diff --git a/include/migration/colo.h b/include/migration/colo.h
index 1636e6f907..768e1f04c3 100644
--- a/include/migration/colo.h
+++ b/include/migration/colo.h
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ void migrate_start_colo_process(MigrationState *s);
 bool migration_in_colo_state(void);
 
 /* loadvm */
-void migration_incoming_enable_colo(void);
+int migration_incoming_enable_colo(void);
 void migration_incoming_disable_colo(void);
 bool migration_incoming_colo_enabled(void);
 void *colo_process_incoming_thread(void *opaque);
diff --git a/migration/migration.c b/migration/migration.c
index d365d82209..92e44e021e 100644
--- a/migration/migration.c
+++ b/migration/migration.c
@@ -338,12 +338,18 @@ bool migration_incoming_colo_enabled(void)
 
 void migration_incoming_disable_colo(void)
 {
+    ram_block_discard_disable(false);
     migration_colo_enabled = false;
 }
 
-void migration_incoming_enable_colo(void)
+int migration_incoming_enable_colo(void)
 {
+    if (ram_block_discard_disable(true)) {
+        error_report("COLO: cannot disable RAM discard");
+        return -EBUSY;
+    }
     migration_colo_enabled = true;
+    return 0;
 }
 
 void migrate_add_address(SocketAddress *address)
diff --git a/migration/savevm.c b/migration/savevm.c
index b979ea6e7f..6e01724605 100644
--- a/migration/savevm.c
+++ b/migration/savevm.c
@@ -2111,8 +2111,15 @@ static int loadvm_handle_recv_bitmap(MigrationIncomingState *mis,
 
 static int loadvm_process_enable_colo(MigrationIncomingState *mis)
 {
-    migration_incoming_enable_colo();
-    return colo_init_ram_cache();
+    int ret = migration_incoming_enable_colo();
+
+    if (!ret) {
+        ret = colo_init_ram_cache();
+        if (ret) {
+            migration_incoming_disable_colo();
+        }
+    }
+    return ret;
 }
 
 /*