diff --git a/hw/virtio/vhost-user.c b/hw/virtio/vhost-user.c
index aac98f898a..4b0fae12ae 100644
--- a/hw/virtio/vhost-user.c
+++ b/hw/virtio/vhost-user.c
@@ -1668,14 +1668,6 @@ static bool vhost_user_send_resp(QIOChannel *ioc, VhostUserHeader *hdr,
     return !qio_channel_writev_all(ioc, iov, ARRAY_SIZE(iov), errp);
 }
 
-static bool
-vhost_user_backend_send_dmabuf_fd(QIOChannel *ioc, VhostUserHeader *hdr,
-                                  VhostUserPayload *payload, Error **errp)
-{
-    hdr->size = sizeof(payload->u64);
-    return vhost_user_send_resp(ioc, hdr, payload, errp);
-}
-
 int vhost_user_get_shared_object(struct vhost_dev *dev, unsigned char *uuid,
                                  int *dmabuf_fd)
 {
@@ -1716,19 +1708,15 @@ int vhost_user_get_shared_object(struct vhost_dev *dev, unsigned char *uuid,
 
 static int
 vhost_user_backend_handle_shared_object_lookup(struct vhost_user *u,
-                                               QIOChannel *ioc,
-                                               VhostUserHeader *hdr,
-                                               VhostUserPayload *payload)
+                                               VhostUserShared *object)
 {
     QemuUUID uuid;
     CharFrontend *chr = u->user->chr;
-    Error *local_err = NULL;
     int dmabuf_fd = -1;
     int fd_num = 0;
 
-    memcpy(uuid.data, payload->object.uuid, sizeof(payload->object.uuid));
+    memcpy(uuid.data, object->uuid, sizeof(object->uuid));
 
-    payload->u64 = 0;
     switch (virtio_object_type(&uuid)) {
     case TYPE_DMABUF:
         dmabuf_fd = virtio_lookup_dmabuf(&uuid);
@@ -1737,18 +1725,16 @@ vhost_user_backend_handle_shared_object_lookup(struct vhost_user *u,
     {
         struct vhost_dev *dev = virtio_lookup_vhost_device(&uuid);
         if (dev == NULL) {
-            payload->u64 = -EINVAL;
-            break;
+            return -EINVAL;
         }
         int ret = vhost_user_get_shared_object(dev, uuid.data, &dmabuf_fd);
         if (ret < 0) {
-            payload->u64 = ret;
+            return ret;
         }
         break;
     }
     case TYPE_INVALID:
-        payload->u64 = -EINVAL;
-        break;
+        return -EINVAL;
     }
 
     if (dmabuf_fd != -1) {
@@ -1757,11 +1743,6 @@ vhost_user_backend_handle_shared_object_lookup(struct vhost_user *u,
 
     if (qemu_chr_fe_set_msgfds(chr, &dmabuf_fd, fd_num) < 0) {
         error_report("Failed to set msg fds.");
-        payload->u64 = -EINVAL;
-    }
-
-    if (!vhost_user_backend_send_dmabuf_fd(ioc, hdr, payload, &local_err)) {
-        error_report_err(local_err);
         return -EINVAL;
     }
 
@@ -1790,6 +1771,7 @@ static gboolean backend_read(QIOChannel *ioc, GIOCondition condition,
     struct iovec iov;
     g_autofree int *fd = NULL;
     size_t fdsize = 0;
+    bool reply_ack;
     int i;
 
     /* Read header */
@@ -1808,6 +1790,8 @@ static gboolean backend_read(QIOChannel *ioc, GIOCondition condition,
         goto err;
     }
 
+    reply_ack = hdr.flags & VHOST_USER_NEED_REPLY_MASK;
+
     /* Read payload */
     if (qio_channel_read_all(ioc, (char *) &payload, hdr.size, &local_err)) {
         error_report_err(local_err);
@@ -1833,8 +1817,10 @@ static gboolean backend_read(QIOChannel *ioc, GIOCondition condition,
                                                              &payload.object);
         break;
     case VHOST_USER_BACKEND_SHARED_OBJECT_LOOKUP:
-        ret = vhost_user_backend_handle_shared_object_lookup(dev->opaque, ioc,
-                                                             &hdr, &payload);
+        /* The backend always expects a response */
+        reply_ack = true;
+        ret = vhost_user_backend_handle_shared_object_lookup(dev->opaque,
+                                                             &payload.object);
         break;
     default:
         error_report("Received unexpected msg type: %d.", hdr.request);
@@ -1845,7 +1831,7 @@ static gboolean backend_read(QIOChannel *ioc, GIOCondition condition,
      * REPLY_ACK feature handling. Other reply types has to be managed
      * directly in their request handlers.
      */
-    if (hdr.flags & VHOST_USER_NEED_REPLY_MASK) {
+    if (reply_ack) {
         payload.u64 = !!ret;
         hdr.size = sizeof(payload.u64);