diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_cgroup.c b/src/lxc/lxc_cgroup.c
index ad254e4934..609e9eafd8 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_cgroup.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_cgroup.c
@@ -504,6 +504,17 @@ virCgroupPtr virLXCCgroupCreate(virDomainDefPtr def,
                             &cgroup) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
+    if (virCgroupAddTask(cgroup, initpid) < 0) {
+        virErrorPtr saved = virSaveLastError();
+        virCgroupRemove(cgroup);
+        virCgroupFree(&cgroup);
+        if (saved) {
+            virSetError(saved);
+            virFreeError(saved);
+        }
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
     /* setup control group permissions for user namespace */
     if (def->idmap.uidmap) {
         if (virCgroupSetOwner(cgroup,
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c b/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
index 8d88f9abb2..5df5e4537d 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_cgroup.c
@@ -789,6 +789,17 @@ qemuInitCgroup(virQEMUDriverPtr driver,
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
+    if (virCgroupAddTask(priv->cgroup, vm->pid) < 0) {
+        virErrorPtr saved = virSaveLastError();
+        virCgroupRemove(priv->cgroup);
+        virCgroupFree(&priv->cgroup);
+        if (saved) {
+            virSetError(saved);
+            virFreeError(saved);
+        }
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
+
  done:
     ret = 0;
  cleanup:
diff --git a/src/util/vircgroup.c b/src/util/vircgroup.c
index 0379c2e446..a07f3c255b 100644
--- a/src/util/vircgroup.c
+++ b/src/util/vircgroup.c
@@ -1669,16 +1669,6 @@ virCgroupNewMachineSystemd(const char *name,
         }
     }
 
-    if (virCgroupAddTask(*group, pidleader) < 0) {
-        virErrorPtr saved = virSaveLastError();
-        virCgroupRemove(*group);
-        virCgroupFree(group);
-        if (saved) {
-            virSetError(saved);
-            virFreeError(saved);
-        }
-    }
-
     ret = 0;
  cleanup:
     virCgroupFree(&parent);
@@ -1701,7 +1691,6 @@ int virCgroupTerminateMachine(const char *name,
 static int
 virCgroupNewMachineManual(const char *name,
                           const char *drivername,
-                          pid_t pidleader,
                           const char *partition,
                           int controllers,
                           virCgroupPtr *group)
@@ -1727,16 +1716,6 @@ virCgroupNewMachineManual(const char *name,
                                     group) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
-    if (virCgroupAddTask(*group, pidleader) < 0) {
-        virErrorPtr saved = virSaveLastError();
-        virCgroupRemove(*group);
-        virCgroupFree(group);
-        if (saved) {
-            virSetError(saved);
-            virFreeError(saved);
-        }
-    }
-
  done:
     ret = 0;
 
@@ -1783,7 +1762,6 @@ virCgroupNewMachine(const char *name,
 
     return virCgroupNewMachineManual(name,
                                      drivername,
-                                     pidleader,
                                      partition,
                                      controllers,
                                      group);