diff --git a/include/block/nbd.h b/include/block/nbd.h
index 24be9570bb4..00d3eb57d9c 100644
--- a/include/block/nbd.h
+++ b/include/block/nbd.h
@@ -262,6 +262,7 @@ struct NBDExportInfo {
     /* Set by client before nbd_receive_negotiate() */
     bool request_sizes;
     char *x_dirty_bitmap;
+    char *name; /* must be non-NULL */

     /* In-out fields, set by client before nbd_receive_negotiate() and
      * updated by server results during nbd_receive_negotiate() */
@@ -279,10 +280,9 @@ struct NBDExportInfo {
 };
 typedef struct NBDExportInfo NBDExportInfo;

-int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
-                          QCryptoTLSCreds *tlscreds, const char *hostname,
-                          QIOChannel **outioc, NBDExportInfo *info,
-                          Error **errp);
+int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, QCryptoTLSCreds *tlscreds,
+                          const char *hostname, QIOChannel **outioc,
+                          NBDExportInfo *info, Error **errp);
 int nbd_init(int fd, QIOChannelSocket *sioc, NBDExportInfo *info,
              Error **errp);
 int nbd_send_request(QIOChannel *ioc, NBDRequest *request);
diff --git a/block/nbd-client.c b/block/nbd-client.c
index ef320759716..3309376bc16 100644
--- a/block/nbd-client.c
+++ b/block/nbd-client.c
@@ -999,10 +999,11 @@ int nbd_client_init(BlockDriverState *bs,
     client->info.structured_reply = true;
     client->info.base_allocation = true;
     client->info.x_dirty_bitmap = g_strdup(x_dirty_bitmap);
-    ret = nbd_receive_negotiate(QIO_CHANNEL(sioc), export,
-                                tlscreds, hostname,
+    client->info.name = g_strdup(export ?: "");
+    ret = nbd_receive_negotiate(QIO_CHANNEL(sioc), tlscreds, hostname,
                                 &client->ioc, &client->info, errp);
     g_free(client->info.x_dirty_bitmap);
+    g_free(client->info.name);
     if (ret < 0) {
         logout("Failed to negotiate with the NBD server\n");
         return ret;
diff --git a/nbd/client.c b/nbd/client.c
index fd4ba8dec37..8227e69478a 100644
--- a/nbd/client.c
+++ b/nbd/client.c
@@ -330,15 +330,14 @@ static int nbd_receive_list(QIOChannel *ioc, char **name, char **description,
 }


-/* Returns -1 if NBD_OPT_GO proves the export @wantname cannot be
+/* Returns -1 if NBD_OPT_GO proves the export @info->name cannot be
  * used, 0 if NBD_OPT_GO is unsupported (fall back to NBD_OPT_LIST and
  * NBD_OPT_EXPORT_NAME in that case), and > 0 if the export is good to
- * go (with @info populated). */
-static int nbd_opt_go(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *wantname,
-                      NBDExportInfo *info, Error **errp)
+ * go (with the rest of @info populated). */
+static int nbd_opt_go(QIOChannel *ioc, NBDExportInfo *info, Error **errp)
 {
     NBDOptionReply reply;
-    uint32_t len = strlen(wantname);
+    uint32_t len = strlen(info->name);
     uint16_t type;
     int error;
     char *buf;
@@ -348,10 +347,10 @@ static int nbd_opt_go(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *wantname,
      * flags still 0 is a witness of a broken server. */
     info->flags = 0;

-    trace_nbd_opt_go_start(wantname);
+    trace_nbd_opt_go_start(info->name);
     buf = g_malloc(4 + len + 2 + 2 * info->request_sizes + 1);
     stl_be_p(buf, len);
-    memcpy(buf + 4, wantname, len);
+    memcpy(buf + 4, info->name, len);
     /* At most one request, everything else up to server */
     stw_be_p(buf + 4 + len, info->request_sizes);
     if (info->request_sizes) {
@@ -753,10 +752,9 @@ static int nbd_negotiate_simple_meta_context(QIOChannel *ioc,
     return 0;
 }

-int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
-                          QCryptoTLSCreds *tlscreds, const char *hostname,
-                          QIOChannel **outioc, NBDExportInfo *info,
-                          Error **errp)
+int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, QCryptoTLSCreds *tlscreds,
+                          const char *hostname, QIOChannel **outioc,
+                          NBDExportInfo *info, Error **errp)
 {
     uint64_t magic;
     int rc;
@@ -766,6 +764,8 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,

     trace_nbd_receive_negotiate(tlscreds, hostname ? hostname : "<null>");

+    assert(info->name);
+    trace_nbd_receive_negotiate_name(info->name);
     info->structured_reply = false;
     info->base_allocation = false;
     rc = -EINVAL;
@@ -834,10 +834,6 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
                 goto fail;
             }
         }
-        if (!name) {
-            trace_nbd_receive_negotiate_default_name();
-            name = "";
-        }
         if (fixedNewStyle) {
             int result;

@@ -853,7 +849,8 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,

             if (info->structured_reply && base_allocation) {
                 result = nbd_negotiate_simple_meta_context(
-                        ioc, name, info->x_dirty_bitmap ?: "base:allocation",
+                        ioc, info->name,
+                        info->x_dirty_bitmap ?: "base:allocation",
                         &info->meta_base_allocation_id, errp);
                 if (result < 0) {
                     goto fail;
@@ -866,7 +863,7 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
              * TLS).  If it is not available, fall back to
              * NBD_OPT_LIST for nicer error messages about a missing
              * export, then use NBD_OPT_EXPORT_NAME.  */
-            result = nbd_opt_go(ioc, name, info, errp);
+            result = nbd_opt_go(ioc, info, errp);
             if (result < 0) {
                 goto fail;
             }
@@ -879,12 +876,12 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
              * query gives us better error reporting if the
              * export name is not available.
              */
-            if (nbd_receive_query_exports(ioc, name, errp) < 0) {
+            if (nbd_receive_query_exports(ioc, info->name, errp) < 0) {
                 goto fail;
             }
         }
         /* write the export name request */
-        if (nbd_send_option_request(ioc, NBD_OPT_EXPORT_NAME, -1, name,
+        if (nbd_send_option_request(ioc, NBD_OPT_EXPORT_NAME, -1, info->name,
                                     errp) < 0) {
             goto fail;
         }
@@ -904,8 +901,8 @@ int nbd_receive_negotiate(QIOChannel *ioc, const char *name,
     } else if (magic == NBD_CLIENT_MAGIC) {
         uint32_t oldflags;

-        if (name) {
-            error_setg(errp, "Server does not support export names");
+        if (*info->name) {
+            error_setg(errp, "Server does not support non-empty export names");
             goto fail;
         }
         if (tlscreds) {
diff --git a/qemu-nbd.c b/qemu-nbd.c
index efca0e44a90..3c538700eae 100644
--- a/qemu-nbd.c
+++ b/qemu-nbd.c
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ static void *show_parts(void *arg)
 static void *nbd_client_thread(void *arg)
 {
     char *device = arg;
-    NBDExportInfo info = { .request_sizes = false, };
+    NBDExportInfo info = { .request_sizes = false, .name = g_strdup("") };
     QIOChannelSocket *sioc;
     int fd;
     int ret;
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ static void *nbd_client_thread(void *arg)
         goto out;
     }

-    ret = nbd_receive_negotiate(QIO_CHANNEL(sioc), NULL,
+    ret = nbd_receive_negotiate(QIO_CHANNEL(sioc),
                                 NULL, NULL, NULL, &info, &local_error);
     if (ret < 0) {
         if (local_error) {
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ static void *nbd_client_thread(void *arg)
     }
     close(fd);
     object_unref(OBJECT(sioc));
+    g_free(info.name);
     kill(getpid(), SIGTERM);
     return (void *) EXIT_SUCCESS;

@@ -326,6 +327,7 @@ out_fd:
 out_socket:
     object_unref(OBJECT(sioc));
 out:
+    g_free(info.name);
     kill(getpid(), SIGTERM);
     return (void *) EXIT_FAILURE;
 }
diff --git a/nbd/trace-events b/nbd/trace-events
index d1e1ca64ee5..c3966d2b653 100644
--- a/nbd/trace-events
+++ b/nbd/trace-events
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ nbd_opt_meta_reply(const char *context, uint32_t id) "Received mapping of contex
 nbd_receive_negotiate(void *tlscreds, const char *hostname) "Receiving negotiation tlscreds=%p hostname=%s"
 nbd_receive_negotiate_magic(uint64_t magic) "Magic is 0x%" PRIx64
 nbd_receive_negotiate_server_flags(uint32_t globalflags) "Global flags are 0x%" PRIx32
-nbd_receive_negotiate_default_name(void) "Using default NBD export name \"\""
+nbd_receive_negotiate_name(const char *name) "Requesting NBD export name '%s'"
 nbd_receive_negotiate_size_flags(uint64_t size, uint16_t flags) "Size is %" PRIu64 ", export flags 0x%" PRIx16
 nbd_init_set_socket(void) "Setting NBD socket"
 nbd_init_set_block_size(unsigned long block_size) "Setting block size to %lu"
