diff --git a/include/io/task.h b/include/io/task.h
index ece1372781..47daba961b 100644
--- a/include/io/task.h
+++ b/include/io/task.h
@@ -239,6 +239,38 @@ void qio_task_abort(QIOTask *task,
                     Error *err);
 
 
+/**
+ * qio_task_set_error:
+ * @task: the task struct
+ * @err: pointer to the error, or NULL
+ *
+ * Associate an error with the task, which can later
+ * be retrieved with the qio_task_propagate_error()
+ * method. This method takes ownership of @err, so
+ * it is not valid to access it after this call
+ * completes. If @err is NULL this is a no-op. If
+ * this is call multiple times, only the first
+ * provided @err will be recorded, later ones will
+ * be discarded and freed.
+ */
+void qio_task_set_error(QIOTask *task,
+                        Error *err);
+
+
+/**
+ * qio_task_propagate_error:
+ * @task: the task struct
+ * @errp: pointer to a NULL-initialized error object
+ *
+ * Propagate the error associated with @task
+ * into @errp.
+ *
+ * Returns: true if an error was propagated, false otherwise
+ */
+bool qio_task_propagate_error(QIOTask *task,
+                              Error **errp);
+
+
 /**
  * qio_task_set_result_pointer:
  * @task: the task struct
diff --git a/io/task.c b/io/task.c
index 675e196156..1394e05200 100644
--- a/io/task.c
+++ b/io/task.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ struct QIOTask {
     QIOTaskFunc func;
     gpointer opaque;
     GDestroyNotify destroy;
+    Error *err;
     gpointer result;
     GDestroyNotify destroyResult;
 };
@@ -62,6 +63,9 @@ static void qio_task_free(QIOTask *task)
     if (task->destroyResult) {
         task->destroyResult(task->result);
     }
+    if (task->err) {
+        error_free(task->err);
+    }
     object_unref(task->source);
 
     g_free(task);
@@ -159,6 +163,25 @@ void qio_task_abort(QIOTask *task,
 }
 
 
+void qio_task_set_error(QIOTask *task,
+                        Error *err)
+{
+    error_propagate(&task->err, err);
+}
+
+
+bool qio_task_propagate_error(QIOTask *task,
+                              Error **errp)
+{
+    if (task->err) {
+        error_propagate(errp, task->err);
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+
 void qio_task_set_result_pointer(QIOTask *task,
                                  gpointer result,
                                  GDestroyNotify destroy)