diff --git a/qapi/string-output-visitor.c b/qapi/string-output-visitor.c
index f0c1dea89e..5115536b15 100644
--- a/qapi/string-output-visitor.c
+++ b/qapi/string-output-visitor.c
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ struct StringOutputVisitor
     } range_start, range_end;
     GList *ranges;
     void *list; /* Only needed for sanity checking the caller */
+    unsigned int struct_nesting;
 };
 
 static StringOutputVisitor *to_sov(Visitor *v)
@@ -144,6 +145,10 @@ static bool print_type_int64(Visitor *v, const char *name, int64_t *obj,
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
     GList *l;
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     switch (sov->list_mode) {
     case LM_NONE:
         string_output_append(sov, *obj);
@@ -231,6 +236,10 @@ static bool print_type_size(Visitor *v, const char *name, uint64_t *obj,
     uint64_t val;
     char *out, *psize;
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     if (!sov->human) {
         out = g_strdup_printf("%"PRIu64, *obj);
         string_output_set(sov, out);
@@ -250,6 +259,11 @@ static bool print_type_bool(Visitor *v, const char *name, bool *obj,
                             Error **errp)
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
+
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     string_output_set(sov, g_strdup(*obj ? "true" : "false"));
     return true;
 }
@@ -260,6 +274,10 @@ static bool print_type_str(Visitor *v, const char *name, char **obj,
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
     char *out;
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     if (sov->human) {
         out = *obj ? g_strdup_printf("\"%s\"", *obj) : g_strdup("<null>");
     } else {
@@ -273,6 +291,11 @@ static bool print_type_number(Visitor *v, const char *name, double *obj,
                               Error **errp)
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
+
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     string_output_set(sov, g_strdup_printf("%.17g", *obj));
     return true;
 }
@@ -283,6 +306,10 @@ static bool print_type_null(Visitor *v, const char *name, QNull **obj,
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
     char *out;
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     if (sov->human) {
         out = g_strdup("<null>");
     } else {
@@ -295,6 +322,9 @@ static bool print_type_null(Visitor *v, const char *name, QNull **obj,
 static bool start_struct(Visitor *v, const char *name, void **obj,
                          size_t size, Error **errp)
 {
+    StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
+
+    sov->struct_nesting++;
     return true;
 }
 
@@ -302,6 +332,10 @@ static void end_struct(Visitor *v, void **obj)
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
 
+    if (--sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return;
+    }
+
     /* TODO actually print struct fields */
     string_output_set(sov, g_strdup("<omitted>"));
 }
@@ -312,6 +346,10 @@ start_list(Visitor *v, const char *name, GenericList **list, size_t size,
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /* we can't traverse a list in a list */
     assert(sov->list_mode == LM_NONE);
     /* We don't support visits without a list */
@@ -329,6 +367,10 @@ static GenericList *next_list(Visitor *v, GenericList *tail, size_t size)
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
     GenericList *ret = tail->next;
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return ret;
+    }
+
     if (ret && !ret->next) {
         sov->list_mode = LM_END;
     }
@@ -339,6 +381,10 @@ static void end_list(Visitor *v, void **obj)
 {
     StringOutputVisitor *sov = to_sov(v);
 
+    if (sov->struct_nesting) {
+        return;
+    }
+
     assert(sov->list == obj);
     assert(sov->list_mode == LM_STARTED ||
            sov->list_mode == LM_END ||