diff --git a/net/vhost-user.c b/net/vhost-user.c
index 7e8a9ec4e8..3930741fb6 100644
--- a/net/vhost-user.c
+++ b/net/vhost-user.c
@@ -170,33 +170,34 @@ static int net_vhost_chardev_opts(void *opaque,
     } else if (strcmp(name, "server") == 0) {
         props->is_server = true;
     } else {
-        error_report("vhost-user does not support a chardev"
-                     " with the following option:\n %s = %s",
-                     name, value);
+        error_setg(errp,
+                   "vhost-user does not support a chardev with option %s=%s",
+                   name, value);
         return -1;
     }
     return 0;
 }
 
-static CharDriverState *net_vhost_parse_chardev(const NetdevVhostUserOptions *opts)
+static CharDriverState *net_vhost_parse_chardev(
+    const NetdevVhostUserOptions *opts, Error **errp)
 {
     CharDriverState *chr = qemu_chr_find(opts->chardev);
     VhostUserChardevProps props;
 
     if (chr == NULL) {
-        error_report("chardev \"%s\" not found", opts->chardev);
+        error_setg(errp, "chardev \"%s\" not found", opts->chardev);
         return NULL;
     }
 
     /* inspect chardev opts */
     memset(&props, 0, sizeof(props));
-    if (qemu_opt_foreach(chr->opts, net_vhost_chardev_opts, &props, NULL)) {
+    if (qemu_opt_foreach(chr->opts, net_vhost_chardev_opts, &props, errp)) {
         return NULL;
     }
 
     if (!props.is_socket || !props.is_unix) {
-        error_report("chardev \"%s\" is not a unix socket",
-                     opts->chardev);
+        error_setg(errp, "chardev \"%s\" is not a unix socket",
+                   opts->chardev);
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -220,7 +221,7 @@ static int net_vhost_check_net(void *opaque, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 
     if (strcmp(netdev, name) == 0 &&
         strncmp(driver, virtio_name, strlen(virtio_name)) != 0) {
-        error_report("vhost-user requires frontend driver virtio-net-*");
+        error_setg(errp, "vhost-user requires frontend driver virtio-net-*");
         return -1;
     }
 
@@ -230,7 +231,6 @@ static int net_vhost_check_net(void *opaque, QemuOpts *opts, Error **errp)
 int net_init_vhost_user(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
                         NetClientState *peer, Error **errp)
 {
-    /* FIXME error_setg(errp, ...) on failure */
     uint32_t queues;
     const NetdevVhostUserOptions *vhost_user_opts;
     CharDriverState *chr;
@@ -238,15 +238,14 @@ int net_init_vhost_user(const NetClientOptions *opts, const char *name,
     assert(opts->kind == NET_CLIENT_OPTIONS_KIND_VHOST_USER);
     vhost_user_opts = opts->vhost_user;
 
-    chr = net_vhost_parse_chardev(vhost_user_opts);
+    chr = net_vhost_parse_chardev(vhost_user_opts, errp);
     if (!chr) {
-        error_report("No suitable chardev found");
         return -1;
     }
 
     /* verify net frontend */
     if (qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("device"), net_vhost_check_net,
-                          (char *)name, NULL)) {
+                          (char *)name, errp)) {
         return -1;
     }