diff --git a/include/io/channel-socket.h b/include/io/channel-socket.h
index ed88e5b8c1..777ff5954e 100644
--- a/include/io/channel-socket.h
+++ b/include/io/channel-socket.h
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ int qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
  * qio_channel_socket_listen_async:
  * @ioc: the socket channel object
  * @addr: the address to listen to
+ * @num: the expected ammount of connections
  * @callback: the function to invoke on completion
  * @opaque: user data to pass to @callback
  * @destroy: the function to free @opaque
@@ -155,6 +156,7 @@ int qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
  */
 void qio_channel_socket_listen_async(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
                                      SocketAddress *addr,
+                                     int num,
                                      QIOTaskFunc callback,
                                      gpointer opaque,
                                      GDestroyNotify destroy,
diff --git a/io/channel-socket.c b/io/channel-socket.c
index 6258c25983..b74f5b92a0 100644
--- a/io/channel-socket.c
+++ b/io/channel-socket.c
@@ -220,14 +220,27 @@ int qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
 }
 
 
+struct QIOChannelListenWorkerData {
+    SocketAddress *addr;
+    int num; /* amount of expected connections */
+};
+
+static void qio_channel_listen_worker_free(gpointer opaque)
+{
+    struct QIOChannelListenWorkerData *data = opaque;
+
+    qapi_free_SocketAddress(data->addr);
+    g_free(data);
+}
+
 static void qio_channel_socket_listen_worker(QIOTask *task,
                                              gpointer opaque)
 {
     QIOChannelSocket *ioc = QIO_CHANNEL_SOCKET(qio_task_get_source(task));
-    SocketAddress *addr = opaque;
+    struct QIOChannelListenWorkerData *data = opaque;
     Error *err = NULL;
 
-    qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(ioc, addr, 1, &err);
+    qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(ioc, data->addr, data->num, &err);
 
     qio_task_set_error(task, err);
 }
@@ -235,6 +248,7 @@ static void qio_channel_socket_listen_worker(QIOTask *task,
 
 void qio_channel_socket_listen_async(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
                                      SocketAddress *addr,
+                                     int num,
                                      QIOTaskFunc callback,
                                      gpointer opaque,
                                      GDestroyNotify destroy,
@@ -242,16 +256,18 @@ void qio_channel_socket_listen_async(QIOChannelSocket *ioc,
 {
     QIOTask *task = qio_task_new(
         OBJECT(ioc), callback, opaque, destroy);
-    SocketAddress *addrCopy;
+    struct QIOChannelListenWorkerData *data;
 
-    addrCopy = QAPI_CLONE(SocketAddress, addr);
+    data = g_new0(struct QIOChannelListenWorkerData, 1);
+    data->addr = QAPI_CLONE(SocketAddress, addr);
+    data->num = num;
 
     /* socket_listen() blocks in DNS lookups, so we must use a thread */
-    trace_qio_channel_socket_listen_async(ioc, addr);
+    trace_qio_channel_socket_listen_async(ioc, addr, num);
     qio_task_run_in_thread(task,
                            qio_channel_socket_listen_worker,
-                           addrCopy,
-                           (GDestroyNotify)qapi_free_SocketAddress,
+                           data,
+                           qio_channel_listen_worker_free,
                            context);
 }
 
diff --git a/io/trace-events b/io/trace-events
index 2e6aa1d749..d7bc70b966 100644
--- a/io/trace-events
+++ b/io/trace-events
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ qio_channel_socket_connect_async(void *ioc, void *addr) "Socket connect async io
 qio_channel_socket_connect_fail(void *ioc) "Socket connect fail ioc=%p"
 qio_channel_socket_connect_complete(void *ioc, int fd) "Socket connect complete ioc=%p fd=%d"
 qio_channel_socket_listen_sync(void *ioc, void *addr, int num) "Socket listen sync ioc=%p addr=%p num=%d"
-qio_channel_socket_listen_async(void *ioc, void *addr) "Socket listen async ioc=%p addr=%p"
+qio_channel_socket_listen_async(void *ioc, void *addr, int num) "Socket listen async ioc=%p addr=%p num=%d"
 qio_channel_socket_listen_fail(void *ioc) "Socket listen fail ioc=%p"
 qio_channel_socket_listen_complete(void *ioc, int fd) "Socket listen complete ioc=%p fd=%d"
 qio_channel_socket_dgram_sync(void *ioc, void *localAddr, void *remoteAddr) "Socket dgram sync ioc=%p localAddr=%p remoteAddr=%p"
diff --git a/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c b/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
index 6eebcee115..50235c1547 100644
--- a/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
+++ b/tests/test-io-channel-socket.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static void test_io_channel_setup_async(SocketAddress *listen_addr,
 
     lioc = qio_channel_socket_new();
     qio_channel_socket_listen_async(
-        lioc, listen_addr,
+        lioc, listen_addr, 1,
         test_io_channel_complete, &data, NULL, NULL);
 
     g_main_loop_run(data.loop);
