diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-commands.c b/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
index f23d8ea..9f65fc2 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-commands.c
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 #include <glib.h>
 #include "qemu-common.h"
+#include "test-qmp-common.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp/types.h"
 #include "test-qmp-commands.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp/dispatch.h"
 #include "qemu/module.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp-input-visitor.h"
-#include "tests/test-qapi-types.h"
-#include "tests/test-qapi-visit.h"
+#include "test-qapi-types.h"
+#include "test-qapi-visit.h"

 void qmp_user_def_cmd(Error **errp)
 {
@@ -225,8 +226,7 @@ static void test_dealloc_partial(void)
     assert(ud2->dict1 == NULL);

     /* confirm & release construction error */
-    assert(err != NULL);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);

     /* tear down partial object */
     qapi_free_UserDefTwo(ud2);
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-common.h b/tests/test-qmp-common.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..043f49c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-common.h
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+/*
+ * Code common to qmp/qapi unit-tests.
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, version 2.1 or later.
+ * See the COPYING.LIB file in the top-level directory.
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef TEST_QMP_COMMON_H__
+#define TEST_QMP_COMMON_H__
+
+/* Expect an error, abort() if there is none. */
+static inline void error_free_or_abort(Error **errp)
+{
+    g_assert(*errp);
+    error_free(*errp);
+    *errp = NULL;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-event.c b/tests/test-qmp-event.c
index 035c65c..c0ac3ea 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-event.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-event.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "qapi/qmp/qint.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp/qobject.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp-event.h"
+#include "test-qmp-common.h"

 typedef struct TestEventData {
     QDict *expect;
diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c b/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
index 6226397..7e15b09 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-input-strict.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include <stdarg.h>

 #include "qemu-common.h"
+#include "test-qmp-common.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp-input-visitor.h"
 #include "test-qapi-types.h"
 #include "test-qapi-visit.h"
@@ -180,8 +181,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_struct(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "{ 'integer': -42, 'boolean': true, 'string': 'foo', 'extra': 42 }");

     visit_type_TestStruct(v, &p, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     if (p) {
         g_free(p->string);
     }
@@ -198,8 +198,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_struct_nested(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "{ 'string0': 'string0', 'dict1': { 'string1': 'string1', 'dict2': { 'userdef1': { 'integer': 42, 'string': 'string', 'extra': [42, 23, {'foo':'bar'}] }, 'string2': 'string2'}}}");

     visit_type_UserDefTwo(v, &udp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefTwo(udp);
 }

@@ -213,8 +212,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "[ { 'string': 'string0', 'integer': 42 }, { 'string': 'string1', 'integer': 43 }, { 'string': 'string2', 'integer': 44, 'extra': 'ggg' } ]");

     visit_type_UserDefOneList(v, &head, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefOneList(head);
 }

@@ -229,8 +227,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_native_list(TestInputVisitorData *data,
                            "{ 'type': 'integer', 'data' : [ 'string' ] }");

     visit_type_UserDefNativeListUnion(v, &tmp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefNativeListUnion(tmp);
 }

@@ -244,8 +241,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_flat(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "{ 'string': 'c', 'integer': 41, 'boolean': true }");

     visit_type_UserDefFlatUnion(v, &tmp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefFlatUnion(tmp);
 }

@@ -260,8 +256,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_union_flat_no_discrim(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "{ 'integer': 42, 'string': 'c', 'string1': 'd', 'string2': 'e' }");

     visit_type_UserDefFlatUnion2(v, &tmp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefFlatUnion2(tmp);
 }

@@ -275,8 +270,7 @@ static void test_validate_fail_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = validate_test_init(data, "3.14");

     visit_type_UserDefAlternate(v, &tmp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefAlternate(tmp);
 }

diff --git a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
index 46566bc..2b59b6f 100644
--- a/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
+++ b/tests/test-qmp-input-visitor.c
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <stdarg.h>

 #include "qemu-common.h"
+#include "test-qmp-common.h"
 #include "qapi/qmp-input-visitor.h"
 #include "test-qapi-types.h"
 #include "test-qapi-visit.h"
@@ -111,8 +112,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_int_overflow(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "%f", DBL_MAX);

     visit_type_int(v, &res, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
 }

 static void test_visitor_in_bool(TestInputVisitorData *data,
@@ -319,9 +319,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "false");
     visit_type_UserDefAlternate(v, &tmp, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
-    err = NULL;
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_UserDefAlternate(tmp);
 }

@@ -341,9 +339,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate_number(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42");
     visit_type_AltStrBool(v, &asb, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
-    err = NULL;
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_AltStrBool(asb);

     /* FIXME: Order of alternate should not affect semantics; asn should
@@ -352,9 +348,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate_number(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     visit_type_AltStrNum(v, &asn, NULL, &err);
     /* FIXME g_assert_cmpint(asn->type, == ALT_STR_NUM_KIND_N); */
     /* FIXME g_assert_cmpfloat(asn->u.n, ==, 42); */
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
-    err = NULL;
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_AltStrNum(asn);

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42");
@@ -385,9 +379,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate_number(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42.5");
     visit_type_AltStrBool(v, &asb, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
-    err = NULL;
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_AltStrBool(asb);

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42.5");
@@ -404,9 +396,7 @@ static void test_visitor_in_alternate_number(TestInputVisitorData *data,

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42.5");
     visit_type_AltStrInt(v, &asi, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
-    error_free(err);
-    err = NULL;
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     qapi_free_AltStrInt(asi);

     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "42.5");
@@ -713,12 +703,11 @@ static void test_visitor_in_errors(TestInputVisitorData *data,
     v = visitor_input_test_init(data, "{ 'integer': false, 'boolean': 'foo', 'string': -42 }");

     visit_type_TestStruct(v, &p, NULL, &err);
-    g_assert(err);
+    error_free_or_abort(&err);
     /* FIXME - a failed parse should not leave a partially-allocated p
      * for us to clean up; this could cause callers to leak memory. */
     g_assert(p->string == NULL);

-    error_free(err);
     g_free(p->string);
     g_free(p);
 }
