diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 072eb54b48..20c7cefccf 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -14811,7 +14811,7 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotCreateDiskActive(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
         if (qemuDomainObjEnterMonitorAsync(driver, vm, asyncJob) < 0)
             goto cleanup;
 
-        ret = qemuMonitorTransaction(priv->mon, actions);
+        ret = qemuMonitorTransaction(priv->mon, &actions);
 
         if (qemuDomainObjExitMonitor(driver, vm) < 0 || ret < 0) {
             ret = -1;
@@ -14855,7 +14855,7 @@ qemuDomainSnapshotCreateDiskActive(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
         }
     }
 
-    if (ret == 0 || !actions) {
+    if (ret == 0 || !do_transaction) {
         if (virDomainSaveStatus(driver->xmlopt, cfg->stateDir, vm, driver->caps) < 0 ||
             (persist && virDomainSaveConfig(cfg->configDir, driver->caps,
                                             vm->newDef) < 0))
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
index e169553b7e..7b647525b3 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.c
@@ -3386,9 +3386,9 @@ qemuMonitorDriveMirror(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
 
 /* Use the transaction QMP command to run atomic snapshot commands.  */
 int
-qemuMonitorTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr actions)
+qemuMonitorTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr *actions)
 {
-    VIR_DEBUG("actions=%p", actions);
+    VIR_DEBUG("actions=%p", *actions);
 
     QEMU_CHECK_MONITOR_JSON(mon);
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
index 7a22323504..d04148e568 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor.h
@@ -898,7 +898,7 @@ int qemuMonitorDiskSnapshot(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                             const char *file,
                             const char *format,
                             bool reuse);
-int qemuMonitorTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr actions)
+int qemuMonitorTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr *actions)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
 int qemuMonitorDriveMirror(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                            const char *device,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
index de915eabb4..1fd09a3398 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.c
@@ -4125,18 +4125,14 @@ qemuMonitorJSONDriveMirror(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
 }
 
 int
-qemuMonitorJSONTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr actions)
+qemuMonitorJSONTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr *actions)
 {
     int ret = -1;
     virJSONValuePtr cmd;
     virJSONValuePtr reply = NULL;
-    virJSONValuePtr act = actions;
-    bool protect = actions->protect;
 
-    /* We do NOT want to free actions when recursively freeing cmd.  */
-    actions->protect = true;
     cmd = qemuMonitorJSONMakeCommand("transaction",
-                                     "a:actions", &act,
+                                     "a:actions", actions,
                                      NULL);
     if (!cmd)
         goto cleanup;
@@ -4151,7 +4147,6 @@ qemuMonitorJSONTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr actions)
  cleanup:
     virJSONValueFree(cmd);
     virJSONValueFree(reply);
-    actions->protect = protect;
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
index 846d366b27..045df4919f 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_monitor_json.h
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ int qemuMonitorJSONDiskSnapshot(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                                 bool reuse)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(3)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(4) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(5);
-int qemuMonitorJSONTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr actions)
+int qemuMonitorJSONTransaction(qemuMonitorPtr mon, virJSONValuePtr *actions)
     ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(2);
 int qemuMonitorJSONDriveMirror(qemuMonitorPtr mon,
                                const char *device,