diff --git a/qemu-io.c b/qemu-io.c
index 0249be4e71..31895305f1 100644
--- a/qemu-io.c
+++ b/qemu-io.c
@@ -1856,6 +1856,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
     bdrv_init();
 
+    qemu_init_main_loop();
+
     /* initialize commands */
     quit_init();
     help_init();