aer_state_log_num_valid),
         VMSTATE_STRUCT_VARRAY_POINTER_UINT16(log, PCIEAERLog, log_num,
                               vmstate_pcie_aer_err, PCIEAERErr),
diff --git a/include/migration/vmstate.h b/include/migration/vmstate.h
index e85fbd81fc..85e43da568 100644
--- a/include/migration/vmstate.h
+++ b/include/migration/vmstate.h
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ typedef enum {
 
 struct VMStateField {
     const char *name;
+    const char *err_hint;
     size_t offset;
     size_t size;
     size_t start;
@@ -256,6 +257,18 @@ extern const VMStateInfo vmstate_info_qtailq;
     .offset       = vmstate_offset_value(_state, _field, _type),     \
 }
 
+#define VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_field, _state, _test, _version, _info,  \
+                            _type, _err_hint) {                      \
+    .name         = (stringify(_field)),                             \
+    .err_hint     = (_err_hint),                                     \
+    .version_id   = (_version),                                      \
+    .field_exists = (_test),                                         \
+    .size         = sizeof(_type),                                   \
+    .info         = &(_info),                                        \
+    .flags        = VMS_SINGLE,                                      \
+    .offset       = vmstate_offset_value(_state, _field, _type),     \
+}
+
 /* Validate state using a boolean predicate. */
 #define VMSTATE_VALIDATE(_name, _test) { \
     .name         = (_name),                                         \
@@ -762,29 +775,35 @@ extern const VMStateInfo vmstate_info_qtailq;
 #define VMSTATE_UINT64(_f, _s)                                        \
     VMSTATE_UINT64_V(_f, _s, 0)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT8_EQUAL(_f, _s)                                   \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, 0, vmstate_info_uint8_equal, uint8_t)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT8_EQUAL(_f, _s, _err_hint)                        \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0, 0,                                 \
+                        vmstate_info_uint8_equal, uint8_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL(_f, _s)                                  \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, 0, vmstate_info_uint16_equal, uint16_t)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL(_f, _s, _err_hint)                       \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0, 0,                                 \
+                        vmstate_info_uint16_equal, uint16_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v)                            \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, _v, vmstate_info_uint16_equal, uint16_t)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT16_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v, _err_hint)                 \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0,  _v,                               \
+                        vmstate_info_uint16_equal, uint16_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_INT32_EQUAL(_f, _s)                                   \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, 0, vmstate_info_int32_equal, int32_t)
+#define VMSTATE_INT32_EQUAL(_f, _s, _err_hint)                        \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0, 0,                                 \
+                        vmstate_info_int32_equal, int32_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v)                            \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, _v, vmstate_info_uint32_equal, uint32_t)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v, _err_hint)                 \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0,  _v,                               \
+                        vmstate_info_uint32_equal, uint32_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL(_f, _s)                                  \
-    VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, 0)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL(_f, _s, _err_hint)                       \
+    VMSTATE_UINT32_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, 0, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v)                            \
-    VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, _v, vmstate_info_uint64_equal, uint64_t)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, _v, _err_hint)                 \
+    VMSTATE_SINGLE_FULL(_f, _s, 0,  _v,                               \
+                        vmstate_info_uint64_equal, uint64_t, _err_hint)
 
-#define VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL(_f, _s)                                  \
-    VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, 0)
+#define VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL(_f, _s, _err_hint)                       \
+    VMSTATE_UINT64_EQUAL_V(_f, _s, 0, _err_hint)
 
 #define VMSTATE_INT32_POSITIVE_LE(_f, _s)                             \
     VMSTATE_SINGLE(_f, _s, 0, vmstate_info_int32_le, int32_t)
diff --git a/migration/vmstate-types.c b/migration/vmstate-types.c
index 02f05a3359..c056c98bdb 100644
--- a/migration/vmstate-types.c
+++ b/migration/vmstate-types.c
@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ static int get_int32_equal(QEMUFile *f, void *pv, size_t size,
         return 0;
     }
     error_report("%" PRIx32 " != %" PRIx32, *v, v2);
+    if (field->err_hint) {
+        error_printf("%s\n", field->err_hint);
+    }
     return -EINVAL;
 }
 
@@ -267,6 +270,9 @@ static int get_uint32_equal(QEMUFile *f, void *pv, size_t size,
         return 0;
     }
     error_report("%" PRIx32 " != %" PRIx32, *v, v2);
+    if (field->err_hint) {
+        error_printf("%s\n", field->err_hint);
+    }
     return -EINVAL;
 }
 
@@ -341,6 +347,9 @@ static int get_uint64_equal(QEMUFile *f, void *pv, size_t size,
         return 0;
     }
     error_report("%" PRIx64 " != %" PRIx64, *v, v2);
+    if (field->err_hint) {
+        error_printf("%s\n", field->err_hint);
+    }
     return -EINVAL;
 }
 
@@ -364,6 +373,9 @@ static int get_uint8_equal(QEMUFile *f, void *pv, size_t size,
         return 0;
     }
     error_report("%x != %x", *v, v2);
+    if (field->err_hint) {
+        error_printf("%s\n", field->err_hint);
+    }
     return -EINVAL;
 }
 
@@ -387,6 +399,9 @@ static int get_uint16_equal(QEMUFile *f, void *pv, size_t size,
         return 0;
     }
     error_report("%x != %x", *v, v2);
+    if (field->err_hint) {
+        error_printf("%s\n", field->err_hint);
+    }
     return -EINVAL;
 }
 
