diff --git a/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c b/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
index 595f88b3528f..e295d8893962 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/esp-pci.c
@@ -367,9 +367,6 @@ static void esp_pci_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     s->irq = pci_allocate_irq(dev);
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), d, &esp_pci_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, errp);
-    }
 }
 
 static void esp_pci_scsi_uninit(PCIDevice *d)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/esp.c b/hw/scsi/esp.c
index 5a5a4e946ae5..eee831efebc4 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/esp.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/esp.c
@@ -690,7 +690,6 @@ static void sysbus_esp_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     SysBusDevice *sbd = SYS_BUS_DEVICE(dev);
     SysBusESPState *sysbus = ESP(dev);
     ESPState *s = &sysbus->esp;
-    Error *err = NULL;
 
     sysbus_init_irq(sbd, &s->irq);
     assert(sysbus->it_shift != -1);
@@ -703,11 +702,6 @@ static void sysbus_esp_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     qdev_init_gpio_in(dev, sysbus_esp_gpio_demux, 2);
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), dev, &esp_scsi_info, NULL);
-    scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
-    if (err != NULL) {
-        error_propagate(errp, err);
-        return;
-    }
 }
 
 static void sysbus_esp_hard_reset(DeviceState *dev)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c b/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
index feb119131569..292fa8795fa1 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/lsi53c895a.c
@@ -2216,9 +2216,6 @@ static void lsi_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     QTAILQ_INIT(&s->queue);
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), d, &lsi_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, errp);
-    }
 }
 
 static void lsi_scsi_unrealize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/megasas.c b/hw/scsi/megasas.c
index 1a8b04c6d76c..e3d59b7c83c7 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/megasas.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/megasas.c
@@ -2325,7 +2325,6 @@ static const struct SCSIBusInfo megasas_scsi_info = {
 
 static void megasas_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
 {
-    DeviceState *d = DEVICE(dev);
     MegasasState *s = MEGASAS(dev);
     MegasasBaseClass *b = MEGASAS_DEVICE_GET_CLASS(s);
     uint8_t *pci_conf;
@@ -2426,9 +2425,6 @@ static void megasas_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), DEVICE(dev),
                  &megasas_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, errp);
-    }
 }
 
 static Property megasas_properties_gen1[] = {
diff --git a/hw/scsi/mptsas.c b/hw/scsi/mptsas.c
index ad87e78fe262..2e091c01564a 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/mptsas.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/mptsas.c
@@ -1271,7 +1271,6 @@ static const struct SCSIBusInfo mptsas_scsi_info = {
 
 static void mptsas_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
 {
-    DeviceState *d = DEVICE(dev);
     MPTSASState *s = MPT_SAS(dev);
     Error *err = NULL;
     int ret;
@@ -1326,9 +1325,6 @@ static void mptsas_scsi_realize(PCIDevice *dev, Error **errp)
     QTAILQ_INIT(&s->pending);
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), &dev->qdev, &mptsas_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (!d->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, errp);
-    }
 }
 
 static void mptsas_scsi_uninit(PCIDevice *dev)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c b/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
index 5940cb160c99..b9111eea1ed8 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/scsi-bus.c
@@ -261,12 +261,11 @@ SCSIDevice *scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(SCSIBus *bus, BlockBackend *blk,
     return SCSI_DEVICE(dev);
 }
 
-void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus, Error **errp)
+void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus)
 {
     Location loc;
     DriveInfo *dinfo;
     int unit;
-    Error *err = NULL;
 
     loc_push_none(&loc);
     for (unit = 0; unit <= bus->info->max_target; unit++) {
@@ -276,15 +275,47 @@ void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus, Error **errp)
         }
         qemu_opts_loc_restore(dinfo->opts);
         scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(bus, blk_by_legacy_dinfo(dinfo),
-                                  unit, false, -1, NULL, &err);
-        if (err != NULL) {
-            error_propagate(errp, err);
-            break;
-        }
+                                  unit, false, -1, NULL, &error_fatal);
     }
     loc_pop(&loc);
 }
 
+static bool is_scsi_hba_with_legacy_magic(Object *obj)
+{
+    static const char *magic[] = {
+        "am53c974", "dc390", "esp", "lsi53c810", "lsi53c895a",
+        "megasas", "megasas-gen2", "mptsas1068", "spapr-vscsi",
+        "virtio-scsi-device",
+        NULL
+    };
+    const char *typename = object_get_typename(obj);
+    int i;
+
+    for (i = 0; magic[i]; i++)
+        if (!strcmp(typename, magic[i])) {
+            return true;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+static int scsi_legacy_handle_cmdline_cb(Object *obj, void *opaque)
+{
+    SCSIBus *bus = (SCSIBus *)object_dynamic_cast(obj, TYPE_SCSI_BUS);
+
+    if (bus && is_scsi_hba_with_legacy_magic(OBJECT(bus->qbus.parent))) {
+        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(bus);
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
+void scsi_legacy_handle_cmdline(void)
+{
+    object_child_foreach_recursive(object_get_root(),
+                                   scsi_legacy_handle_cmdline_cb, NULL);
+}
+
 static int32_t scsi_invalid_field(SCSIRequest *req, uint8_t *buf)
 {
     scsi_req_build_sense(req, SENSE_CODE(INVALID_FIELD));
diff --git a/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c b/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
index 6090a204a03d..7d447718eb95 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/spapr_vscsi.c
@@ -1206,9 +1206,6 @@ static void spapr_vscsi_realize(VIOsPAPRDevice *dev, Error **errp)
 
     scsi_bus_new(&s->bus, sizeof(s->bus), DEVICE(dev),
                  &vscsi_scsi_info, NULL);
-    if (!dev->qdev.hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, errp);
-    }
 }
 
 void spapr_vscsi_create(VIOsPAPRBus *bus)
diff --git a/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c b/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
index b01030b74558..4fb9259447e5 100644
--- a/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
+++ b/hw/scsi/virtio-scsi.c
@@ -897,14 +897,6 @@ static void virtio_scsi_device_realize(DeviceState *dev, Error **errp)
     /* override default SCSI bus hotplug-handler, with virtio-scsi's one */
     qbus_set_hotplug_handler(BUS(&s->bus), dev, &error_abort);
 
-    if (!dev->hotplugged) {
-        scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(&s->bus, &err);
-        if (err != NULL) {
-            error_propagate(errp, err);
-            return;
-        }
-    }
-
     virtio_scsi_dataplane_setup(s, errp);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h b/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
index 9bad49e9179c..eeef949b6625 100644
--- a/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
+++ b/include/hw/scsi/scsi.h
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@ static inline SCSIBus *scsi_bus_from_device(SCSIDevice *d)
 SCSIDevice *scsi_bus_legacy_add_drive(SCSIBus *bus, BlockBackend *blk,
                                       int unit, bool removable, int bootindex,
                                       const char *serial, Error **errp);
-void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus, Error **errp);
+void scsi_bus_legacy_handle_cmdline(SCSIBus *bus);
+void scsi_legacy_handle_cmdline(void);
 
 /*
  * Predefined sense codes
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 27d982981ab5..ab40889ad66e 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 #include "hw/usb.h"
 #include "hw/i386/pc.h"
 #include "hw/isa/isa.h"
+#include "hw/scsi/scsi.h"
 #include "hw/bt.h"
 #include "sysemu/watchdog.h"
 #include "hw/smbios/smbios.h"
@@ -4509,6 +4510,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
 
     rom_reset_order_override();
 
+    /* Create frontends for -drive if=scsi */
+    scsi_legacy_handle_cmdline();
+
     /* Did we create any drives that we failed to create a device for? */
     drive_check_orphaned();