diff --git a/hw/intc/arm_gic_kvm.c b/hw/intc/arm_gic_kvm.c
index af5cd367e9..ae095d08a3 100644
--- a/hw/intc/arm_gic_kvm.c
+++ b/hw/intc/arm_gic_kvm.c
@@ -100,14 +100,14 @@ static void kvm_gicd_access(GICState *s, int offset, int cpu,
                             uint32_t *val, bool write)
 {
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_DIST_REGS,
-                      KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, cpu), val, write);
+                      KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, cpu), val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 static void kvm_gicc_access(GICState *s, int offset, int cpu,
                             uint32_t *val, bool write)
 {
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CPU_REGS,
-                      KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, cpu), val, write);
+                      KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, cpu), val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 #define for_each_irq_reg(_ctr, _max_irq, _field_width) \
@@ -538,13 +538,14 @@ static void kvm_arm_gic_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
         if (kvm_device_check_attr(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_NR_IRQS, 0)) {
             uint32_t numirqs = s->num_irq;
             kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_NR_IRQS, 0,
-                              &numirqs, true);
+                              &numirqs, true, &error_abort);
         }
         /* Tell the kernel to complete VGIC initialization now */
         if (kvm_device_check_attr(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CTRL,
                                   KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT)) {
             kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CTRL,
-                              KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true);
+                              KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true,
+                              &error_abort);
         }
     } else if (ret != -ENODEV && ret != -ENOTSUP) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, -ret, "error creating in-kernel VGIC");
diff --git a/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_its_kvm.c b/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_its_kvm.c
index a0441d6bd1..340c2b04e8 100644
--- a/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_its_kvm.c
+++ b/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_its_kvm.c
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ static void kvm_arm_its_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
 
     /* explicit init of the ITS */
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CTRL,
-                      KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true);
+                      KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true, &error_abort);
 
     /* register the base address */
     kvm_arm_register_device(&s->iomem_its_cntrl, -1, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_ADDR,
diff --git a/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_kvm.c b/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_kvm.c
index 4ee2baa691..b70ee2763c 100644
--- a/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_kvm.c
+++ b/hw/intc/arm_gicv3_kvm.c
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ static inline void kvm_gicd_access(GICv3State *s, int offset,
 {
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_DIST_REGS,
                       KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, 0),
-                      val, write);
+                      val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 static inline void kvm_gicr_access(GICv3State *s, int offset, int cpu,
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ static inline void kvm_gicr_access(GICv3State *s, int offset, int cpu,
 {
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_REDIST_REGS,
                       KVM_VGIC_ATTR(offset, s->cpu[cpu].gicr_typer),
-                      val, write);
+                      val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 static inline void kvm_gicc_access(GICv3State *s, uint64_t reg, int cpu,
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ static inline void kvm_gicc_access(GICv3State *s, uint64_t reg, int cpu,
 {
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CPU_SYSREGS,
                       KVM_VGIC_ATTR(reg, s->cpu[cpu].gicr_typer),
-                      val, write);
+                      val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 static inline void kvm_gic_line_level_access(GICv3State *s, int irq, int cpu,
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ static inline void kvm_gic_line_level_access(GICv3State *s, int irq, int cpu,
                       KVM_VGIC_ATTR(irq, s->cpu[cpu].gicr_typer) |
                       (VGIC_LEVEL_INFO_LINE_LEVEL <<
                        KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_LINE_LEVEL_INFO_SHIFT),
-                      val, write);
+                      val, write, &error_abort);
 }
 
 /* Loop through each distributor IRQ related register; since bits
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ static void arm_gicv3_icc_reset(CPUARMState *env, const ARMCPRegInfo *ri)
     /* Initialize to actual HW supported configuration */
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CPU_SYSREGS,
                       KVM_VGIC_ATTR(ICC_CTLR_EL1, cpu->mp_affinity),
-                      &c->icc_ctlr_el1[GICV3_NS], false);
+                      &c->icc_ctlr_el1[GICV3_NS], false, &error_abort);
 
     c->icc_ctlr_el1[GICV3_S] = c->icc_ctlr_el1[GICV3_NS];
 }
@@ -717,11 +717,11 @@ static void kvm_arm_gicv3_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     }
 
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_NR_IRQS,
-                      0, &s->num_irq, true);
+                      0, &s->num_irq, true, &error_abort);
 
     /* Tell the kernel to complete VGIC initialization now */
     kvm_device_access(s->dev_fd, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_CTRL,
-                      KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true);
+                      KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_CTRL_INIT, NULL, true, &error_abort);
 
     kvm_arm_register_device(&s->iomem_dist, -1, KVM_DEV_ARM_VGIC_GRP_ADDR,
                             KVM_VGIC_V3_ADDR_TYPE_DIST, s->dev_fd);
diff --git a/include/sysemu/kvm.h b/include/sysemu/kvm.h
index a45c145560..1e91613ca9 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/kvm.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/kvm.h
@@ -294,12 +294,15 @@ int kvm_device_check_attr(int fd, uint32_t group, uint64_t attr);
  * @attr: the attribute of that group to set or get
  * @val: pointer to a storage area for the value
  * @write: true for set and false for get operation
+ * @errp: error object handle
  *
- * This function is not allowed to fail. Use kvm_device_check_attr()
- * in order to check for the availability of optional attributes.
+ * Returns: 0 on success
+ *          < 0 on error
+ * Use kvm_device_check_attr() in order to check for the availability
+ * of optional attributes.
  */
-void kvm_device_access(int fd, int group, uint64_t attr,
-                       void *val, bool write);
+int kvm_device_access(int fd, int group, uint64_t attr,
+                      void *val, bool write, Error **errp);
 
 /**
  * kvm_create_device - create a KVM device for the device control API
diff --git a/kvm-all.c b/kvm-all.c
index 44b3cf43cc..ab8262f672 100644
--- a/kvm-all.c
+++ b/kvm-all.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "qemu/option.h"
 #include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/error-report.h"
+#include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "hw/hw.h"
 #include "hw/pci/msi.h"
 #include "hw/pci/msix.h"
@@ -2216,8 +2217,8 @@ int kvm_device_check_attr(int dev_fd, uint32_t group, uint64_t attr)
     return kvm_device_ioctl(dev_fd, KVM_HAS_DEVICE_ATTR, &attribute) ? 0 : 1;
 }
 
-void kvm_device_access(int fd, int group, uint64_t attr,
-                       void *val, bool write)
+int kvm_device_access(int fd, int group, uint64_t attr,
+                      void *val, bool write, Error **errp)
 {
     struct kvm_device_attr kvmattr;
     int err;
@@ -2231,11 +2232,12 @@ void kvm_device_access(int fd, int group, uint64_t attr,
                            write ? KVM_SET_DEVICE_ATTR : KVM_GET_DEVICE_ATTR,
                            &kvmattr);
     if (err < 0) {
-        error_report("KVM_%s_DEVICE_ATTR failed: %s",
-                     write ? "SET" : "GET", strerror(-err));
-        error_printf("Group %d attr 0x%016" PRIx64 "\n", group, attr);
-        abort();
+        error_setg_errno(errp, -err,
+                         "KVM_%s_DEVICE_ATTR failed: Group %d "
+                         "attr 0x%016" PRIx64,
+                         write ? "SET" : "GET", group, attr);
     }
+    return err;
 }
 
 /* Return 1 on success, 0 on failure */