diff --git a/backends/dbus-vmstate.c b/backends/dbus-vmstate.c
index 57369ec0f2..e781ded17c 100644
--- a/backends/dbus-vmstate.c
+++ b/backends/dbus-vmstate.c
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ dbus_vmstate_complete(UserCreatable *uc, Error **errp)
     }
 
     if (!self->dbus_addr) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "addr");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'addr' is missing");
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/block/gluster.c b/block/gluster.c
index ad5fadbe79..8d97d698c3 100644
--- a/block/gluster.c
+++ b/block/gluster.c
@@ -530,20 +530,20 @@ static int qemu_gluster_parse_json(BlockdevOptionsGluster *gconf,
 
     num_servers = qdict_array_entries(options, GLUSTER_OPT_SERVER_PATTERN);
     if (num_servers < 1) {
-        error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "server");
+        error_setg(&local_err, "Parameter 'server' is missing");
         goto out;
     }
 
     ptr = qemu_opt_get(opts, GLUSTER_OPT_VOLUME);
     if (!ptr) {
-        error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, GLUSTER_OPT_VOLUME);
+        error_setg(&local_err, "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_VOLUME " is missing");
         goto out;
     }
     gconf->volume = g_strdup(ptr);
 
     ptr = qemu_opt_get(opts, GLUSTER_OPT_PATH);
     if (!ptr) {
-        error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, GLUSTER_OPT_PATH);
+        error_setg(&local_err, "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_PATH " is missing");
         goto out;
     }
     gconf->path = g_strdup(ptr);
@@ -562,7 +562,8 @@ static int qemu_gluster_parse_json(BlockdevOptionsGluster *gconf,
 
         ptr = qemu_opt_get(opts, GLUSTER_OPT_TYPE);
         if (!ptr) {
-            error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, GLUSTER_OPT_TYPE);
+            error_setg(&local_err,
+                       "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_TYPE " is missing");
             error_append_hint(&local_err, GERR_INDEX_HINT, i);
             goto out;
 
@@ -592,16 +593,16 @@ static int qemu_gluster_parse_json(BlockdevOptionsGluster *gconf,
 
             ptr = qemu_opt_get(opts, GLUSTER_OPT_HOST);
             if (!ptr) {
-                error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER,
-                           GLUSTER_OPT_HOST);
+                error_setg(&local_err,
+                           "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_HOST " is missing");
                 error_append_hint(&local_err, GERR_INDEX_HINT, i);
                 goto out;
             }
             gsconf->u.inet.host = g_strdup(ptr);
             ptr = qemu_opt_get(opts, GLUSTER_OPT_PORT);
             if (!ptr) {
-                error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER,
-                           GLUSTER_OPT_PORT);
+                error_setg(&local_err,
+                           "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_PORT " is missing");
                 error_append_hint(&local_err, GERR_INDEX_HINT, i);
                 goto out;
             }
@@ -648,8 +649,8 @@ static int qemu_gluster_parse_json(BlockdevOptionsGluster *gconf,
                 goto out;
             }
             if (!ptr) {
-                error_setg(&local_err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER,
-                           GLUSTER_OPT_PATH);
+                error_setg(&local_err,
+                           "Parameter " GLUSTER_OPT_PATH " is missing");
                 error_append_hint(&local_err, GERR_INDEX_HINT, i);
                 goto out;
             }
diff --git a/block/monitor/block-hmp-cmds.c b/block/monitor/block-hmp-cmds.c
index ca2599de44..90e593ed38 100644
--- a/block/monitor/block-hmp-cmds.c
+++ b/block/monitor/block-hmp-cmds.c
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ void hmp_drive_mirror(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     };
 
     if (!filename) {
-        error_setg(&err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "target");
+        error_setg(&err, "Parameter 'target' is missing");
         goto end;
     }
     qmp_drive_mirror(&mirror, &err);
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ void hmp_drive_backup(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
     };
 
     if (!filename) {
-        error_setg(&err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "target");
+        error_setg(&err, "Parameter 'target' is missing");
         goto end;
     }
 
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ void hmp_snapshot_blkdev(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
          * In the future, if 'snapshot-file' is not specified, the snapshot
          * will be taken internally. Today it's actually required.
          */
-        error_setg(&err, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "snapshot-file");
+        error_setg(&err, "Parameter 'snapshot-file' is missing");
         goto end;
     }
 
diff --git a/dump/dump.c b/dump/dump.c
index e173f1f14c..642b952985 100644
--- a/dump/dump.c
+++ b/dump/dump.c
@@ -2096,11 +2096,11 @@ void qmp_dump_guest_memory(bool paging, const char *file,
         return;
     }
     if (has_begin && !has_length) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "length");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'length' is missing");
         return;
     }
     if (!has_begin && has_length) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "begin");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'begin' is missing");
         return;
     }
     if (has_detach) {
diff --git a/hw/usb/redirect.c b/hw/usb/redirect.c
index ac6fa34ad1..83bfc9dc19 100644
--- a/hw/usb/redirect.c
+++ b/hw/usb/redirect.c
@@ -1426,7 +1426,7 @@ static void usbredir_realize(USBDevice *udev, Error **errp)
     int i;
 
     if (!qemu_chr_fe_backend_connected(&dev->cs)) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "chardev");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'chardev' is missing");
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c b/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
index b17aec4357..b7b2bf18d4 100644
--- a/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
+++ b/softmmu/qdev-monitor.c
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ DeviceState *qdev_device_add_from_qdict(const QDict *opts,
 
     driver = qdict_get_try_str(opts, "driver");
     if (!driver) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "driver");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'driver' is missing");
         return NULL;
     }
 
diff --git a/softmmu/tpm.c b/softmmu/tpm.c
index 8437c4efc3..3a7d4b5c67 100644
--- a/softmmu/tpm.c
+++ b/softmmu/tpm.c
@@ -106,13 +106,13 @@ static int tpm_init_tpmdev(void *dummy, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 
     id = qemu_opts_id(opts);
     if (id == NULL) {
-        error_report(QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "id");
+        error_report("Parameter 'id' is missing");
         return 1;
     }
 
     value = qemu_opt_get(opts, "type");
     if (!value) {
-        error_report(QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "type");
+        error_report("Parameter 'type' is missing");
         tpm_display_backend_drivers();
         return 1;
     }
diff --git a/softmmu/vl.c b/softmmu/vl.c
index 98e071e63b..840ac84069 100644
--- a/softmmu/vl.c
+++ b/softmmu/vl.c
@@ -1801,7 +1801,7 @@ static void object_option_parse(const char *optarg)
 
         type = qemu_opt_get(opts, "qom-type");
         if (!type) {
-            error_setg(&error_fatal, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "qom-type");
+            error_setg(&error_fatal, "Parameter 'qom-type' is missing");
         }
         if (user_creatable_print_help(type, opts)) {
             exit(0);
@@ -2266,7 +2266,7 @@ static int do_configure_accelerator(void *opaque, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
     bool qtest_with_kvm;
 
     if (!acc) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "accel");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'accel' is missing");
         goto bad;
     }
 
diff --git a/ui/input-barrier.c b/ui/input-barrier.c
index 2d57ca7079..ecbba4adc2 100644
--- a/ui/input-barrier.c
+++ b/ui/input-barrier.c
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ static void input_barrier_complete(UserCreatable *uc, Error **errp)
     Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (!ib->name) {
-        error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "name");
+        error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'name' is missing");
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/ui/ui-qmp-cmds.c b/ui/ui-qmp-cmds.c
index a95fd35948..0e350fc333 100644
--- a/ui/ui-qmp-cmds.c
+++ b/ui/ui-qmp-cmds.c
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ void qmp_client_migrate_info(const char *protocol, const char *hostname,
         }
 
         if (!has_port && !has_tls_port) {
-            error_setg(errp, QERR_MISSING_PARAMETER, "port/tls-port");
+            error_setg(errp, "Parameter 'port/tls-port' is missing");
             return;
         }
 
