diff --git a/cpus.c b/cpus.c
index 3444bc06e7..883c27ac9a 100644
--- a/cpus.c
+++ b/cpus.c
@@ -115,14 +115,13 @@ void cpu_synchronize_all_post_init(void)
 
 int cpu_is_stopped(CPUState *env)
 {
-    return !vm_running || env->stopped;
+    return !runstate_is_running() || env->stopped;
 }
 
 static void do_vm_stop(RunState state)
 {
-    if (vm_running) {
+    if (runstate_is_running()) {
         cpu_disable_ticks();
-        vm_running = 0;
         pause_all_vcpus();
         runstate_set(state);
         vm_state_notify(0, state);
@@ -137,7 +136,7 @@ static int cpu_can_run(CPUState *env)
     if (env->stop) {
         return 0;
     }
-    if (env->stopped || !vm_running) {
+    if (env->stopped || !runstate_is_running()) {
         return 0;
     }
     return 1;
@@ -148,7 +147,7 @@ static bool cpu_thread_is_idle(CPUState *env)
     if (env->stop || env->queued_work_first) {
         return false;
     }
-    if (env->stopped || !vm_running) {
+    if (env->stopped || !runstate_is_running()) {
         return true;
     }
     if (!env->halted || qemu_cpu_has_work(env) ||
diff --git a/gdbstub.c b/gdbstub.c
index 75b52e2c2d..12dd100af4 100644
--- a/gdbstub.c
+++ b/gdbstub.c
@@ -2534,7 +2534,7 @@ static void gdb_read_byte(GDBState *s, int ch)
         if (ch != '$')
             return;
     }
-    if (vm_running) {
+    if (runstate_is_running()) {
         /* when the CPU is running, we cannot do anything except stop
            it when receiving a char */
         vm_stop(RSTATE_PAUSED);
@@ -2839,7 +2839,7 @@ static int gdb_monitor_write(CharDriverState *chr, const uint8_t *buf, int len)
 #ifndef _WIN32
 static void gdb_sigterm_handler(int signal)
 {
-    if (vm_running) {
+    if (runstate_is_running()) {
         vm_stop(RSTATE_PAUSED);
     }
 }
diff --git a/hw/etraxfs_dma.c b/hw/etraxfs_dma.c
index e8ad9e6a0b..d3082acc8f 100644
--- a/hw/etraxfs_dma.c
+++ b/hw/etraxfs_dma.c
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ static void DMA_run(void *opaque)
     struct fs_dma_ctrl *etraxfs_dmac = opaque;
     int p = 1;
 
-    if (vm_running)
+    if (runstate_is_running())
         p = etraxfs_dmac_run(etraxfs_dmac);
 
     if (p)
diff --git a/hw/kvmclock.c b/hw/kvmclock.c
index 88961be42b..5388bc489d 100644
--- a/hw/kvmclock.c
+++ b/hw/kvmclock.c
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ static void kvmclock_pre_save(void *opaque)
      * it on next vmsave (which would return a different value). Will be reset
      * when the VM is continued.
      */
-    s->clock_valid = !vm_running;
+    s->clock_valid = !runstate_is_running();
 }
 
 static int kvmclock_post_load(void *opaque, int version_id)
diff --git a/hw/virtio.c b/hw/virtio.c
index 74ab79e6b5..c577bbe483 100644
--- a/hw/virtio.c
+++ b/hw/virtio.c
@@ -870,7 +870,7 @@ VirtIODevice *virtio_common_init(const char *name, uint16_t device_id,
     vdev->queue_sel = 0;
     vdev->config_vector = VIRTIO_NO_VECTOR;
     vdev->vq = g_malloc0(sizeof(VirtQueue) * VIRTIO_PCI_QUEUE_MAX);
-    vdev->vm_running = vm_running;
+    vdev->vm_running = runstate_is_running();
     for(i = 0; i < VIRTIO_PCI_QUEUE_MAX; i++) {
         vdev->vq[i].vector = VIRTIO_NO_VECTOR;
         vdev->vq[i].vdev = vdev;
diff --git a/migration.c b/migration.c
index a63e2a21af..7dd8f4eee9 100644
--- a/migration.c
+++ b/migration.c
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ void migrate_fd_put_ready(void *opaque)
     DPRINTF("iterate\n");
     if (qemu_savevm_state_iterate(s->mon, s->file) == 1) {
         int state;
-        int old_vm_running = vm_running;
+        int old_vm_running = runstate_is_running();
 
         DPRINTF("done iterating\n");
         vm_stop(RSTATE_PRE_MIGRATE);
diff --git a/monitor.c b/monitor.c
index 68956a5671..442b4cf01d 100644
--- a/monitor.c
+++ b/monitor.c
@@ -2632,7 +2632,7 @@ static void do_info_status_print(Monitor *mon, const QObject *data)
 static void do_info_status(Monitor *mon, QObject **ret_data)
 {
     *ret_data = qobject_from_jsonf("{ 'running': %i, 'singlestep': %i }",
-                                    vm_running, singlestep);
+                                    runstate_is_running(), singlestep);
 }
 
 static qemu_acl *find_acl(Monitor *mon, const char *name)
@@ -2825,7 +2825,7 @@ static int do_closefd(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict, QObject **ret_data)
 
 static void do_loadvm(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
 {
-    int saved_vm_running  = vm_running;
+    int saved_vm_running  = runstate_is_running();
     const char *name = qdict_get_str(qdict, "name");
 
     vm_stop(RSTATE_RESTORE);
diff --git a/qemu-timer.c b/qemu-timer.c
index b5827862d9..ad1fc8b871 100644
--- a/qemu-timer.c
+++ b/qemu-timer.c
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ static void icount_adjust(void)
     int64_t delta;
     static int64_t last_delta;
     /* If the VM is not running, then do nothing.  */
-    if (!vm_running)
+    if (!runstate_is_running())
         return;
 
     cur_time = cpu_get_clock();
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ static void icount_warp_rt(void *opaque)
         return;
     }
 
-    if (vm_running) {
+    if (runstate_is_running()) {
         int64_t clock = qemu_get_clock_ns(rt_clock);
         int64_t warp_delta = clock - vm_clock_warp_start;
         if (use_icount == 1) {
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ void qemu_run_all_timers(void)
     }
 
     /* vm time timers */
-    if (vm_running) {
+    if (runstate_is_running()) {
         qemu_run_timers(vm_clock);
     }
 
diff --git a/savevm.c b/savevm.c
index f1f7735d11..46f2447dc0 100644
--- a/savevm.c
+++ b/savevm.c
@@ -1602,7 +1602,7 @@ static int qemu_savevm_state(Monitor *mon, QEMUFile *f)
     int saved_vm_running;
     int ret;
 
-    saved_vm_running = vm_running;
+    saved_vm_running = runstate_is_running();
     vm_stop(RSTATE_SAVEVM);
 
     if (qemu_savevm_state_blocked(mon)) {
@@ -1931,7 +1931,7 @@ void do_savevm(Monitor *mon, const QDict *qdict)
         return;
     }
 
-    saved_vm_running = vm_running;
+    saved_vm_running = runstate_is_running();
     vm_stop(RSTATE_SAVEVM);
 
     memset(sn, 0, sizeof(*sn));
diff --git a/sysemu.h b/sysemu.h
index a01ddac564..9a2c531465 100644
--- a/sysemu.h
+++ b/sysemu.h
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ typedef enum {
 
 extern const char *bios_name;
 
-extern int vm_running;
 extern const char *qemu_name;
 extern uint8_t qemu_uuid[];
 int qemu_uuid_parse(const char *str, uint8_t *uuid);
@@ -39,6 +38,7 @@ int qemu_uuid_parse(const char *str, uint8_t *uuid);
 void runstate_init(void);
 bool runstate_check(RunState state);
 void runstate_set(RunState new_state);
+int runstate_is_running(void);
 typedef struct vm_change_state_entry VMChangeStateEntry;
 typedef void VMChangeStateHandler(void *opaque, int running, RunState state);
 
diff --git a/target-i386/kvm.c b/target-i386/kvm.c
index ead34ea38d..b6eef047bf 100644
--- a/target-i386/kvm.c
+++ b/target-i386/kvm.c
@@ -1130,7 +1130,7 @@ static int kvm_get_msrs(CPUState *env)
 
     if (!env->tsc_valid) {
         msrs[n++].index = MSR_IA32_TSC;
-        env->tsc_valid = !vm_running;
+        env->tsc_valid = !runstate_is_running();
     }
 
 #ifdef TARGET_X86_64
diff --git a/ui/sdl.c b/ui/sdl.c
index c7aaedf32d..8cafc44e71 100644
--- a/ui/sdl.c
+++ b/ui/sdl.c
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ static void sdl_update_caption(void)
     char icon_title[1024];
     const char *status = "";
 
-    if (!vm_running)
+    if (!runstate_is_running())
         status = " [Stopped]";
     else if (gui_grab) {
         if (alt_grab)
@@ -853,8 +853,8 @@ static void sdl_refresh(DisplayState *ds)
 {
     SDL_Event ev1, *ev = &ev1;
 
-    if (last_vm_running != vm_running) {
-        last_vm_running = vm_running;
+    if (last_vm_running != runstate_is_running()) {
+        last_vm_running = runstate_is_running();
         sdl_update_caption();
     }
 
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 2fb09f5012..9128d48fea 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -185,7 +185,6 @@ int mem_prealloc = 0; /* force preallocation of physical target memory */
 #endif
 int nb_nics;
 NICInfo nd_table[MAX_NICS];
-int vm_running;
 int autostart;
 static int rtc_utc = 1;
 static int rtc_date_offset = -1; /* -1 means no change */
@@ -407,6 +406,11 @@ void runstate_set(RunState new_state)
     current_run_state = new_state;
 }
 
+int runstate_is_running(void)
+{
+    return runstate_check(RSTATE_RUNNING);
+}
+
 /***********************************************************/
 /* real time host monotonic timer */
 
@@ -1243,9 +1247,8 @@ void vm_state_notify(int running, RunState state)
 
 void vm_start(void)
 {
-    if (!vm_running) {
+    if (!runstate_is_running()) {
         cpu_enable_ticks();
-        vm_running = 1;
         runstate_set(RSTATE_RUNNING);
         vm_state_notify(1, RSTATE_RUNNING);
         resume_all_vcpus();
diff --git a/xen-all.c b/xen-all.c
index b119817f30..b5e28abd40 100644
--- a/xen-all.c
+++ b/xen-all.c
@@ -736,7 +736,7 @@ static void cpu_handle_ioreq(void *opaque)
          * guest resumes and does a hlt with interrupts disabled which
          * causes Xen to powerdown the domain.
          */
-        if (vm_running) {
+        if (runstate_is_running()) {
             if (qemu_shutdown_requested_get()) {
                 destroy_hvm_domain();
             }