diff --git a/hw/block/nvme.c b/hw/block/nvme.c
index f39be1961e04..7897390b6d74 100644
--- a/hw/block/nvme.c
+++ b/hw/block/nvme.c
@@ -1292,7 +1292,46 @@ static uint16_t nvme_check_zone_read(NvmeNamespace *ns, uint64_t slba,
     return status;
 }
 
-static void nvme_auto_transition_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns)
+static uint16_t nvme_zrm_finish(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone)
+{
+    switch (nvme_get_zone_state(zone)) {
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL:
+        return NVME_SUCCESS;
+
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
+        nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
+        /* fallthrough */
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
+        nvme_aor_dec_active(ns);
+        /* fallthrough */
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
+        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL);
+        return NVME_SUCCESS;
+
+    default:
+        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
+    }
+}
+
+static uint16_t nvme_zrm_close(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone)
+{
+    switch (nvme_get_zone_state(zone)) {
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
+        return NVME_SUCCESS;
+
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
+        nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
+        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED);
+        /* fall through */
+
+    default:
+        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
+    }
+}
+
+static void nvme_zrm_auto_transition_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns)
 {
     NvmeZone *zone;
 
@@ -1304,34 +1343,74 @@ static void nvme_auto_transition_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns)
              * Automatically close this implicitly open zone.
              */
             QTAILQ_REMOVE(&ns->imp_open_zones, zone, entry);
-            nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
-            nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED);
+            nvme_zrm_close(ns, zone);
         }
     }
 }
 
-static uint16_t nvme_auto_open_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone)
+static uint16_t __nvme_zrm_open(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
+                                bool implicit)
 {
-    uint16_t status = NVME_SUCCESS;
-    uint8_t zs = nvme_get_zone_state(zone);
+    int act = 0;
+    uint16_t status;
 
-    if (zs == NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY) {
-        nvme_auto_transition_zone(ns);
-        status = nvme_aor_check(ns, 1, 1);
-    } else if (zs == NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED) {
-        nvme_auto_transition_zone(ns);
-        status = nvme_aor_check(ns, 0, 1);
+    switch (nvme_get_zone_state(zone)) {
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
+        act = 1;
+
+        /* fallthrough */
+
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
+        nvme_zrm_auto_transition_zone(ns);
+        status = nvme_aor_check(ns, act, 1);
+        if (status) {
+            return status;
+        }
+
+        if (act) {
+            nvme_aor_inc_active(ns);
+        }
+
+        nvme_aor_inc_open(ns);
+
+        if (implicit) {
+            nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN);
+            return NVME_SUCCESS;
+        }
+
+        /* fallthrough */
+
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
+        if (implicit) {
+            return NVME_SUCCESS;
+        }
+
+        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN);
+
+        /* fallthrough */
+
+    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
+        return NVME_SUCCESS;
+
+    default:
+        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
     }
-
-    return status;
 }
 
-static void nvme_finalize_zoned_write(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeRequest *req,
-                                      bool failed)
+static inline uint16_t nvme_zrm_auto(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone)
+{
+    return __nvme_zrm_open(ns, zone, true);
+}
+
+static inline uint16_t nvme_zrm_open(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone)
+{
+    return __nvme_zrm_open(ns, zone, false);
+}
+
+static void nvme_finalize_zoned_write(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeRequest *req)
 {
     NvmeRwCmd *rw = (NvmeRwCmd *)&req->cmd;
     NvmeZone *zone;
-    NvmeZonedResult *res = (NvmeZonedResult *)&req->cqe;
     uint64_t slba;
     uint32_t nlb;
 
@@ -1341,47 +1420,8 @@ static void nvme_finalize_zoned_write(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeRequest *req,
 
     zone->d.wp += nlb;
 
-    if (failed) {
-        res->slba = 0;
-    }
-
     if (zone->d.wp == nvme_zone_wr_boundary(zone)) {
-        switch (nvme_get_zone_state(zone)) {
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
-            nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
-            /* fall through */
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
-            nvme_aor_dec_active(ns);
-            /* fall through */
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
-            nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL);
-            /* fall through */
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL:
-            break;
-        default:
-            assert(false);
-        }
-    }
-}
-
-static void nvme_advance_zone_wp(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
-                                 uint32_t nlb)
-{
-    uint8_t zs;
-
-    zone->w_ptr += nlb;
-
-    if (zone->w_ptr < nvme_zone_wr_boundary(zone)) {
-        zs = nvme_get_zone_state(zone);
-        switch (zs) {
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
-            nvme_aor_inc_active(ns);
-            /* fall through */
-        case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
-            nvme_aor_inc_open(ns);
-            nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN);
-        }
+        nvme_zrm_finish(ns, zone);
     }
 }
 
@@ -1406,7 +1446,7 @@ static void nvme_rw_cb(void *opaque, int ret)
     trace_pci_nvme_rw_cb(nvme_cid(req), blk_name(blk));
 
     if (ns->params.zoned && nvme_is_write(req)) {
-        nvme_finalize_zoned_write(ns, req, ret != 0);
+        nvme_finalize_zoned_write(ns, req);
     }
 
     if (!ret) {
@@ -1782,12 +1822,12 @@ static uint16_t nvme_do_write(NvmeCtrl *n, NvmeRequest *req, bool append,
             goto invalid;
         }
 
-        status = nvme_auto_open_zone(ns, zone);
+        status = nvme_zrm_auto(ns, zone);
         if (status) {
             goto invalid;
         }
 
-        nvme_advance_zone_wp(ns, zone, nlb);
+        zone->w_ptr += nlb;
     }
 
     data_offset = nvme_l2b(ns, slba);
@@ -1873,73 +1913,19 @@ enum NvmeZoneProcessingMask {
 static uint16_t nvme_open_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
                                NvmeZoneState state, NvmeRequest *req)
 {
-    uint16_t status;
-
-    switch (state) {
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
-        status = nvme_aor_check(ns, 1, 0);
-        if (status) {
-            return status;
-        }
-        nvme_aor_inc_active(ns);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
-        status = nvme_aor_check(ns, 0, 1);
-        if (status) {
-            if (state == NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY) {
-                nvme_aor_dec_active(ns);
-            }
-            return status;
-        }
-        nvme_aor_inc_open(ns);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
-        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
-        return NVME_SUCCESS;
-    default:
-        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
-    }
+    return nvme_zrm_open(ns, zone);
 }
 
 static uint16_t nvme_close_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
                                 NvmeZoneState state, NvmeRequest *req)
 {
-    switch (state) {
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
-        nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
-        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
-        return NVME_SUCCESS;
-    default:
-        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
-    }
+    return nvme_zrm_close(ns, zone);
 }
 
 static uint16_t nvme_finish_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
                                  NvmeZoneState state, NvmeRequest *req)
 {
-    switch (state) {
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EXPLICITLY_OPEN:
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_IMPLICITLY_OPEN:
-        nvme_aor_dec_open(ns);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_CLOSED:
-        nvme_aor_dec_active(ns);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_EMPTY:
-        zone->w_ptr = nvme_zone_wr_boundary(zone);
-        zone->d.wp = zone->w_ptr;
-        nvme_assign_zone_state(ns, zone, NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL);
-        /* fall through */
-    case NVME_ZONE_STATE_FULL:
-        return NVME_SUCCESS;
-    default:
-        return NVME_ZONE_INVAL_TRANSITION;
-    }
+    return nvme_zrm_finish(ns, zone);
 }
 
 static uint16_t nvme_reset_zone(NvmeNamespace *ns, NvmeZone *zone,
