diff --git a/include/monitor/monitor.h b/include/monitor/monitor.h
index a81eeff5f8..ecf6cce827 100644
--- a/include/monitor/monitor.h
+++ b/include/monitor/monitor.h
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 #include "block/block.h"
 #include "qapi/qapi-types-misc.h"
+#include "qemu/option.h"
 #include "qemu/readline.h"
 
 extern __thread Monitor *cur_mon;
@@ -10,12 +11,15 @@ typedef struct MonitorHMP MonitorHMP;
 
 #define QMP_REQ_QUEUE_LEN_MAX 8
 
+extern QemuOptsList qemu_mon_opts;
+
 bool monitor_cur_is_qmp(void);
 
 void monitor_init_globals(void);
 void monitor_init_globals_core(void);
 void monitor_init_qmp(Chardev *chr, bool pretty);
 void monitor_init_hmp(Chardev *chr, bool use_readline);
+int monitor_init_opts(QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp);
 void monitor_cleanup(void);
 
 int monitor_suspend(Monitor *mon);
diff --git a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
index 80c57fdc4e..bbd02cf941 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/sysemu.h
@@ -128,7 +128,6 @@ extern QemuOptsList qemu_netdev_opts;
 extern QemuOptsList qemu_nic_opts;
 extern QemuOptsList qemu_net_opts;
 extern QemuOptsList qemu_global_opts;
-extern QemuOptsList qemu_mon_opts;
 extern QemuOptsList qemu_semihosting_config_opts;
 
 #endif
diff --git a/monitor/monitor.c b/monitor/monitor.c
index 12898b6448..c1a6c4460f 100644
--- a/monitor/monitor.c
+++ b/monitor/monitor.c
@@ -609,6 +609,54 @@ void monitor_init_globals_core(void)
                                    NULL);
 }
 
+int monitor_init_opts(QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
+{
+    Chardev *chr;
+    bool qmp;
+    bool pretty = false;
+    const char *chardev;
+    const char *mode;
+
+    mode = qemu_opt_get(opts, "mode");
+    if (mode == NULL) {
+        mode = "readline";
+    }
+    if (strcmp(mode, "readline") == 0) {
+        qmp = false;
+    } else if (strcmp(mode, "control") == 0) {
+        qmp = true;
+    } else {
+        error_setg(errp, "unknown monitor mode \"%s\"", mode);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!qmp && qemu_opt_get(opts, "pretty")) {
+        warn_report("'pretty' is deprecated for HMP monitors, it has no effect "
+                    "and will be removed in future versions");
+    }
+    if (qemu_opt_get_bool(opts, "pretty", 0)) {
+        pretty = true;
+    }
+
+    chardev = qemu_opt_get(opts, "chardev");
+    if (!chardev) {
+        error_report("chardev is required");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+    chr = qemu_chr_find(chardev);
+    if (chr == NULL) {
+        error_setg(errp, "chardev \"%s\" not found", chardev);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (qmp) {
+        monitor_init_qmp(chr, pretty);
+    } else {
+        monitor_init_hmp(chr, true);
+    }
+    return 0;
+}
+
 QemuOptsList qemu_mon_opts = {
     .name = "mon",
     .implied_opt_name = "chardev",
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index b0f52c4d6e..e263e15cd6 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -2118,50 +2118,7 @@ static int fsdev_init_func(void *opaque, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 
 static int mon_init_func(void *opaque, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 {
-    Chardev *chr;
-    bool qmp;
-    bool pretty = false;
-    const char *chardev;
-    const char *mode;
-
-    mode = qemu_opt_get(opts, "mode");
-    if (mode == NULL) {
-        mode = "readline";
-    }
-    if (strcmp(mode, "readline") == 0) {
-        qmp = false;
-    } else if (strcmp(mode, "control") == 0) {
-        qmp = true;
-    } else {
-        error_setg(errp, "unknown monitor mode \"%s\"", mode);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    if (!qmp && qemu_opt_get(opts, "pretty")) {
-        warn_report("'pretty' is deprecated for HMP monitors, it has no effect "
-                    "and will be removed in future versions");
-    }
-    if (qemu_opt_get_bool(opts, "pretty", 0)) {
-        pretty = true;
-    }
-
-    chardev = qemu_opt_get(opts, "chardev");
-    if (!chardev) {
-        error_report("chardev is required");
-        exit(1);
-    }
-    chr = qemu_chr_find(chardev);
-    if (chr == NULL) {
-        error_setg(errp, "chardev \"%s\" not found", chardev);
-        return -1;
-    }
-
-    if (qmp) {
-        monitor_init_qmp(chr, pretty);
-    } else {
-        monitor_init_hmp(chr, true);
-    }
-    return 0;
+    return monitor_init_opts(opts, errp);
 }
 
 static void monitor_parse(const char *optarg, const char *mode, bool pretty)
