diff --git a/src/conf/node_device_conf.c b/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
index a23d8ef99e..719abcd21c 100644
--- a/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/node_device_conf.c
@@ -207,22 +207,23 @@ virNodeDeviceObjPtr virNodeDeviceAssignDef(virNodeDeviceObjListPtr devs,
 }
 
 void virNodeDeviceObjRemove(virNodeDeviceObjListPtr devs,
-                            virNodeDeviceObjPtr dev)
+                            virNodeDeviceObjPtr *dev)
 {
     size_t i;
 
-    virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(dev);
+    virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(*dev);
 
     for (i = 0; i < devs->count; i++) {
-        virNodeDeviceObjLock(dev);
-        if (devs->objs[i] == dev) {
-            virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(dev);
+        virNodeDeviceObjLock(*dev);
+        if (devs->objs[i] == *dev) {
+            virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(*dev);
             virNodeDeviceObjFree(devs->objs[i]);
+            *dev = NULL;
 
             VIR_DELETE_ELEMENT(devs->objs, i, devs->count);
             break;
         }
-        virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(dev);
+        virNodeDeviceObjUnlock(*dev);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/conf/node_device_conf.h b/src/conf/node_device_conf.h
index 8f23a986cd..9f00500024 100644
--- a/src/conf/node_device_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/node_device_conf.h
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ virNodeDeviceObjPtr virNodeDeviceAssignDef(virNodeDeviceObjListPtr devs,
                                            virNodeDeviceDefPtr def);
 
 void virNodeDeviceObjRemove(virNodeDeviceObjListPtr devs,
-                            virNodeDeviceObjPtr dev);
+                            virNodeDeviceObjPtr *dev);
 
 char *virNodeDeviceDefFormat(const virNodeDeviceDef *def);
 
diff --git a/src/node_device/node_device_hal.c b/src/node_device/node_device_hal.c
index ef0cd9c109..fb7bf255db 100644
--- a/src/node_device/node_device_hal.c
+++ b/src/node_device/node_device_hal.c
@@ -530,7 +530,7 @@ dev_refresh(const char *udi)
         /* Simply "rediscover" device -- incrementally handling changes
          * to sub-capabilities (like net.80203) is nasty ... so avoid it.
          */
-        virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, dev);
+        virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, &dev);
     } else {
         VIR_DEBUG("no device named %s", name);
     }
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ device_removed(LibHalContext *ctx ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
     dev = virNodeDeviceFindByName(&driver->devs, name);
     VIR_DEBUG("%s", name);
     if (dev)
-        virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, dev);
+        virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, &dev);
     else
         VIR_DEBUG("no device named %s", name);
     nodeDeviceUnlock();
diff --git a/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c b/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
index ddf3d8868e..520269fbe9 100644
--- a/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
+++ b/src/node_device/node_device_udev.c
@@ -1044,7 +1044,7 @@ static int udevRemoveOneDevice(struct udev_device *device)
 
     VIR_DEBUG("Removing device '%s' with sysfs path '%s'",
               dev->def->name, name);
-    virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, dev);
+    virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, &dev);
 
     ret = 0;
  cleanup:
diff --git a/src/test/test_driver.c b/src/test/test_driver.c
index bc1f93d89d..53cfa3cf78 100644
--- a/src/test/test_driver.c
+++ b/src/test/test_driver.c
@@ -5534,7 +5534,7 @@ testNodeDeviceDestroy(virNodeDevicePtr dev)
                                            0);
 
     virNodeDeviceObjLock(obj);
-    virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, obj);
+    virNodeDeviceObjRemove(&driver->devs, &obj);
 
  out:
     if (obj)