diff --git a/docs/schemas/nodedev.rng b/docs/schemas/nodedev.rng
index 5840dc9f0d..777227c38a 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/nodedev.rng
+++ b/docs/schemas/nodedev.rng
@@ -606,27 +606,34 @@
   </define>
 
   <define name="capmdev">
-    <attribute name="type">
-      <value>mdev</value>
-    </attribute>
-    <element name="type">
-      <attribute name="id">
-        <data type="string"/>
+    <interleave>
+      <attribute name="type">
+        <value>mdev</value>
       </attribute>
-    </element>
-    <optional>
-      <element name="iommuGroup">
-        <attribute name="number">
-          <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+      <element name="type">
+        <attribute name="id">
+          <data type="string"/>
         </attribute>
       </element>
-    </optional>
-    <zeroOrMore>
-      <element name="attr">
-        <attribute name="name"/>
-        <attribute name="value"/>
-      </element>
-    </zeroOrMore>
+      <optional>
+        <element name="iommuGroup">
+          <attribute name="number">
+            <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+          </attribute>
+        </element>
+      </optional>
+      <optional>
+        <element name="uuid">
+          <ref name="UUID"/>
+        </element>
+      </optional>
+      <zeroOrMore>
+        <element name="attr">
+          <attribute name="name"/>
+          <attribute name="value"/>
+        </element>
+      </zeroOrMore>
+    </interleave>
   </define>
 
   <define name="capccwdev">
diff --git a/src/conf/node_device_conf.c b/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
index b1739ceb01..d167da6171 100644
--- a/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
@@ -527,6 +527,7 @@ virNodeDeviceCapMdevDefFormat(virBufferPtr buf,
     size_t i;
 
     virBufferEscapeString(buf, "<type id='%s'/>\n", data->mdev.type);
+    virBufferEscapeString(buf, "<uuid>%s</uuid>\n", data->mdev.uuid);
     virBufferAsprintf(buf, "<iommuGroup number='%u'/>\n",
                       data->mdev.iommuGroupNumber);
 
@@ -1948,6 +1949,7 @@ virNodeDevCapMdevParseXML(xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
     int nattrs = 0;
     g_autofree xmlNodePtr *attrs = NULL;
     size_t i;
+    g_autofree char *uuidstr = NULL;
 
     ctxt->node = node;
 
@@ -1957,6 +1959,18 @@ virNodeDevCapMdevParseXML(xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
         return -1;
     }
 
+    if ((uuidstr = virXPathString("string(./uuid[1])", ctxt))) {
+        unsigned char uuidbuf[VIR_UUID_BUFLEN];
+        /* make sure that the provided uuid is valid */
+        if (virUUIDParse(uuidstr, uuidbuf) < 0) {
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("Invalid uuid '%s' for new mdev device"), uuidstr);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        mdev->uuid = g_new0(char, VIR_UUID_STRING_BUFLEN);
+        virUUIDFormat(uuidbuf, mdev->uuid);
+    }
+
     /* 'iommuGroup' is optional, only report an error if the supplied value is
      * invalid (-2), not if it's missing (-1) */
     if (virXPathUInt("number(./iommuGroup[1]/@number)",
diff --git a/tests/nodedevmdevctldata/mdevctl-list-multiple.out.xml b/tests/nodedevmdevctldata/mdevctl-list-multiple.out.xml
index 543ad916b7..cf7e966256 100644
--- a/tests/nodedevmdevctldata/mdevctl-list-multiple.out.xml
+++ b/tests/nodedevmdevctldata/mdevctl-list-multiple.out.xml
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
   <parent>0000:00:02.0</parent>
   <capability type='mdev'>
     <type id='i915-GVTg_V5_4'/>
+    <uuid>200f228a-c80a-4d50-bfb7-f5a0e4e34045</uuid>
     <iommuGroup number='0'/>
   </capability>
 </device>
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@
   <parent>0000:00:02.0</parent>
   <capability type='mdev'>
     <type id='i915-GVTg_V5_4'/>
+    <uuid>de807ffc-1923-4d5f-b6c9-b20ecebc6d4b</uuid>
     <iommuGroup number='0'/>
   </capability>
 </device>
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@
   <parent>0000:00:02.0</parent>
   <capability type='mdev'>
     <type id='i915-GVTg_V5_8'/>
+    <uuid>435722ea-5f43-468a-874f-da34f1217f13</uuid>
     <iommuGroup number='0'/>
     <attr name='testattr' value='42'/>
   </capability>
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@
   <parent>matrix</parent>
   <capability type='mdev'>
     <type id='vfio_ap-passthrough'/>
+    <uuid>783e6dbb-ea0e-411f-94e2-717eaad438bf</uuid>
     <iommuGroup number='0'/>
     <attr name='assign_adapter' value='5'/>
     <attr name='assign_adapter' value='6'/>