diff --git a/src/util/virjson.c b/src/util/virjson.c
index 3c3a54bc7c..d55913a143 100644
--- a/src/util/virjson.c
+++ b/src/util/virjson.c
@@ -2012,17 +2012,24 @@ virJSONValueObjectDeflattenWorker(const char *key,
 virJSONValuePtr
 virJSONValueObjectDeflatten(virJSONValuePtr json)
 {
-    virJSONValuePtr ret;
+    virJSONValuePtr deflattened;
+    virJSONValuePtr ret = NULL;
 
-    if (!(ret = virJSONValueNewObject()))
+    if (!(deflattened = virJSONValueNewObject()))
         return NULL;
 
     if (virJSONValueObjectForeachKeyValue(json,
                                           virJSONValueObjectDeflattenWorker,
-                                          ret) < 0) {
-        virJSONValueFree(ret);
-        return NULL;
-    }
+                                          deflattened) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    if (virJSONValueObjectCreate(&ret, "a:file", deflattened, NULL) < 0)
+        goto cleanup;
+
+    deflattened = NULL;
+
+ cleanup:
+    virJSONValueFree(deflattened);
 
     return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/util/virstoragefile.c b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
index 52c5301fff..ff78bc968e 100644
--- a/src/util/virstoragefile.c
+++ b/src/util/virstoragefile.c
@@ -3260,7 +3260,13 @@ virStorageSourceParseBackingJSONInternal(virStorageSourcePtr src,
         if (!(fixedroot = virJSONValueObjectDeflatten(json)))
             goto cleanup;
 
-        file = fixedroot;
+        if (!(file = virJSONValueObjectGetObject(fixedroot, "file"))) {
+            str = virJSONValueToString(json, false);
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
+                           _("JSON backing volume defintion '%s' lacks 'file' object"),
+                           NULLSTR(str));
+            goto cleanup;
+        }
     }
 
     if (!(drvname = virJSONValueObjectGetString(file, "driver"))) {