diff --git a/include/exec/memory.h b/include/exec/memory.h
index 8626a355b310ed7b1a1db7978ba4b394032c2f15..5555567bc4c9fdb53e8f63487f1400980275687d 100644
--- a/include/exec/memory.h
+++ b/include/exec/memory.h
@@ -998,8 +998,11 @@ struct MemoryListener {
      * active at that time.
      *
      * @listener: The #MemoryListener.
+     * @errp: pointer to Error*, to store an error if it happens.
+     *
+     * Return: true on success, else false setting @errp with error.
      */
-    void (*log_global_start)(MemoryListener *listener);
+    bool (*log_global_start)(MemoryListener *listener, Error **errp);
 
     /**
      * @log_global_stop:
diff --git a/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c b/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
index 7745cb39631ea423aeb6e5d3eb7f7bcbe27ec6fa..f6e9a1bc86491783077b5cb5aafdb19ab294e392 100644
--- a/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
+++ b/hw/i386/xen/xen-hvm.c
@@ -457,11 +457,12 @@ static void xen_log_sync(MemoryListener *listener, MemoryRegionSection *section)
                           int128_get64(section->size));
 }
 
-static void xen_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener)
+static bool xen_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener, Error **errp)
 {
     if (xen_enabled()) {
         xen_in_migration = true;
     }
+    return true;
 }
 
 static void xen_log_global_stop(MemoryListener *listener)
diff --git a/hw/vfio/common.c b/hw/vfio/common.c
index 011ceaab89433de4496dffadc737286e053f321d..8f9cbdc0264044ce587877a7d19d14b28527291b 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/common.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/common.c
@@ -1066,7 +1066,8 @@ out:
     return ret;
 }
 
-static void vfio_listener_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener)
+static bool vfio_listener_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener,
+                                           Error **errp)
 {
     VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer = container_of(listener, VFIOContainerBase,
                                                  listener);
@@ -1083,6 +1084,7 @@ static void vfio_listener_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener)
                      ret, strerror(-ret));
         vfio_set_migration_error(ret);
     }
+    return !ret;
 }
 
 static void vfio_listener_log_global_stop(MemoryListener *listener)
diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost.c b/hw/virtio/vhost.c
index 2e4e040db87acf45166da86d268077f54511d82c..d405f03caf2fd3a5ea23bdc0392f4c6c072bc10b 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost.c
@@ -1044,7 +1044,7 @@ check_dev_state:
     return r;
 }
 
-static void vhost_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener)
+static bool vhost_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener, Error **errp)
 {
     int r;
 
@@ -1052,6 +1052,7 @@ static void vhost_log_global_start(MemoryListener *listener)
     if (r < 0) {
         abort();
     }
+    return true;
 }
 
 static void vhost_log_global_stop(MemoryListener *listener)
diff --git a/system/memory.c b/system/memory.c
index a229a79988fce2aa3cb77e3a130db4c694e8cd49..ca4d91484fb3d06f4b902486fea49dba86dc141b 100644
--- a/system/memory.c
+++ b/system/memory.c
@@ -2914,9 +2914,33 @@ static unsigned int postponed_stop_flags;
 static VMChangeStateEntry *vmstate_change;
 static void memory_global_dirty_log_stop_postponed_run(void);
 
+static bool memory_global_dirty_log_do_start(Error **errp)
+{
+    MemoryListener *listener;
+
+    QTAILQ_FOREACH(listener, &memory_listeners, link) {
+        if (listener->log_global_start) {
+            if (!listener->log_global_start(listener, errp)) {
+                goto err;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return true;
+
+err:
+    while ((listener = QTAILQ_PREV(listener, link)) != NULL) {
+        if (listener->log_global_stop) {
+            listener->log_global_stop(listener);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
 void memory_global_dirty_log_start(unsigned int flags)
 {
     unsigned int old_flags;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     assert(flags && !(flags & (~GLOBAL_DIRTY_MASK)));
 
@@ -2936,7 +2960,13 @@ void memory_global_dirty_log_start(unsigned int flags)
     trace_global_dirty_changed(global_dirty_tracking);
 
     if (!old_flags) {
-        MEMORY_LISTENER_CALL_GLOBAL(log_global_start, Forward);
+        if (!memory_global_dirty_log_do_start(&local_err)) {
+            global_dirty_tracking &= ~flags;
+            trace_global_dirty_changed(global_dirty_tracking);
+            error_report_err(local_err);
+            return;
+        }
+
         memory_region_transaction_begin();
         memory_region_update_pending = true;
         memory_region_transaction_commit();
@@ -3014,8 +3044,11 @@ static void listener_add_address_space(MemoryListener *listener,
         listener->begin(listener);
     }
     if (global_dirty_tracking) {
+        /*
+         * Migration has already started. Assert on any error.
+         */
         if (listener->log_global_start) {
-            listener->log_global_start(listener);
+            listener->log_global_start(listener, &error_abort);
         }
     }
 
