diff --git a/qapi/opts-visitor.c b/qapi/opts-visitor.c
index 324b197495..5fe0276c1c 100644
--- a/qapi/opts-visitor.c
+++ b/qapi/opts-visitor.c
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ enum ListMode
 {
     LM_NONE,             /* not traversing a list of repeated options */
 
-    LM_IN_PROGRESS,      /* opts_next_list() ready to be called.
+    LM_IN_PROGRESS,      /*
+                          * opts_next_list() ready to be called.
                           *
                           * Generating the next list link will consume the most
                           * recently parsed QemuOpt instance of the repeated
@@ -36,7 +37,8 @@ enum ListMode
                           * LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL.
                           */
 
-    LM_SIGNED_INTERVAL,  /* opts_next_list() has been called.
+    LM_SIGNED_INTERVAL,  /*
+                          * opts_next_list() has been called.
                           *
                           * Generating the next list link will consume the most
                           * recently stored element from the signed interval,
@@ -48,7 +50,14 @@ enum ListMode
                           * next element of the signed interval.
                           */
 
-    LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL /* Same as above, only for an unsigned interval. */
+    LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL, /* Same as above, only for an unsigned interval. */
+
+    LM_TRAVERSED          /*
+                           * opts_next_list() has been called.
+                           *
+                           * No more QemuOpt instance in the list.
+                           * The traversal has been completed.
+                           */
 };
 
 typedef enum ListMode ListMode;
@@ -238,6 +247,8 @@ opts_next_list(Visitor *v, GenericList *tail, size_t size)
     OptsVisitor *ov = to_ov(v);
 
     switch (ov->list_mode) {
+    case LM_TRAVERSED:
+        return NULL;
     case LM_SIGNED_INTERVAL:
     case LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL:
         if (ov->list_mode == LM_SIGNED_INTERVAL) {
@@ -258,6 +269,8 @@ opts_next_list(Visitor *v, GenericList *tail, size_t size)
         opt = g_queue_pop_head(ov->repeated_opts);
         if (g_queue_is_empty(ov->repeated_opts)) {
             g_hash_table_remove(ov->unprocessed_opts, opt->name);
+            ov->repeated_opts = NULL;
+            ov->list_mode = LM_TRAVERSED;
             return NULL;
         }
         break;
@@ -289,7 +302,8 @@ opts_end_list(Visitor *v, void **obj)
 
     assert(ov->list_mode == LM_IN_PROGRESS ||
            ov->list_mode == LM_SIGNED_INTERVAL ||
-           ov->list_mode == LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL);
+           ov->list_mode == LM_UNSIGNED_INTERVAL ||
+           ov->list_mode == LM_TRAVERSED);
     ov->repeated_opts = NULL;
     ov->list_mode = LM_NONE;
 }
@@ -306,6 +320,10 @@ lookup_scalar(const OptsVisitor *ov, const char *name, Error **errp)
         list = lookup_distinct(ov, name, errp);
         return list ? g_queue_peek_tail(list) : NULL;
     }
+    if (ov->list_mode == LM_TRAVERSED) {
+        error_setg(errp, "Fewer list elements than expected");
+        return NULL;
+    }
     assert(ov->list_mode == LM_IN_PROGRESS);
     return g_queue_peek_head(ov->repeated_opts);
 }