diff --git a/src/conf/capabilities.c b/src/conf/capabilities.c
index d53d5a3b44..1d29ce642a 100644
--- a/src/conf/capabilities.c
+++ b/src/conf/capabilities.c
@@ -935,13 +935,3 @@ virCapabilitiesGenerateMac(virCapsPtr caps,
 {
     virMacAddrGenerate(caps->macPrefix, mac);
 }
-
-extern void
-virCapabilitiesSetEmulatorRequired(virCapsPtr caps) {
-    caps->emulatorRequired = 1;
-}
-
-extern unsigned int
-virCapabilitiesIsEmulatorRequired(virCapsPtr caps) {
-    return caps->emulatorRequired;
-}
diff --git a/src/conf/capabilities.h b/src/conf/capabilities.h
index a3838e61a6..5e7a5f6a77 100644
--- a/src/conf/capabilities.h
+++ b/src/conf/capabilities.h
@@ -163,7 +163,6 @@ struct _virCaps {
 
     /* Move to virDomainXMLOption later */
     unsigned char macPrefix[VIR_MAC_PREFIX_BUFLEN];
-    unsigned int emulatorRequired : 1;
     int defaultDiskDriverType; /* enum virStorageFileFormat */
     int (*defaultConsoleTargetType)(const char *ostype, virArch guestarch);
     bool hasWideScsiBus;
@@ -186,12 +185,6 @@ extern void
 virCapabilitiesGenerateMac(virCapsPtr caps,
                            virMacAddrPtr mac);
 
-extern void
-virCapabilitiesSetEmulatorRequired(virCapsPtr caps);
-
-extern unsigned int
-virCapabilitiesIsEmulatorRequired(virCapsPtr caps);
-
 extern int
 virCapabilitiesAddHostFeature(virCapsPtr caps,
                               const char *name);
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index 3237fb1e9a..062469635a 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -9165,8 +9165,10 @@ virDomainLeaseRemove(virDomainDefPtr def,
 }
 
 
-static char *virDomainDefDefaultEmulator(virDomainDefPtr def,
-                                         virCapsPtr caps) {
+char *
+virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator(virDomainDefPtr def,
+                               virCapsPtr caps)
+{
     const char *type;
     const char *emulator;
     char *retemu;
@@ -9185,13 +9187,13 @@ static char *virDomainDefDefaultEmulator(virDomainDefPtr def,
 
     if (!emulator) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
-                       _("no emulator for domain %s os type %s on architecture %s"),
+                       _("no emulator for domain %s os type %s "
+                         "on architecture %s"),
                        type, def->os.type, virArchToString(def->os.arch));
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    retemu = strdup(emulator);
-    if (!retemu)
+    if (!(retemu = strdup(emulator)))
         virReportOOMError();
 
     return retemu;
@@ -10385,11 +10387,6 @@ virDomainDefParseXML(xmlDocPtr xml,
     }
 
     def->emulator = virXPathString("string(./devices/emulator[1])", ctxt);
-    if (!def->emulator && virCapabilitiesIsEmulatorRequired(caps)) {
-        def->emulator = virDomainDefDefaultEmulator(def, caps);
-        if (!def->emulator)
-            goto error;
-    }
 
     /* analysis of the disk devices */
     if ((n = virXPathNodeSet("./devices/disk", ctxt, &nodes)) < 0)
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.h b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
index e54dadc9bd..19a66ed1ab 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.h
@@ -2476,4 +2476,6 @@ int virDomainObjListExport(virDomainObjListPtr doms,
 virDomainVcpuPinDefPtr virDomainLookupVcpuPin(virDomainDefPtr def,
                                               int vcpuid);
 
+char *virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator(virDomainDefPtr def, virCapsPtr caps);
+
 #endif /* __DOMAIN_CONF_H */
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 2930104da3..36e4ee06f7 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ virCapabilitiesFormatXML;
 virCapabilitiesFreeMachines;
 virCapabilitiesFreeNUMAInfo;
 virCapabilitiesGenerateMac;
-virCapabilitiesIsEmulatorRequired;
 virCapabilitiesNew;
-virCapabilitiesSetEmulatorRequired;
 virCapabilitiesSetHostCPU;
 virCapabilitiesSetMacPrefix;
 
@@ -118,6 +116,7 @@ virDomainDefFormat;
 virDomainDefFormatInternal;
 virDomainDefFree;
 virDomainDefGenSecurityLabelDef;
+virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator;
 virDomainDefGetSecurityLabelDef;
 virDomainDefParseFile;
 virDomainDefParseNode;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c b/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
index 377d8af117..ce8c2b5b6e 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
@@ -119,9 +119,6 @@ virCapsPtr lxcCapsInit(virLXCDriverPtr driver)
             goto error;
     }
 
-    /* LXC Requires an emulator in the XML */
-    virCapabilitiesSetEmulatorRequired(caps);
-
     if (driver) {
         /* Security driver data */
         const char *doi, *model;
@@ -159,11 +156,12 @@ error:
 virDomainXMLOptionPtr
 lxcDomainXMLConfInit(void)
 {
-    return virDomainXMLOptionNew(NULL,
+    return virDomainXMLOptionNew(&virLXCDriverDomainDefParserConfig,
                                  &virLXCDriverPrivateDataCallbacks,
                                  NULL);
 }
 
+
 int lxcLoadDriverConfig(virLXCDriverPtr driver)
 {
     char *filename;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_domain.c b/src/lxc/lxc_domain.c
index 08cf8f6b34..80907895c9 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_domain.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_domain.c
@@ -79,3 +79,20 @@ virDomainXMLPrivateDataCallbacks virLXCDriverPrivateDataCallbacks = {
     .format = virLXCDomainObjPrivateXMLFormat,
     .parse  = virLXCDomainObjPrivateXMLParse,
 };
+
+static int
+virLXCDomainDefPostParse(virDomainDefPtr def,
+                         virCapsPtr caps,
+                         void *opaque ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+{
+    /* check for emulator and create a default one if needed */
+    if (!def->emulator &&
+        !(def->emulator = virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator(def, caps)))
+        return -1;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+virDomainDefParserConfig virLXCDriverDomainDefParserConfig = {
+    .domainPostParseCallback = virLXCDomainDefPostParse,
+};
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_domain.h b/src/lxc/lxc_domain.h
index 007ea84e68..12753aadbd 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_domain.h
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_domain.h
@@ -39,5 +39,6 @@ struct _virLXCDomainObjPrivate {
 };
 
 extern virDomainXMLPrivateDataCallbacks virLXCDriverPrivateDataCallbacks;
+extern virDomainDefParserConfig virLXCDriverDomainDefParserConfig;
 
 #endif /* __LXC_DOMAIN_H__ */
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
index aa381b4ea7..748fd408a0 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
@@ -909,9 +909,6 @@ virCapsPtr virQEMUCapsInit(virQEMUCapsCachePtr cache)
                                  i) < 0)
             goto error;
 
-    /* QEMU Requires an emulator in the XML */
-    virCapabilitiesSetEmulatorRequired(caps);
-
     caps->defaultConsoleTargetType = virQEMUCapsDefaultConsoleType;
 
     return caps;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
index 2e7a98612e..30732578a6 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_domain.c
@@ -662,6 +662,20 @@ virDomainXMLNamespace virQEMUDriverDomainXMLNamespace = {
 };
 
 
+static int
+qemuDomainDefPostParse(virDomainDefPtr def,
+                       virCapsPtr caps,
+                       void *opaque ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+{
+    /* check for emulator and create a default one if needed */
+    if (!def->emulator &&
+        !(def->emulator = virDomainDefGetDefaultEmulator(def, caps)))
+        return -1;
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+
 static int
 qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse(virDomainDeviceDefPtr dev,
                              virDomainDefPtr def ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
@@ -703,6 +717,7 @@ no_memory:
 
 virDomainDefParserConfig virQEMUDriverDomainDefParserConfig = {
     .devicesPostParseCallback = qemuDomainDeviceDefPostParse,
+    .domainPostParseCallback = qemuDomainDefPostParse,
 };
 
 
diff --git a/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-hostdev.xml b/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-hostdev.xml
index 02a87a7b13..b022cc714b 100644
--- a/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-hostdev.xml
+++ b/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-hostdev.xml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
   <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
   <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
   <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/libexec/libvirt_lxc</emulator>
     <filesystem type='mount' accessmode='passthrough'>
       <source dir='/root/container'/>
       <target dir='/'/>
diff --git a/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-systemd.xml b/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-systemd.xml
index 2f36eeeeee..fd3a606d7e 100644
--- a/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-systemd.xml
+++ b/tests/lxcxml2xmldata/lxc-systemd.xml
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
   <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
   <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
   <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/libexec/libvirt_lxc</emulator>
     <filesystem type='mount' accessmode='passthrough'>
       <source dir='/root/container'/>
       <target dir='/'/>