diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index d39fd4e644..ada85ee083 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -2773,39 +2773,6 @@ static void spapr_machine_init(MachineState *machine)
     /* init CPUs */
     spapr_init_cpus(spapr);
 
-    /*
-     * check we don't have a memory-less/cpu-less NUMA node
-     * Firmware relies on the existing memory/cpu topology to provide the
-     * NUMA topology to the kernel.
-     * And the linux kernel needs to know the NUMA topology at start
-     * to be able to hotplug CPUs later.
-     */
-    if (machine->numa_state->num_nodes) {
-        for (i = 0; i < machine->numa_state->num_nodes; ++i) {
-            /* check for memory-less node */
-            if (machine->numa_state->nodes[i].node_mem == 0) {
-                CPUState *cs;
-                int found = 0;
-                /* check for cpu-less node */
-                CPU_FOREACH(cs) {
-                    PowerPCCPU *cpu = POWERPC_CPU(cs);
-                    if (cpu->node_id == i) {
-                        found = 1;
-                        break;
-                    }
-                }
-                /* memory-less and cpu-less node */
-                if (!found) {
-                    error_report(
-                       "Memory-less/cpu-less nodes are not supported (node %d)",
-                                 i);
-                    exit(1);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
-    }
-
     spapr->gpu_numa_id = spapr_numa_initial_nvgpu_numa_id(machine);
 
     /* Init numa_assoc_array */
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
index 9056644890..222c1b6bbd 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
@@ -1198,6 +1198,12 @@ target_ulong do_client_architecture_support(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
     spapr->cas_pre_isa3_guest = !spapr_ovec_test(ov1_guest, OV1_PPC_3_00);
     spapr_ovec_cleanup(ov1_guest);
 
+    /*
+     * Check for NUMA affinity conditions now that we know which NUMA
+     * affinity the guest will use.
+     */
+    spapr_numa_associativity_check(spapr);
+
     /*
      * Ensure the guest asks for an interrupt mode we support;
      * otherwise terminate the boot.
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.c
index 7339d00d20..dfe4fada01 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.c
@@ -193,6 +193,48 @@ static void spapr_numa_define_FORM1_domains(SpaprMachineState *spapr)
 
 }
 
+static void spapr_numa_FORM1_affinity_check(MachineState *machine)
+{
+    int i;
+
+    /*
+     * Check we don't have a memory-less/cpu-less NUMA node
+     * Firmware relies on the existing memory/cpu topology to provide the
+     * NUMA topology to the kernel.
+     * And the linux kernel needs to know the NUMA topology at start
+     * to be able to hotplug CPUs later.
+     */
+    if (machine->numa_state->num_nodes) {
+        for (i = 0; i < machine->numa_state->num_nodes; ++i) {
+            /* check for memory-less node */
+            if (machine->numa_state->nodes[i].node_mem == 0) {
+                CPUState *cs;
+                int found = 0;
+                /* check for cpu-less node */
+                CPU_FOREACH(cs) {
+                    PowerPCCPU *cpu = POWERPC_CPU(cs);
+                    if (cpu->node_id == i) {
+                        found = 1;
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+                /* memory-less and cpu-less node */
+                if (!found) {
+                    error_report(
+"Memory-less/cpu-less nodes are not supported with FORM1 NUMA (node %d)", i);
+                    exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (!spapr_numa_is_symmetrical(machine)) {
+        error_report(
+"Asymmetrical NUMA topologies aren't supported in the pSeries machine using FORM1 NUMA");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
+}
+
 /*
  * Set NUMA machine state data based on FORM1 affinity semantics.
  */
@@ -250,12 +292,6 @@ static void spapr_numa_FORM1_affinity_init(SpaprMachineState *spapr,
         return;
     }
 
-    if (!spapr_numa_is_symmetrical(machine)) {
-        error_report("Asymmetrical NUMA topologies aren't supported "
-                     "in the pSeries machine");
-        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
-    }
-
     spapr_numa_define_FORM1_domains(spapr);
 }
 
@@ -265,6 +301,11 @@ void spapr_numa_associativity_init(SpaprMachineState *spapr,
     spapr_numa_FORM1_affinity_init(spapr, machine);
 }
 
+void spapr_numa_associativity_check(SpaprMachineState *spapr)
+{
+    spapr_numa_FORM1_affinity_check(MACHINE(spapr));
+}
+
 void spapr_numa_write_associativity_dt(SpaprMachineState *spapr, void *fdt,
                                        int offset, int nodeid)
 {
diff --git a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.h b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.h
index 6f9f02d3de..7cb3367400 100644
--- a/include/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.h
+++ b/include/hw/ppc/spapr_numa.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
  */
 void spapr_numa_associativity_init(SpaprMachineState *spapr,
                                    MachineState *machine);
+void spapr_numa_associativity_check(SpaprMachineState *spapr);
 void spapr_numa_write_rtas_dt(SpaprMachineState *spapr, void *fdt, int rtas);
 void spapr_numa_write_associativity_dt(SpaprMachineState *spapr, void *fdt,
                                        int offset, int nodeid);
