diff --git a/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c b/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
index cb9387c5f5..6cbeb688c4 100644
--- a/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
+++ b/hw/core/machine-qmp-cmds.c
@@ -286,9 +286,9 @@ HotpluggableCPUList *qmp_query_hotpluggable_cpus(Error **errp)
 
 void qmp_set_numa_node(NumaOptions *cmd, Error **errp)
 {
-    if (qdev_hotplug) {
-         error_setg(errp, "The command is permitted only before the machine has been created");
-         return;
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
+        error_setg(errp, "The command is permitted only before the machine has been created");
+        return;
     }
 
     set_numa_options(MACHINE(qdev_get_machine()), cmd, errp);
diff --git a/hw/core/machine.c b/hw/core/machine.c
index 025c4f9749..a71cb23ecf 100644
--- a/hw/core/machine.c
+++ b/hw/core/machine.c
@@ -1171,6 +1171,7 @@ void machine_run_board_init(MachineState *machine)
     }
 
     machine_class->init(machine);
+    phase_advance(PHASE_MACHINE_INITIALIZED);
 }
 
 static NotifierList machine_init_done_notifiers =
@@ -1204,7 +1205,7 @@ void qdev_machine_creation_done(void)
      * ok, initial machine setup is done, starting from now we can
      * only create hotpluggable devices
      */
-    qdev_hotplug = true;
+    phase_advance(PHASE_MACHINE_READY);
     qdev_assert_realized_properly();
 
     /* TODO: once all bus devices are qdevified, this should be done
diff --git a/hw/core/qdev.c b/hw/core/qdev.c
index bc5df8ce69..beb35879c6 100644
--- a/hw/core/qdev.c
+++ b/hw/core/qdev.c
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@
 #include "migration/vmstate.h"
 #include "trace.h"
 
-bool qdev_hotplug = false;
 static bool qdev_hot_added = false;
 bool qdev_hot_removed = false;
 
@@ -1023,7 +1022,7 @@ static void device_initfn(Object *obj)
 {
     DeviceState *dev = DEVICE(obj);
 
-    if (qdev_hotplug) {
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         dev->hotplugged = 1;
         qdev_hot_added = true;
     }
@@ -1267,6 +1266,19 @@ Object *qdev_get_machine(void)
     return dev;
 }
 
+static MachineInitPhase machine_phase;
+
+bool phase_check(MachineInitPhase phase)
+{
+    return machine_phase >= phase;
+}
+
+void phase_advance(MachineInitPhase phase)
+{
+    assert(machine_phase == phase - 1);
+    machine_phase = phase;
+}
+
 static const TypeInfo device_type_info = {
     .name = TYPE_DEVICE,
     .parent = TYPE_OBJECT,
diff --git a/hw/pci/pci.c b/hw/pci/pci.c
index 9424231542..d4349ea577 100644
--- a/hw/pci/pci.c
+++ b/hw/pci/pci.c
@@ -1062,7 +1062,7 @@ static PCIDevice *do_pci_register_device(PCIDevice *pci_dev,
     address_space_init(&pci_dev->bus_master_as,
                        &pci_dev->bus_master_container_region, pci_dev->name);
 
-    if (qdev_hotplug) {
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         pci_init_bus_master(pci_dev);
     }
     pci_dev->irq_state = 0;
diff --git a/hw/usb/core.c b/hw/usb/core.c
index 5234dcc73f..e960036f4d 100644
--- a/hw/usb/core.c
+++ b/hw/usb/core.c
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ void usb_wakeup(USBEndpoint *ep, unsigned int stream)
     USBDevice *dev = ep->dev;
     USBBus *bus = usb_bus_from_device(dev);
 
-    if (!qdev_hotplug) {
+    if (!phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         /*
          * This is machine init cold plug.  No need to wakeup anyone,
          * all devices will be reset anyway.  And trying to wakeup can
diff --git a/hw/virtio/virtio-iommu.c b/hw/virtio/virtio-iommu.c
index fc5c75d693..8370fd80d7 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/virtio-iommu.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/virtio-iommu.c
@@ -928,7 +928,7 @@ static int virtio_iommu_set_page_size_mask(IOMMUMemoryRegion *mr,
      * accept it. Having a different masks is possible but the guest will use
      * sub-optimal block sizes, so warn about it.
      */
-    if (qdev_hotplug) {
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         int new_granule = ctz64(new_mask);
         int cur_granule = ctz64(cur_mask);
 
diff --git a/include/hw/qdev-core.h b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
index 6446846752..05e7e7bc45 100644
--- a/include/hw/qdev-core.h
+++ b/include/hw/qdev-core.h
@@ -821,7 +821,6 @@ Object *qdev_get_machine(void);
 /* FIXME: make this a link<> */
 bool qdev_set_parent_bus(DeviceState *dev, BusState *bus, Error **errp);
 
-extern bool qdev_hotplug;
 extern bool qdev_hot_removed;
 
 char *qdev_get_dev_path(DeviceState *dev);
@@ -847,4 +846,15 @@ void device_listener_unregister(DeviceListener *listener);
  */
 bool qdev_should_hide_device(QemuOpts *opts);
 
+typedef enum MachineInitPhase {
+    PHASE_NO_MACHINE,
+    PHASE_MACHINE_CREATED,
+    PHASE_ACCEL_CREATED,
+    PHASE_MACHINE_INITIALIZED,
+    PHASE_MACHINE_READY,
+} MachineInitPhase;
+
+extern bool phase_check(MachineInitPhase phase);
+extern void phase_advance(MachineInitPhase phase);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/monitor/hmp.c b/monitor/hmp.c
index f2fe192d69..6c0b33a0b1 100644
--- a/monitor/hmp.c
+++ b/monitor/hmp.c
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ static bool cmd_can_preconfig(const HMPCommand *cmd)
 
 static bool cmd_available(const HMPCommand *cmd)
 {
-    return qdev_hotplug || cmd_can_preconfig(cmd);
+    return phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY) || cmd_can_preconfig(cmd);
 }
 
 static void help_cmd_dump_one(Monitor *mon,
diff --git a/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c b/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
index e967d13bd0..184fe317af 100644
--- a/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
+++ b/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ static DeviceClass *qdev_get_device_class(const char **driver, Error **errp)
 
     dc = DEVICE_CLASS(oc);
     if (!dc->user_creatable ||
-        (qdev_hotplug && !dc->hotpluggable)) {
+        (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY) && !dc->hotpluggable)) {
         error_setg(errp, QERR_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE, "driver",
                    "pluggable device type");
         return NULL;
@@ -637,7 +637,7 @@ DeviceState *qdev_device_add(QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
     }
     hide = should_hide_device(opts);
 
-    if ((hide || qdev_hotplug) && bus && !qbus_is_hotpluggable(bus)) {
+    if ((hide || phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) && bus && !qbus_is_hotpluggable(bus)) {
         error_setg(errp, QERR_BUS_NO_HOTPLUG, bus->name);
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -655,15 +655,17 @@ DeviceState *qdev_device_add(QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
     dev = qdev_new(driver);
 
     /* Check whether the hotplug is allowed by the machine */
-    if (qdev_hotplug && !qdev_hotplug_allowed(dev, errp)) {
-        goto err_del_dev;
-    }
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
+        if (!qdev_hotplug_allowed(dev, errp)) {
+            goto err_del_dev;
+        }
 
-    if (!bus && qdev_hotplug && !qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(dev)) {
-        /* No bus, no machine hotplug handler --> device is not hotpluggable */
-        error_setg(errp, "Device '%s' can not be hotplugged on this machine",
-                   driver);
-        goto err_del_dev;
+        if (!bus && !qdev_get_machine_hotplug_handler(dev)) {
+            /* No bus, no machine hotplug handler --> device is not hotpluggable */
+            error_setg(errp, "Device '%s' can not be hotplugged on this machine",
+                       driver);
+            goto err_del_dev;
+        }
     }
 
     qdev_set_id(dev, qemu_opts_id(opts));
@@ -1001,7 +1003,7 @@ int qemu_global_option(const char *str)
 
 bool qmp_command_available(const QmpCommand *cmd, Error **errp)
 {
-    if (!qdev_hotplug &&
+    if (!phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY) &&
         !(cmd->options & QCO_ALLOW_PRECONFIG)) {
         error_setg(errp, "The command '%s' is permitted only after machine initialization has completed",
                    cmd->name);
diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index 1fde4a17a9..2dd5c2c775 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -2451,7 +2451,7 @@ static void qemu_machine_creation_done(void)
 
 void qmp_x_exit_preconfig(Error **errp)
 {
-    if (qdev_hotplug) {
+    if (phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         error_setg(errp, "The command is permitted only before machine initialization");
         return;
     }
@@ -3428,12 +3428,14 @@ void qemu_init(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     qemu_create_early_backends();
 
     qemu_apply_machine_options();
+    phase_advance(PHASE_MACHINE_CREATED);
 
     /*
      * Note: uses machine properties such as kernel-irqchip, must run
      * after machine_set_property().
      */
     configure_accelerators(argv[0]);
+    phase_advance(PHASE_ACCEL_CREATED);
 
     /*
      * Beware, QOM objects created before this point miss global and
diff --git a/ui/console.c b/ui/console.c
index e07d2c380d..3a98135daa 100644
--- a/ui/console.c
+++ b/ui/console.c
@@ -1343,7 +1343,7 @@ static QemuConsole *new_console(DisplayState *ds, console_type_t console_type,
     if (QTAILQ_EMPTY(&consoles)) {
         s->index = 0;
         QTAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&consoles, s, next);
-    } else if (console_type != GRAPHIC_CONSOLE || qdev_hotplug) {
+    } else if (console_type != GRAPHIC_CONSOLE || phase_check(PHASE_MACHINE_READY)) {
         QemuConsole *last = QTAILQ_LAST(&consoles);
         s->index = last->index + 1;
         QTAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(&consoles, s, next);
