diff --git a/include/migration/vmstate.h b/include/migration/vmstate.h
index 1a31fb7293..1af181877c 100644
--- a/include/migration/vmstate.h
+++ b/include/migration/vmstate.h
@@ -1202,7 +1202,7 @@ int vmstate_save_state_v(QEMUFile *f, const VMStateDescription *vmsd,
                          void *opaque, JSONWriter *vmdesc,
                          int version_id, Error **errp);
 
-bool vmstate_save_needed(const VMStateDescription *vmsd, void *opaque);
+bool vmstate_section_needed(const VMStateDescription *vmsd, void *opaque);
 
 #define  VMSTATE_INSTANCE_ID_ANY  -1
 
diff --git a/migration/savevm.c b/migration/savevm.c
index 8622f229e5..ca5c7cebe0 100644
--- a/migration/savevm.c
+++ b/migration/savevm.c
@@ -985,7 +985,7 @@ static int vmstate_save(QEMUFile *f, SaveStateEntry *se, JSONWriter *vmdesc)
     if ((!se->ops || !se->ops->save_state) && !se->vmsd) {
         return 0;
     }
-    if (se->vmsd && !vmstate_save_needed(se->vmsd, se->opaque)) {
+    if (se->vmsd && !vmstate_section_needed(se->vmsd, se->opaque)) {
         trace_savevm_section_skip(se->idstr, se->section_id);
         return 0;
     }
diff --git a/migration/vmstate.c b/migration/vmstate.c
index 1cf9e45b85..16e33a5d34 100644
--- a/migration/vmstate.c
+++ b/migration/vmstate.c
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ static void vmsd_desc_field_end(const VMStateDescription *vmsd,
 }
 
 
-bool vmstate_save_needed(const VMStateDescription *vmsd, void *opaque)
+bool vmstate_section_needed(const VMStateDescription *vmsd, void *opaque)
 {
     if (vmsd->needed && !vmsd->needed(opaque)) {
         /* optional section not needed */
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ static int vmstate_subsection_save(QEMUFile *f, const VMStateDescription *vmsd,
 
     trace_vmstate_subsection_save_top(vmsd->name);
     while (sub && *sub) {
-        if (vmstate_save_needed(*sub, opaque)) {
+        if (vmstate_section_needed(*sub, opaque)) {
             const VMStateDescription *vmsdsub = *sub;
             uint8_t len;