diff --git a/src/bhyve/bhyve_driver.c b/src/bhyve/bhyve_driver.c
index eb5fc9590d..6c0c8b1ba3 100644
--- a/src/bhyve/bhyve_driver.c
+++ b/src/bhyve/bhyve_driver.c
@@ -150,10 +150,8 @@ bhyveConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
-    if (!(xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps))) {
-        virReportOOMError();
+    if (!(xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps)))
         goto cleanup;
-    }
 
  cleanup:
     virObjectUnref(caps);
diff --git a/src/conf/capabilities.c b/src/conf/capabilities.c
index 19359a57c6..8504d3442a 100644
--- a/src/conf/capabilities.c
+++ b/src/conf/capabilities.c
@@ -1025,10 +1025,8 @@ virCapabilitiesFormatXML(virCapsPtr caps)
     virBufferAdjustIndent(&buf, -2);
     virBufferAddLit(&buf, "</capabilities>\n");
 
-    if (virBufferError(&buf)) {
-        virBufferFreeAndReset(&buf);
+    if (virBufferCheckError(&buf) < 0)
         return NULL;
-    }
 
     return virBufferContentAndReset(&buf);
 }
diff --git a/src/esx/esx_driver.c b/src/esx/esx_driver.c
index 5dd0a63f1d..48e0cd9b53 100644
--- a/src/esx/esx_driver.c
+++ b/src/esx/esx_driver.c
@@ -1420,14 +1420,8 @@ static char *
 esxConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
 {
     esxPrivate *priv = conn->privateData;
-    char *xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps);
 
-    if (!xml) {
-        virReportOOMError();
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    return xml;
+    return virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
index 646c9b9dcc..08faa1928c 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
@@ -594,8 +594,7 @@ libxlConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
         return NULL;
 
     cfg = libxlDriverConfigGet(driver);
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(cfg->caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(cfg->caps);
 
     virObjectUnref(cfg);
     return xml;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
index a9a87eab8e..24255fc585 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
@@ -232,8 +232,7 @@ static char *lxcConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn) {
     if (!(caps = virLXCDriverGetCapabilities(driver, false)))
         return NULL;
 
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps);
 
     virObjectUnref(caps);
     return xml;
diff --git a/src/parallels/parallels_driver.c b/src/parallels/parallels_driver.c
index 411527c03f..b388e2d77c 100644
--- a/src/parallels/parallels_driver.c
+++ b/src/parallels/parallels_driver.c
@@ -186,8 +186,7 @@ parallelsConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
     char *xml;
 
     parallelsDriverLock(privconn);
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(privconn->caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(privconn->caps);
     parallelsDriverUnlock(privconn);
     return xml;
 }
diff --git a/src/phyp/phyp_driver.c b/src/phyp/phyp_driver.c
index 508e4c0d8c..659f8db3f4 100644
--- a/src/phyp/phyp_driver.c
+++ b/src/phyp/phyp_driver.c
@@ -3582,12 +3582,8 @@ static char *
 phypConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
 {
     phyp_driverPtr phyp_driver = conn->privateData;
-    char *xml;
 
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(phyp_driver->caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
-
-    return xml;
+    return virCapabilitiesFormatXML(phyp_driver->caps);
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index d45a16107a..fd91d15ec7 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -1245,8 +1245,7 @@ static char *qemuConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn) {
     if (!(caps = virQEMUDriverGetCapabilities(driver, true)))
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps);
     virObjectUnref(caps);
 
  cleanup:
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index 0bf710a1ab..7bfc88d981 100644
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -1677,8 +1677,7 @@ static char *testConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
     testConnPtr privconn = conn->privateData;
     char *xml;
     testDriverLock(privconn);
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(privconn->caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(privconn->caps);
     testDriverUnlock(privconn);
     return xml;
 }
diff --git a/src/uml/uml_driver.c b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
index f14cfaa0aa..62d1afe2e2 100644
--- a/src/uml/uml_driver.c
+++ b/src/uml/uml_driver.c
@@ -1310,8 +1310,7 @@ static char *umlConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn) {
         return NULL;
 
     umlDriverLock(driver);
-    if ((xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(driver->caps)) == NULL)
-        virReportOOMError();
+    xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(driver->caps);
     umlDriverUnlock(driver);
 
     return xml;
diff --git a/src/xen/xen_driver.c b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
index 8c0050acb2..9355a4e185 100644
--- a/src/xen/xen_driver.c
+++ b/src/xen/xen_driver.c
@@ -720,17 +720,11 @@ static char *
 xenUnifiedConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
 {
     xenUnifiedPrivatePtr priv = conn->privateData;
-    char *xml;
 
     if (virConnectGetCapabilitiesEnsureACL(conn) < 0)
         return NULL;
 
-    if (!(xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps))) {
-        virReportOOMError();
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    return xml;
+    return virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps);
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c b/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
index 2e35edfa61..524b21f34a 100644
--- a/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
+++ b/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
@@ -2557,14 +2557,8 @@ char *
 xenHypervisorGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
 {
     xenUnifiedPrivatePtr priv = conn->privateData;
-    char *xml;
 
-    if (!(xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps))) {
-        virReportOOMError();
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    return xml;
+    return virCapabilitiesFormatXML(priv->caps);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c b/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
index 500b78a1a8..e3bb77e398 100644
--- a/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
+++ b/src/xenapi/xenapi_driver.c
@@ -445,12 +445,8 @@ xenapiConnectGetCapabilities(virConnectPtr conn)
 {
 
     virCapsPtr caps = ((struct _xenapiPrivate *)(conn->privateData))->caps;
-    if (caps) {
-        char *xml = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps);
-        if (!xml)
-            goto cleanup;
-        return xml;
-    }
+    if (caps)
+        return virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps);
  cleanup:
     xenapiSessionErrorHandler(conn, VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
                               _("Capabilities not available"));
diff --git a/tests/vircaps2xmltest.c b/tests/vircaps2xmltest.c
index 7166c98e69..d8b61aa972 100644
--- a/tests/vircaps2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/vircaps2xmltest.c
@@ -114,10 +114,8 @@ test_virCapabilitiesFormat(const void *opaque)
                                       data->max_mem_in_cell)))
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (!(capsXML = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps))) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Unable to format capabilities XML");
+    if (!(capsXML = virCapabilitiesFormatXML(caps)))
         goto cleanup;
-    }
 
     if (virAsprintf(&path, "%s/vircaps2xmldata/vircaps-%s.xml",
                     abs_srcdir, data->filename) < 0)