diff --git a/migration/file.h b/migration/file.h
index 9f71e87f74..7699c04677 100644
--- a/migration/file.h
+++ b/migration/file.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ void file_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s,
 int file_parse_offset(char *filespec, uint64_t *offsetp, Error **errp);
 void file_cleanup_outgoing_migration(void);
 bool file_send_channel_create(gpointer opaque, Error **errp);
+void file_create_incoming_channels(QIOChannel *ioc, Error **errp);
 int file_write_ramblock_iov(QIOChannel *ioc, const struct iovec *iov,
                             int niov, RAMBlock *block, Error **errp);
 int multifd_file_recv_data(MultiFDRecvParams *p, Error **errp);
diff --git a/migration/fd.c b/migration/fd.c
index 4e2a63a73d..39a52e5c90 100644
--- a/migration/fd.c
+++ b/migration/fd.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "channel.h"
 #include "fd.h"
+#include "file.h"
 #include "migration.h"
 #include "monitor/monitor.h"
 #include "io/channel-file.h"
@@ -80,7 +81,6 @@ static gboolean fd_accept_incoming_migration(QIOChannel *ioc,
 void fd_start_incoming_migration(const char *fdname, Error **errp)
 {
     QIOChannel *ioc;
-    QIOChannelFile *fioc;
     int fd = monitor_fd_param(monitor_cur(), fdname, errp);
     if (fd == -1) {
         return;
@@ -94,26 +94,13 @@ void fd_start_incoming_migration(const char *fdname, Error **errp)
         return;
     }
 
-    qio_channel_set_name(ioc, "migration-fd-incoming");
-    qio_channel_add_watch_full(ioc, G_IO_IN,
-                               fd_accept_incoming_migration,
-                               NULL, NULL,
-                               g_main_context_get_thread_default());
-
     if (migrate_multifd()) {
-        int channels = migrate_multifd_channels();
-
-        while (channels--) {
-            fioc = qio_channel_file_new_dupfd(fd, errp);
-            if (!fioc) {
-                return;
-            }
-
-            qio_channel_set_name(ioc, "migration-fd-incoming");
-            qio_channel_add_watch_full(QIO_CHANNEL(fioc), G_IO_IN,
-                                       fd_accept_incoming_migration,
-                                       NULL, NULL,
-                                       g_main_context_get_thread_default());
-        }
+        file_create_incoming_channels(ioc, errp);
+    } else {
+        qio_channel_set_name(ioc, "migration-fd-incoming");
+        qio_channel_add_watch_full(ioc, G_IO_IN,
+                                   fd_accept_incoming_migration,
+                                   NULL, NULL,
+                                   g_main_context_get_thread_default());
     }
 }
diff --git a/migration/file.c b/migration/file.c
index e56c5eb0a5..ddde0ca818 100644
--- a/migration/file.c
+++ b/migration/file.c
@@ -115,13 +115,46 @@ static gboolean file_accept_incoming_migration(QIOChannel *ioc,
     return G_SOURCE_REMOVE;
 }
 
+void file_create_incoming_channels(QIOChannel *ioc, Error **errp)
+{
+    int i, fd, channels = 1;
+    g_autofree QIOChannel **iocs = NULL;
+
+    if (migrate_multifd()) {
+        channels += migrate_multifd_channels();
+    }
+
+    iocs = g_new0(QIOChannel *, channels);
+    fd = QIO_CHANNEL_FILE(ioc)->fd;
+    iocs[0] = ioc;
+
+    for (i = 1; i < channels; i++) {
+        QIOChannelFile *fioc = qio_channel_file_new_dupfd(fd, errp);
+
+        if (!fioc) {
+            while (i) {
+                object_unref(iocs[--i]);
+            }
+            return;
+        }
+
+        iocs[i] = QIO_CHANNEL(fioc);
+    }
+
+    for (i = 0; i < channels; i++) {
+        qio_channel_set_name(iocs[i], "migration-file-incoming");
+        qio_channel_add_watch_full(iocs[i], G_IO_IN,
+                                   file_accept_incoming_migration,
+                                   NULL, NULL,
+                                   g_main_context_get_thread_default());
+    }
+}
+
 void file_start_incoming_migration(FileMigrationArgs *file_args, Error **errp)
 {
     g_autofree char *filename = g_strdup(file_args->filename);
     QIOChannelFile *fioc = NULL;
     uint64_t offset = file_args->offset;
-    int channels = 1;
-    int i = 0;
 
     trace_migration_file_incoming(filename);
 
@@ -132,28 +165,11 @@ void file_start_incoming_migration(FileMigrationArgs *file_args, Error **errp)
 
     if (offset &&
         qio_channel_io_seek(QIO_CHANNEL(fioc), offset, SEEK_SET, errp) < 0) {
+        object_unref(OBJECT(fioc));
         return;
     }
 
-    if (migrate_multifd()) {
-        channels += migrate_multifd_channels();
-    }
-
-    do {
-        QIOChannel *ioc = QIO_CHANNEL(fioc);
-
-        qio_channel_set_name(ioc, "migration-file-incoming");
-        qio_channel_add_watch_full(ioc, G_IO_IN,
-                                   file_accept_incoming_migration,
-                                   NULL, NULL,
-                                   g_main_context_get_thread_default());
-
-        fioc = qio_channel_file_new_dupfd(fioc->fd, errp);
-
-        if (!fioc) {
-            break;
-        }
-    } while (++i < channels);
+    file_create_incoming_channels(QIO_CHANNEL(fioc), errp);
 }
 
 int file_write_ramblock_iov(QIOChannel *ioc, const struct iovec *iov,
