diff --git a/migration-exec.c b/migration-exec.c
index d0119c6..b7b1055 100644
--- a/migration-exec.c
+++ b/migration-exec.c
@@ -61,22 +61,14 @@ static int exec_close(MigrationState *s)
     return ret;
 }

-MigrationState *exec_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                              const char *command,
-					      int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					      int detach,
-					      int blk,
-					      int inc)
+int exec_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *command)
 {
-    MigrationState *s;
     FILE *f;

-    s = migrate_new(mon, bandwidth_limit, detach, blk, inc);
-
     f = popen(command, "w");
     if (f == NULL) {
         DPRINTF("Unable to popen exec target\n");
-        goto err_after_alloc;
+        goto err_after_popen;
     }

     s->fd = fileno(f);
@@ -94,13 +86,12 @@ MigrationState *exec_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
     s->write = file_write;

     migrate_fd_connect(s);
-    return s;
+    return 0;

 err_after_open:
     pclose(f);
-err_after_alloc:
-    g_free(s);
-    return NULL;
+err_after_popen:
+    return -1;
 }

 static void exec_accept_incoming_migration(void *opaque)
diff --git a/migration-fd.c b/migration-fd.c
index 9d3ca42..d0aec89 100644
--- a/migration-fd.c
+++ b/migration-fd.c
@@ -50,21 +50,12 @@ static int fd_close(MigrationState *s)
     return 0;
 }

-MigrationState *fd_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-					    const char *fdname,
-					    int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					    int detach,
-					    int blk,
-					    int inc)
+int fd_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *fdname)
 {
-    MigrationState *s;
-
-    s = migrate_new(mon, bandwidth_limit, detach, blk, inc);
-
-    s->fd = monitor_get_fd(mon, fdname);
+    s->fd = monitor_get_fd(s->mon, fdname);
     if (s->fd == -1) {
         DPRINTF("fd_migration: invalid file descriptor identifier\n");
-        goto err_after_alloc;
+        goto err_after_get_fd;
     }

     if (fcntl(s->fd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK) == -1) {
@@ -77,13 +68,12 @@ MigrationState *fd_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
     s->close = fd_close;

     migrate_fd_connect(s);
-    return s;
+    return 0;

 err_after_open:
     close(s->fd);
-err_after_alloc:
-    g_free(s);
-    return NULL;
+err_after_get_fd:
+    return -1;
 }

 static void fd_accept_incoming_migration(void *opaque)
diff --git a/migration-tcp.c b/migration-tcp.c
index 999d4c9..f6b2288 100644
--- a/migration-tcp.c
+++ b/migration-tcp.c
@@ -75,30 +75,22 @@ static void tcp_wait_for_connect(void *opaque)
     }
 }

-MigrationState *tcp_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                             const char *host_port,
-                                             int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-                                             int detach,
-					     int blk,
-					     int inc)
+int tcp_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *host_port)
 {
     struct sockaddr_in addr;
-    MigrationState *s;
     int ret;

-    if (parse_host_port(&addr, host_port) < 0)
-        return NULL;
-
-    s = migrate_new(mon, bandwidth_limit, detach, blk, inc);
-
+    ret = parse_host_port(&addr, host_port);
+    if (ret < 0) {
+        return ret;
+    }
     s->get_error = socket_errno;
     s->write = socket_write;
     s->close = tcp_close;

     s->fd = qemu_socket(PF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
     if (s->fd == -1) {
-        g_free(s);
-        return NULL;
+        return -1;
     }

     socket_set_nonblock(s->fd);
@@ -118,7 +110,7 @@ MigrationState *tcp_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
     } else if (ret >= 0)
         migrate_fd_connect(s);

-    return s;
+    return 0;
 }

 static void tcp_accept_incoming_migration(void *opaque)
diff --git a/migration-unix.c b/migration-unix.c
index bee71d9..bd8d40f 100644
--- a/migration-unix.c
+++ b/migration-unix.c
@@ -74,22 +74,13 @@ static void unix_wait_for_connect(void *opaque)
     }
 }

-MigrationState *unix_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                              const char *path,
-					      int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					      int detach,
-					      int blk,
-					      int inc)
+int unix_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *path)
 {
-    MigrationState *s;
     struct sockaddr_un addr;
     int ret;

     addr.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
     snprintf(addr.sun_path, sizeof(addr.sun_path), "%s", path);
-
-    s = migrate_new(mon, bandwidth_limit, detach, blk, inc);
-
     s->get_error = unix_errno;
     s->write = unix_write;
     s->close = unix_close;
@@ -97,7 +88,7 @@ MigrationState *unix_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
     s->fd = qemu_socket(PF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
     if (s->fd < 0) {
         DPRINTF("Unable to open socket");
-        goto err_after_alloc;
+        goto err_after_socket;
     }

     socket_set_nonblock(s->fd);
@@ -119,14 +110,13 @@ MigrationState *unix_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
     if (ret >= 0)
         migrate_fd_connect(s);

-    return s;
+    return 0;

 err_after_open:
     close(s->fd);

-err_after_alloc:
-    g_free(s);
-    return NULL;
+err_after_socket:
+    return -1;
 }

 static void unix_accept_incoming_migration(void *opaque)
diff --git a/migration.c b/migration.c
index 5a3e3ad..e93f3f7 100644
--- a/migration.c
+++ b/migration.c
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ void process_incoming_migration(QEMUFile *f)
     }
 }

+static MigrationState *migrate_new(Monitor *mon, int64_t bandwidth_limit,
+                                   int detach, int blk, int inc);
+
 int do_migrate(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
 {
     MigrationState *s = NULL;
@@ -85,6 +88,7 @@ int do_migrate(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
     int blk = qdict_get_try_bool(qdict, "blk", 0);
     int inc = qdict_get_try_bool(qdict, "inc", 0);
     const char *uri = qdict_get_str(qdict, "uri");
+    int ret;

     if (current_migration &&
         current_migration->get_status(current_migration) == MIG_STATE_ACTIVE) {
@@ -96,28 +100,27 @@ int do_migrate(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
         return -1;
     }

+    s = migrate_new(mon, max_throttle, detach, blk, inc);
+
     if (strstart(uri, "tcp:", &p)) {
-        s = tcp_start_outgoing_migration(mon, p, max_throttle, detach,
-                                         blk, inc);
+        ret = tcp_start_outgoing_migration(s, p);
 #if !defined(WIN32)
     } else if (strstart(uri, "exec:", &p)) {
-        s = exec_start_outgoing_migration(mon, p, max_throttle, detach,
-                                          blk, inc);
+        ret = exec_start_outgoing_migration(s, p);
     } else if (strstart(uri, "unix:", &p)) {
-        s = unix_start_outgoing_migration(mon, p, max_throttle, detach,
-                                          blk, inc);
+        ret = unix_start_outgoing_migration(s, p);
     } else if (strstart(uri, "fd:", &p)) {
-        s = fd_start_outgoing_migration(mon, p, max_throttle, detach, 
-                                        blk, inc);
+        ret = fd_start_outgoing_migration(s, p);
 #endif
     } else {
         monitor_printf(mon, "unknown migration protocol: %s\n", uri);
-        return -1;
+        ret  = -EINVAL;
+        goto free_migrate_state;
     }

-    if (s == NULL) {
+    if (ret < 0) {
         monitor_printf(mon, "migration failed\n");
-        return -1;
+        goto free_migrate_state;
     }

     if (current_migration) {
@@ -127,6 +130,9 @@ int do_migrate(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
     current_migration = s;
     notifier_list_notify(&migration_state_notifiers, NULL);
     return 0;
+free_migrate_state:
+    g_free(s);
+    return -1;
 }

 int do_migrate_cancel(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
@@ -489,8 +495,8 @@ void migrate_fd_connect(MigrationState *s)
     migrate_fd_put_ready(s);
 }

-MigrationState *migrate_new(Monitor *mon, int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-                                     int detach, int blk, int inc)
+static MigrationState *migrate_new(Monitor *mon, int64_t bandwidth_limit,
+                                   int detach, int blk, int inc)
 {
     MigrationState *s = g_malloc0(sizeof(*s));

diff --git a/migration.h b/migration.h
index 892b636..14c3ebc 100644
--- a/migration.h
+++ b/migration.h
@@ -64,47 +64,24 @@ void do_info_migrate(Monitor *mon, QObject **ret_data);

 int exec_start_incoming_migration(const char *host_port);

-MigrationState *exec_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                              const char *host_port,
-					      int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					      int detach,
-					      int blk,
-					      int inc);
+int exec_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *host_port);

 int tcp_start_incoming_migration(const char *host_port);

-MigrationState *tcp_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                             const char *host_port,
-					     int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					     int detach,
-					     int blk,
-					     int inc);
+int tcp_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *host_port);

 int unix_start_incoming_migration(const char *path);

-MigrationState *unix_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-                                              const char *path,
-					      int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					      int detach,
-					      int blk,
-					      int inc);
+int unix_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *path);

 int fd_start_incoming_migration(const char *path);

-MigrationState *fd_start_outgoing_migration(Monitor *mon,
-					    const char *fdname,
-					    int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-					    int detach,
-					    int blk,
-					    int inc);
+int fd_start_outgoing_migration(MigrationState *s, const char *fdname);

 void migrate_fd_error(MigrationState *s);

 void migrate_fd_connect(MigrationState *s);

-MigrationState *migrate_new(Monitor *mon, int64_t bandwidth_limit,
-                            int detach, int blk, int inc);
-
 void add_migration_state_change_notifier(Notifier *notify);
 void remove_migration_state_change_notifier(Notifier *notify);
 int get_migration_state(void);
