diff --git a/chardev/char.c b/chardev/char.c
index a9daf9956c..abd525f75e 100644
--- a/chardev/char.c
+++ b/chardev/char.c
@@ -26,54 +26,16 @@
 #include "qemu/cutils.h"
 #include "monitor/monitor.h"
 #include "sysemu/sysemu.h"
-#include "sysemu/block-backend.h"
+#include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/error-report.h"
-#include "qemu/timer.h"
 #include "sysemu/char.h"
-#include "hw/usb.h"
 #include "qmp-commands.h"
-#include "qapi/clone-visitor.h"
 #include "qapi-visit.h"
-#include "qemu/base64.h"
-#include "io/channel-socket.h"
-#include "io/channel-tls.h"
 #include "sysemu/replay.h"
 #include "qemu/help_option.h"
 
-#include <zlib.h>
-
-#ifndef _WIN32
-#include <sys/times.h>
-#include <sys/wait.h>
-#include <sys/ioctl.h>
-#include <sys/resource.h>
-#include <sys/socket.h>
-#include <netinet/in.h>
-#include <net/if.h>
-#include <arpa/inet.h>
-#include <netdb.h>
-#include <sys/select.h>
-#ifdef __sun__
-#include <sys/ethernet.h>
-#include <sys/sockio.h>
-#include <netinet/arp.h>
-#include <netinet/in.h>
-#include <netinet/in_systm.h>
-#include <netinet/ip.h>
-#include <netinet/ip_icmp.h> // must come after ip.h
-#include <netinet/udp.h>
-#include <netinet/tcp.h>
-#endif
-#endif
-
-#include "qemu/sockets.h"
-#include "ui/qemu-spice.h"
-
 #include "char-mux.h"
 #include "char-io.h"
-#ifdef _WIN32
-#include "char-win.h"
-#endif
 #include "char-parallel.h"
 #include "char-serial.h"
 
diff --git a/hmp.c b/hmp.c
index 8522efea26..2bc4f062bb 100644
--- a/hmp.c
+++ b/hmp.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "net/eth.h"
 #include "sysemu/char.h"
 #include "sysemu/block-backend.h"
+#include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/option.h"
 #include "qemu/timer.h"
 #include "qmp-commands.h"
diff --git a/include/sysemu/char.h b/include/sysemu/char.h
index b256e79c31..450881d42c 100644
--- a/include/sysemu/char.h
+++ b/include/sysemu/char.h
@@ -2,12 +2,7 @@
 #define QEMU_CHAR_H
 
 #include "qemu-common.h"
-#include "qemu/queue.h"
 #include "qemu/option.h"
-#include "qemu/config-file.h"
-#include "block/aio.h"
-#include "qapi/qmp/qobject.h"
-#include "qapi/qmp/qstring.h"
 #include "qemu/main-loop.h"
 #include "qemu/bitmap.h"
 #include "qom/object.h"
diff --git a/monitor.c b/monitor.c
index 25a480a95e..b0181cb0e6 100644
--- a/monitor.c
+++ b/monitor.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 #include "sysemu/sysemu.h"
 #include "sysemu/numa.h"
 #include "monitor/monitor.h"
+#include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/readline.h"
 #include "ui/console.h"
 #include "ui/input.h"
diff --git a/qmp.c b/qmp.c
index 2834f02b69..dfaabac1a6 100644
--- a/qmp.c
+++ b/qmp.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include "qemu/cutils.h"
 #include "monitor/monitor.h"
 #include "sysemu/sysemu.h"
+#include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/uuid.h"
 #include "qmp-commands.h"
 #include "sysemu/char.h"
diff --git a/tests/vhost-user-test.c b/tests/vhost-user-test.c
index f3ac6ea21a..2c45c7b29f 100644
--- a/tests/vhost-user-test.c
+++ b/tests/vhost-user-test.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include "libqtest.h"
 #include "qapi/error.h"
+#include "qemu/config-file.h"
 #include "qemu/option.h"
 #include "qemu/range.h"
 #include "qemu/sockets.h"