diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
index 54458db93b..c21949ba73 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
@@ -1688,6 +1688,76 @@ const char *qemuCapsGetCanonicalMachine(qemuCapsPtr caps,
 }
 
 
+static int
+qemuCapsProbeQMPCommands(qemuCapsPtr caps,
+                         qemuMonitorPtr mon)
+{
+    char **commands = NULL;
+    int ncommands;
+    size_t i;
+
+    if ((ncommands = qemuMonitorGetCommands(mon, &commands)) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    for (i = 0 ; i < ncommands ; i++) {
+        char *name = commands[i];
+        if (STREQ(name, "system_wakeup"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_WAKEUP);
+        else if (STREQ(name, "transaction"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_TRANSACTION);
+        else if (STREQ(name, "block_job_cancel"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BLOCKJOB_SYNC);
+        else if (STREQ(name, "block-job-cancel"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BLOCKJOB_ASYNC);
+        else if (STREQ(name, "dump-guest-memory"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_DUMP_GUEST_MEMORY);
+        VIR_FREE(name);
+    }
+    VIR_FREE(commands);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+static int
+qemuCapsProbeQMPEvents(qemuCapsPtr caps,
+                       qemuMonitorPtr mon)
+{
+    char **events = NULL;
+    int nevents;
+    size_t i;
+
+    if ((nevents = qemuMonitorGetEvents(mon, &events)) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    for (i = 0 ; i < nevents ; i++) {
+        char *name = events[i];
+
+        if (STREQ(name, "BALLOON_CHANGE"))
+            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BALLOON_EVENT);
+        VIR_FREE(name);
+    }
+    VIR_FREE(events);
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
+int qemuCapsProbeQMP(qemuCapsPtr caps,
+                     qemuMonitorPtr mon)
+{
+    VIR_DEBUG("caps=%p mon=%p", caps, mon);
+
+    if (qemuCapsProbeQMPCommands(caps, mon) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    if (qemuCapsProbeQMPEvents(caps, mon) < 0)
+        return -1;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 #define QEMU_SYSTEM_PREFIX "qemu-system-"
 
 qemuCapsPtr qemuCapsNewForBinary(const char *binary)
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
index 5e8650fdab..109aaf3097 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 # include "capabilities.h"
 # include "command.h"
 # include "virobject.h"
+# include "qemu_monitor.h"
 
 /* Internal flags to keep track of qemu command line capabilities */
 enum qemuCapsFlags {
@@ -163,6 +164,9 @@ qemuCapsPtr qemuCapsNew(void);
 qemuCapsPtr qemuCapsNewCopy(qemuCapsPtr caps);
 qemuCapsPtr qemuCapsNewForBinary(const char *binary);
 
+int qemuCapsProbeQMP(qemuCapsPtr caps,
+                     qemuMonitorPtr mon);
+
 void qemuCapsSet(qemuCapsPtr caps,
                  enum qemuCapsFlags flag) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1);
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
index 152fad8c22..cd41dd7b12 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
@@ -1126,8 +1126,7 @@ int qemuMonitorEmitBalloonChange(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
 }
 
 
-int qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                               qemuCapsPtr caps)
+int qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon)
 {
     int ret;
     VIR_DEBUG("mon=%p", mon);
@@ -1142,14 +1141,6 @@ int qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
         ret = qemuMonitorJSONSetCapabilities(mon);
         if (ret < 0)
             goto cleanup;
-
-        ret = qemuMonitorJSONCheckCommands(mon, caps);
-        if (ret < 0)
-            goto cleanup;
-
-        ret = qemuMonitorJSONCheckEvents(mon, caps);
-        if (ret < 0)
-            goto cleanup;
     } else {
         ret = 0;
     }
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
index 3df0840576..54b3a997b8 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
 
 # include "internal.h"
 
-# include "qemu_capabilities.h"
 # include "domain_conf.h"
 # include "bitmap.h"
 # include "virhash.h"
@@ -155,8 +154,7 @@ qemuMonitorPtr qemuMonitorOpenFD(virDomainObjPtr vm,
 
 void qemuMonitorClose(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
 
-int qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                               qemuCapsPtr caps);
+int qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
 
 void qemuMonitorLock(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
 void qemuMonitorUnlock(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
index 43b003dc13..2eb1800f6a 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
@@ -968,65 +968,6 @@ qemuMonitorJSONSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon)
 }
 
 
-/*
- * Returns: 0 if human-monitor-command is not supported, +1 if
- * human-monitor-command worked or -1 on failure
- */
-int
-qemuMonitorJSONCheckCommands(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                             qemuCapsPtr caps)
-{
-    char **commands = NULL;
-    int ncommands;
-    size_t i;
-
-    if ((ncommands = qemuMonitorJSONGetCommands(mon, &commands)) < 0)
-        return -1;
-
-    for (i = 0 ; i < ncommands ; i++) {
-        char *name = commands[i];
-        if (STREQ(name, "system_wakeup"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_WAKEUP);
-        else if (STREQ(name, "transaction"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_TRANSACTION);
-        else if (STREQ(name, "block_job_cancel"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BLOCKJOB_SYNC);
-        else if (STREQ(name, "block-job-cancel"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BLOCKJOB_ASYNC);
-        else if (STREQ(name, "dump-guest-memory"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_DUMP_GUEST_MEMORY);
-        VIR_FREE(name);
-    }
-    VIR_FREE(commands);
-
-    return 0;
-}
-
-
-int
-qemuMonitorJSONCheckEvents(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                           qemuCapsPtr caps)
-{
-    char **events = NULL;
-    int nevents;
-    size_t i;
-
-    if ((nevents = qemuMonitorJSONGetEvents(mon, &events)) < 0)
-        return -1;
-
-    for (i = 0 ; i < nevents ; i++) {
-        char *name = events[i];
-
-        if (STREQ(name, "BALLOON_CHANGE"))
-            qemuCapsSet(caps, QEMU_CAPS_BALLOON_EVENT);
-        VIR_FREE(name);
-    }
-    VIR_FREE(events);
-
-    return 0;
-}
-
-
 int
 qemuMonitorJSONStartCPUs(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                          virConnectPtr conn ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
index 546b6afefd..63b84c66f9 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
@@ -42,11 +42,6 @@ int qemuMonitorJSONHumanCommandWithFd(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
 
 int qemuMonitorJSONSetCapabilities(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
 
-int qemuMonitorJSONCheckCommands(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                                 qemuCapsPtr caps);
-int qemuMonitorJSONCheckEvents(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
-                               qemuCapsPtr caps);
-
 int qemuMonitorJSONStartCPUs(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                              virConnectPtr conn);
 int qemuMonitorJSONStopCPUs(qemuMonitorPtr mon);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
index 8937c42ef9..31909b7a1a 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_process.c
@@ -1250,7 +1250,10 @@ qemuConnectMonitor(struct qemud_driver *driver, virDomainObjPtr vm)
 
 
     qemuDomainObjEnterMonitorWithDriver(driver, vm);
-    ret = qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(priv->mon, priv->caps);
+    ret = qemuMonitorSetCapabilities(priv->mon);
+    if (ret == 0 &&
+        qemuCapsGet(priv->caps, QEMU_CAPS_MONITOR_JSON))
+        ret = qemuCapsProbeQMP(priv->caps, priv->mon);
     qemuDomainObjExitMonitorWithDriver(driver, vm);
 
 error: