diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index ec0ea7b5dd..90a94952c3 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -1211,14 +1211,15 @@ static uint64_t spapr_get_patbe(PPCVirtualHypervisor *vhyp)
  */
 static int get_htab_fd(sPAPRMachineState *spapr)
 {
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
+
     if (spapr->htab_fd >= 0) {
         return spapr->htab_fd;
     }
 
-    spapr->htab_fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(false);
+    spapr->htab_fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(false, 0, &local_err);
     if (spapr->htab_fd < 0) {
-        error_report("Unable to open fd for reading hash table from KVM: %s",
-                     strerror(spapr->htab_fd));
+        error_report_err(local_err);
     }
 
     return spapr->htab_fd;
@@ -1927,6 +1928,7 @@ static int htab_load(QEMUFile *f, void *opaque, int version_id)
     sPAPRMachineState *spapr = opaque;
     uint32_t section_hdr;
     int fd = -1;
+    Error *local_err = NULL;
 
     if (version_id < 1 || version_id > 1) {
         error_report("htab_load() bad version");
@@ -1941,8 +1943,6 @@ static int htab_load(QEMUFile *f, void *opaque, int version_id)
     }
 
     if (section_hdr) {
-        Error *local_err = NULL;
-
         /* First section gives the htab size */
         spapr_reallocate_hpt(spapr, section_hdr, &local_err);
         if (local_err) {
@@ -1955,10 +1955,9 @@ static int htab_load(QEMUFile *f, void *opaque, int version_id)
     if (!spapr->htab) {
         assert(kvm_enabled());
 
-        fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(true);
+        fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(true, 0, &local_err);
         if (fd < 0) {
-            error_report("Unable to open fd to restore KVM hash table: %s",
-                         strerror(fd));
+            error_report_err(local_err);
             return fd;
         }
     }
diff --git a/target/ppc/kvm.c b/target/ppc/kvm.c
index 2780e692a7..5b281b2f1b 100644
--- a/target/ppc/kvm.c
+++ b/target/ppc/kvm.c
@@ -2550,21 +2550,25 @@ int kvmppc_define_rtas_kernel_token(uint32_t token, const char *function)
     return kvm_vm_ioctl(kvm_state, KVM_PPC_RTAS_DEFINE_TOKEN, &args);
 }
 
-int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write)
+int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write, uint64_t index, Error **errp)
 {
     struct kvm_get_htab_fd s = {
         .flags = write ? KVM_GET_HTAB_WRITE : 0,
-        .start_index = 0,
+        .start_index = index,
     };
     int ret;
 
     if (!cap_htab_fd) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "KVM version doesn't support saving the hash table\n");
+        error_setg(errp, "KVM version doesn't support %s the HPT",
+                   write ? "writing" : "reading");
         return -ENOTSUP;
     }
 
     ret = kvm_vm_ioctl(kvm_state, KVM_PPC_GET_HTAB_FD, &s);
     if (ret < 0) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Unable to open fd for %s HPT %s KVM: %s",
+                   write ? "writing" : "reading", write ? "to" : "from",
+                   strerror(errno));
         return -errno;
     }
 
@@ -2648,17 +2652,10 @@ void kvm_arch_init_irq_routing(KVMState *s)
 
 void kvmppc_read_hptes(ppc_hash_pte64_t *hptes, hwaddr ptex, int n)
 {
-    struct kvm_get_htab_fd ghf = {
-        .flags = 0,
-        .start_index = ptex,
-    };
     int fd, rc;
     int i;
 
-    fd = kvm_vm_ioctl(kvm_state, KVM_PPC_GET_HTAB_FD, &ghf);
-    if (fd < 0) {
-        hw_error("kvmppc_read_hptes: Unable to open HPT fd");
-    }
+    fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(false, ptex, &error_abort);
 
     i = 0;
     while (i < n) {
@@ -2700,19 +2697,13 @@ void kvmppc_read_hptes(ppc_hash_pte64_t *hptes, hwaddr ptex, int n)
 void kvmppc_write_hpte(hwaddr ptex, uint64_t pte0, uint64_t pte1)
 {
     int fd, rc;
-    struct kvm_get_htab_fd ghf;
     struct {
         struct kvm_get_htab_header hdr;
         uint64_t pte0;
         uint64_t pte1;
     } buf;
 
-    ghf.flags = 0;
-    ghf.start_index = 0;     /* Ignored */
-    fd = kvm_vm_ioctl(kvm_state, KVM_PPC_GET_HTAB_FD, &ghf);
-    if (fd < 0) {
-        hw_error("kvmppc_write_hpte: Unable to open HPT fd");
-    }
+    fd = kvmppc_get_htab_fd(true, 0 /* Ignored */, &error_abort);
 
     buf.hdr.n_valid = 1;
     buf.hdr.n_invalid = 0;
diff --git a/target/ppc/kvm_ppc.h b/target/ppc/kvm_ppc.h
index 08aab46c5a..349f892631 100644
--- a/target/ppc/kvm_ppc.h
+++ b/target/ppc/kvm_ppc.h
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ uint64_t kvmppc_rma_size(uint64_t current_size, unsigned int hash_shift);
 #endif /* !CONFIG_USER_ONLY */
 bool kvmppc_has_cap_epr(void);
 int kvmppc_define_rtas_kernel_token(uint32_t token, const char *function);
-int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write);
+int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write, uint64_t index, Error **errp);
 int kvmppc_save_htab(QEMUFile *f, int fd, size_t bufsize, int64_t max_ns);
 int kvmppc_load_htab_chunk(QEMUFile *f, int fd, uint32_t index,
                            uint16_t n_valid, uint16_t n_invalid);
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ static inline int kvmppc_define_rtas_kernel_token(uint32_t token,
     return -1;
 }
 
-static inline int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write)
+static inline int kvmppc_get_htab_fd(bool write, uint64_t index, Error **errp)
 {
     return -1;
 }