diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index 72a018b..43708a2 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -1091,7 +1091,7 @@ static void spapr_reallocate_hpt(sPAPRMachineState *spapr, int shift,
         }
 
         spapr->htab_shift = shift;
-        kvmppc_kern_htab = true;
+        spapr->htab = NULL;
     } else {
         /* kernel-side HPT not needed, allocate in userspace instead */
         size_t size = 1ULL << shift;
@@ -1106,7 +1106,6 @@ static void spapr_reallocate_hpt(sPAPRMachineState *spapr, int shift,
 
         memset(spapr->htab, 0, size);
         spapr->htab_shift = shift;
-        kvmppc_kern_htab = false;
 
         for (i = 0; i < size / HASH_PTE_SIZE_64; i++) {
             DIRTY_HPTE(HPTE(spapr->htab, i));
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
index 1733482..b2b1b93 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_hcall.c
@@ -122,17 +122,17 @@ static target_ulong h_enter(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPRMachineState *spapr,
                 break;
             }
         }
-        ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+        ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
         if (index == 8) {
             return H_PTEG_FULL;
         }
     } else {
         token = ppc_hash64_start_access(cpu, pte_index);
         if (ppc_hash64_load_hpte0(cpu, token, 0) & HPTE64_V_VALID) {
-            ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+            ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
             return H_PTEG_FULL;
         }
-        ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+        ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
     }
 
     ppc_hash64_store_hpte(cpu, pte_index + index,
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ static RemoveResult remove_hpte(PowerPCCPU *cpu, target_ulong ptex,
     token = ppc_hash64_start_access(cpu, ptex);
     v = ppc_hash64_load_hpte0(cpu, token, 0);
     r = ppc_hash64_load_hpte1(cpu, token, 0);
-    ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+    ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
 
     if ((v & HPTE64_V_VALID) == 0 ||
         ((flags & H_AVPN) && (v & ~0x7fULL) != avpn) ||
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ static target_ulong h_protect(PowerPCCPU *cpu, sPAPRMachineState *spapr,
     token = ppc_hash64_start_access(cpu, pte_index);
     v = ppc_hash64_load_hpte0(cpu, token, 0);
     r = ppc_hash64_load_hpte1(cpu, token, 0);
-    ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+    ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
 
     if ((v & HPTE64_V_VALID) == 0 ||
         ((flags & H_AVPN) && (v & ~0x7fULL) != avpn)) {
diff --git a/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.c b/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.c
index 7b5200b..a9ae0b3 100644
--- a/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.c
+++ b/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.c
@@ -36,10 +36,11 @@
 #endif
 
 /*
- * Used to indicate whether we have allocated htab in the
- * host kernel
+ * Used to indicate that a CPU has it's hash page table (HPT) managed
+ * within the host kernel
  */
-bool kvmppc_kern_htab;
+#define MMU_HASH64_KVM_MANAGED_HPT      ((void *)-1)
+
 /*
  * SLB handling
  */
@@ -283,7 +284,11 @@ void ppc_hash64_set_external_hpt(PowerPCCPU *cpu, void *hpt, int shift,
 
     cpu_synchronize_state(CPU(cpu));
 
-    env->external_htab = hpt;
+    if (hpt) {
+        env->external_htab = hpt;
+    } else {
+        env->external_htab = MMU_HASH64_KVM_MANAGED_HPT;
+    }
     ppc_hash64_set_sdr1(cpu, (target_ulong)(uintptr_t)hpt | (shift - 18),
                         &local_err);
     if (local_err) {
@@ -396,25 +401,16 @@ uint64_t ppc_hash64_start_access(PowerPCCPU *cpu, target_ulong pte_index)
     hwaddr pte_offset;
 
     pte_offset = pte_index * HASH_PTE_SIZE_64;
-    if (kvmppc_kern_htab) {
+    if (cpu->env.external_htab == MMU_HASH64_KVM_MANAGED_HPT) {
         /*
          * HTAB is controlled by KVM. Fetch the PTEG into a new buffer.
          */
         token = kvmppc_hash64_read_pteg(cpu, pte_index);
-        if (token) {
-            return token;
-        }
+    } else if (cpu->env.external_htab) {
         /*
-         * pteg read failed, even though we have allocated htab via
-         * kvmppc_reset_htab.
+         * HTAB is controlled by QEMU. Just point to the internally
+         * accessible PTEG.
          */
-        return 0;
-    }
-    /*
-     * HTAB is controlled by QEMU. Just point to the internally
-     * accessible PTEG.
-     */
-    if (cpu->env.external_htab) {
         token = (uint64_t)(uintptr_t) cpu->env.external_htab + pte_offset;
     } else if (cpu->env.htab_base) {
         token = cpu->env.htab_base + pte_offset;
@@ -422,9 +418,9 @@ uint64_t ppc_hash64_start_access(PowerPCCPU *cpu, target_ulong pte_index)
     return token;
 }
 
-void ppc_hash64_stop_access(uint64_t token)
+void ppc_hash64_stop_access(PowerPCCPU *cpu, uint64_t token)
 {
-    if (kvmppc_kern_htab) {
+    if (cpu->env.external_htab == MMU_HASH64_KVM_MANAGED_HPT) {
         kvmppc_hash64_free_pteg(token);
     }
 }
@@ -453,11 +449,11 @@ static hwaddr ppc_hash64_pteg_search(PowerPCCPU *cpu, hwaddr hash,
             && HPTE64_V_COMPARE(pte0, ptem)) {
             pte->pte0 = pte0;
             pte->pte1 = pte1;
-            ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+            ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
             return (pte_index + i) * HASH_PTE_SIZE_64;
         }
     }
-    ppc_hash64_stop_access(token);
+    ppc_hash64_stop_access(cpu, token);
     /*
      * We didn't find a valid entry.
      */
@@ -772,7 +768,7 @@ void ppc_hash64_store_hpte(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
 {
     CPUPPCState *env = &cpu->env;
 
-    if (kvmppc_kern_htab) {
+    if (env->external_htab == MMU_HASH64_KVM_MANAGED_HPT) {
         kvmppc_hash64_write_pte(env, pte_index, pte0, pte1);
         return;
     }
diff --git a/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.h b/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.h
index 138cd7e..9bf8b9b 100644
--- a/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.h
+++ b/target-ppc/mmu-hash64.h
@@ -90,16 +90,13 @@ unsigned ppc_hash64_hpte_page_shift_noslb(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
 #define HPTE64_V_1TB_SEG        0x4000000000000000ULL
 #define HPTE64_V_VRMA_MASK      0x4001ffffff000000ULL
 
-
-extern bool kvmppc_kern_htab;
-
 void ppc_hash64_set_sdr1(PowerPCCPU *cpu, target_ulong value,
                          Error **errp);
 void ppc_hash64_set_external_hpt(PowerPCCPU *cpu, void *hpt, int shift,
                                  Error **errp);
 
 uint64_t ppc_hash64_start_access(PowerPCCPU *cpu, target_ulong pte_index);
-void ppc_hash64_stop_access(uint64_t token);
+void ppc_hash64_stop_access(PowerPCCPU *cpu, uint64_t token);
 
 static inline target_ulong ppc_hash64_load_hpte0(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
                                                  uint64_t token, int index)
@@ -108,7 +105,7 @@ static inline target_ulong ppc_hash64_load_hpte0(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
     uint64_t addr;
 
     addr = token + (index * HASH_PTE_SIZE_64);
-    if (kvmppc_kern_htab || env->external_htab) {
+    if (env->external_htab) {
         return  ldq_p((const void *)(uintptr_t)addr);
     } else {
         return ldq_phys(CPU(cpu)->as, addr);
@@ -122,7 +119,7 @@ static inline target_ulong ppc_hash64_load_hpte1(PowerPCCPU *cpu,
     uint64_t addr;
 
     addr = token + (index * HASH_PTE_SIZE_64) + HASH_PTE_SIZE_64/2;
-    if (kvmppc_kern_htab || env->external_htab) {
+    if (env->external_htab) {
         return  ldq_p((const void *)(uintptr_t)addr);
     } else {
         return ldq_phys(CPU(cpu)->as, addr);
