diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index c45a99a2bf..07378301d5 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@
 
 #define MAX_VIRTIO_CONSOLES 1
 
+static const char *cpu_option;
 static const char *data_dir[16];
 static int data_dir_idx;
 enum vga_retrace_method vga_retrace_method = VGA_RETRACE_DUMB;
@@ -142,6 +143,9 @@ int vga_interface_type = VGA_NONE;
 static DisplayOptions dpy;
 static int num_serial_hds;
 static Chardev **serial_hds;
+static const char *log_mask;
+static const char *log_file;
+static bool list_data_dirs;
 Chardev *parallel_hds[MAX_PARALLEL_PORTS];
 int win2k_install_hack = 0;
 int singlestep = 0;
@@ -2862,6 +2866,105 @@ static char *find_datadir(void)
     return get_relocated_path(CONFIG_QEMU_DATADIR);
 }
 
+static void qemu_process_early_options(void)
+{
+    char **dirs;
+    int i;
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_SECCOMP
+    QemuOptsList *olist = qemu_find_opts_err("sandbox", NULL);
+    if (olist) {
+        qemu_opts_foreach(olist, parse_sandbox, NULL, &error_fatal);
+    }
+#endif
+
+    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("name"),
+                      parse_name, NULL, &error_fatal);
+
+#ifndef _WIN32
+    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("add-fd"),
+                      parse_add_fd, NULL, &error_fatal);
+
+    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("add-fd"),
+                      cleanup_add_fd, NULL, &error_fatal);
+#endif
+
+    if (!trace_init_backends()) {
+        exit(1);
+    }
+    trace_init_file();
+
+    /* Open the logfile at this point and set the log mask if necessary.  */
+    qemu_set_log_filename(log_file, &error_fatal);
+    if (log_mask) {
+        int mask;
+        mask = qemu_str_to_log_mask(log_mask);
+        if (!mask) {
+            qemu_print_log_usage(stdout);
+            exit(1);
+        }
+        qemu_set_log(mask);
+    } else {
+        qemu_set_log(0);
+    }
+
+    /* add configured firmware directories */
+    dirs = g_strsplit(CONFIG_QEMU_FIRMWAREPATH, G_SEARCHPATH_SEPARATOR_S, 0);
+    for (i = 0; dirs[i] != NULL; i++) {
+        qemu_add_data_dir(get_relocated_path(dirs[i]));
+    }
+    g_strfreev(dirs);
+
+    /* try to find datadir relative to the executable path */
+    qemu_add_data_dir(find_datadir());
+}
+
+static void qemu_process_help_options(void)
+{
+    int i;
+
+    /*
+     * Check for -cpu help and -device help before we call select_machine(),
+     * which will return an error if the architecture has no default machine
+     * type and the user did not specify one, so that the user doesn't need
+     * to say '-cpu help -machine something'.
+     */
+    if (cpu_option && is_help_option(cpu_option)) {
+        list_cpus(cpu_option);
+        exit(0);
+    }
+
+    if (qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("device"),
+                          device_help_func, NULL, NULL)) {
+        exit(0);
+    }
+
+    /* -L help lists the data directories and exits. */
+    if (list_data_dirs) {
+        for (i = 0; i < data_dir_idx; i++) {
+            printf("%s\n", data_dir[i]);
+        }
+        exit(0);
+    }
+}
+
+static void qemu_maybe_daemonize(const char *pid_file)
+{
+    Error *err;
+
+    os_daemonize();
+    rcu_disable_atfork();
+
+    if (pid_file && !qemu_write_pidfile(pid_file, &err)) {
+        error_reportf_err(err, "cannot create PID file: ");
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
+    qemu_unlink_pidfile_notifier.notify = qemu_unlink_pidfile;
+    qemu_add_exit_notifier(&qemu_unlink_pidfile_notifier);
+}
+
+
 void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
 {
     int i;
@@ -2878,21 +2981,16 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     const char *optarg;
     const char *loadvm = NULL;
     MachineClass *machine_class;
-    const char *cpu_option;
     const char *vga_model = NULL;
     const char *incoming = NULL;
     bool userconfig = true;
     bool nographic = false;
     int display_remote = 0;
-    const char *log_mask = NULL;
-    const char *log_file = NULL;
     ram_addr_t maxram_size;
     uint64_t ram_slots = 0;
     FILE *vmstate_dump_file = NULL;
     Error *main_loop_err = NULL;
     Error *err = NULL;
-    bool list_data_dirs = false;
-    char **dirs;
     const char *mem_path = NULL;
     bool have_custom_ram_size;
     BlockdevOptionsQueue bdo_queue = QSIMPLEQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(bdo_queue);
@@ -3842,19 +3940,17 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     loc_set_none();
 
     /*
-     * Check for -cpu help and -device help before we call select_machine(),
-     * which will return an error if the architecture has no default machine
-     * type and the user did not specify one, so that the user doesn't need
-     * to say '-cpu help -machine something'.
+     * These options affect everything else and should be processed
+     * before daemonizing.
      */
-    if (cpu_option && is_help_option(cpu_option)) {
-        list_cpus(cpu_option);
-        exit(0);
-    }
+    qemu_process_early_options();
 
-    if (qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("device"),
-                          device_help_func, NULL, NULL)) {
-        exit(0);
+    qemu_process_help_options();
+    qemu_maybe_daemonize(pid_file);
+
+    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&main_loop_err)) {
+        error_report_err(main_loop_err);
+        exit(1);
     }
 
     user_register_global_props();
@@ -3875,40 +3971,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     have_custom_ram_size = set_memory_options(&ram_slots, &maxram_size,
                                               machine_class);
 
-    os_daemonize();
-    rcu_disable_atfork();
-
-    if (pid_file && !qemu_write_pidfile(pid_file, &err)) {
-        error_reportf_err(err, "cannot create PID file: ");
-        exit(1);
-    }
-
-    qemu_unlink_pidfile_notifier.notify = qemu_unlink_pidfile;
-    qemu_add_exit_notifier(&qemu_unlink_pidfile_notifier);
-
-    if (qemu_init_main_loop(&main_loop_err)) {
-        error_report_err(main_loop_err);
-        exit(1);
-    }
-
-#ifdef CONFIG_SECCOMP
-    olist = qemu_find_opts_err("sandbox", NULL);
-    if (olist) {
-        qemu_opts_foreach(olist, parse_sandbox, NULL, &error_fatal);
-    }
-#endif
-
-    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("name"),
-                      parse_name, NULL, &error_fatal);
-
-#ifndef _WIN32
-    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("add-fd"),
-                      parse_add_fd, NULL, &error_fatal);
-
-    qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("add-fd"),
-                      cleanup_add_fd, NULL, &error_fatal);
-#endif
-
     current_machine = MACHINE(object_new_with_class(OBJECT_CLASS(machine_class)));
     if (machine_help_func(qemu_get_machine_opts(), current_machine)) {
         exit(0);
@@ -3934,44 +3996,6 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
         qemu_set_hw_version(machine_class->hw_version);
     }
 
-    if (!trace_init_backends()) {
-        exit(1);
-    }
-    trace_init_file();
-
-    /* Open the logfile at this point and set the log mask if necessary.
-     */
-    qemu_set_log_filename(log_file, &error_fatal);
-    if (log_mask) {
-        int mask;
-        mask = qemu_str_to_log_mask(log_mask);
-        if (!mask) {
-            qemu_print_log_usage(stdout);
-            exit(1);
-        }
-        qemu_set_log(mask);
-    } else {
-        qemu_set_log(0);
-    }
-
-    /* add configured firmware directories */
-    dirs = g_strsplit(CONFIG_QEMU_FIRMWAREPATH, G_SEARCHPATH_SEPARATOR_S, 0);
-    for (i = 0; dirs[i] != NULL; i++) {
-        qemu_add_data_dir(get_relocated_path(dirs[i]));
-    }
-    g_strfreev(dirs);
-
-    /* try to find datadir relative to the executable path */
-    qemu_add_data_dir(find_datadir());
-
-    /* -L help lists the data directories and exits. */
-    if (list_data_dirs) {
-        for (i = 0; i < data_dir_idx; i++) {
-            printf("%s\n", data_dir[i]);
-        }
-        exit(0);
-    }
-
     machine_smp_parse(current_machine,
         qemu_opts_find(qemu_find_opts("smp-opts"), NULL), &error_fatal);
 
