diff --git a/include/qemu/main-loop.h b/include/qemu/main-loop.h
index aac707d073..604e1823da 100644
--- a/include/qemu/main-loop.h
+++ b/include/qemu/main-loop.h
@@ -341,6 +341,47 @@ void qemu_mutex_lock_iothread_impl(const char *file, int line);
  */
 void qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread(void);
 
+/**
+ * WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK - nested lock of iothread
+ *
+ * This is a specialised form of WITH_QEMU_LOCK_GUARD which is used to
+ * safely encapsulate code that needs the BQL. The main difference is
+ * the BQL is often nested so we need to save the state of it on entry
+ * so we know if we need to free it once we leave the scope of the gaurd.
+ */
+
+typedef struct {
+    bool taken;
+} IoThreadLocked;
+
+static inline IoThreadLocked * qemu_iothread_auto_lock(IoThreadLocked *x)
+{
+    bool locked = qemu_mutex_iothread_locked();
+    if (!locked) {
+        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
+        x->taken = true;
+    }
+    return x;
+}
+
+static inline void qemu_iothread_auto_unlock(IoThreadLocked *x)
+{
+    if (x->taken) {
+        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
+    }
+}
+
+G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(IoThreadLocked, qemu_iothread_auto_unlock)
+
+#define WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK_(var) \
+    for (g_autoptr(IoThreadLocked) var = \
+             qemu_iothread_auto_lock(&(IoThreadLocked) {}); \
+         var; \
+         qemu_iothread_auto_unlock(var), var = NULL)
+
+#define WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK \
+    WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK_(glue(qemu_lockable_auto, __COUNTER__))
+
 /*
  * qemu_cond_wait_iothread: Wait on condition for the main loop mutex
  *
diff --git a/hw/core/cpu-common.c b/hw/core/cpu-common.c
index f9fdd46b9d..0a60f916a9 100644
--- a/hw/core/cpu-common.c
+++ b/hw/core/cpu-common.c
@@ -70,14 +70,8 @@ CPUState *cpu_create(const char *typename)
  * BQL here if we need to.  cpu_interrupt assumes it is held.*/
 void cpu_reset_interrupt(CPUState *cpu, int mask)
 {
-    bool need_lock = !qemu_mutex_iothread_locked();
-
-    if (need_lock) {
-        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-    }
-    cpu->interrupt_request &= ~mask;
-    if (need_lock) {
-        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
+    WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK {
+        cpu->interrupt_request &= ~mask;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/util/rcu.c b/util/rcu.c
index b6d6c71cff..02e7491de1 100644
--- a/util/rcu.c
+++ b/util/rcu.c
@@ -320,35 +320,27 @@ static void drain_rcu_callback(struct rcu_head *node)
 void drain_call_rcu(void)
 {
     struct rcu_drain rcu_drain;
-    bool locked = qemu_mutex_iothread_locked();
 
     memset(&rcu_drain, 0, sizeof(struct rcu_drain));
     qemu_event_init(&rcu_drain.drain_complete_event, false);
 
-    if (locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
-    }
-
-
-    /*
-     * RCU callbacks are invoked in the same order as in which they
-     * are registered, thus we can be sure that when 'drain_rcu_callback'
-     * is called, all RCU callbacks that were registered on this thread
-     * prior to calling this function are completed.
-     *
-     * Note that since we have only one global queue of the RCU callbacks,
-     * we also end up waiting for most of RCU callbacks that were registered
-     * on the other threads, but this is a side effect that shoudn't be
-     * assumed.
-     */
-
-    qatomic_inc(&in_drain_call_rcu);
-    call_rcu1(&rcu_drain.rcu, drain_rcu_callback);
-    qemu_event_wait(&rcu_drain.drain_complete_event);
-    qatomic_dec(&in_drain_call_rcu);
+    WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK {
+        /*
+         * RCU callbacks are invoked in the same order as in which they
+         * are registered, thus we can be sure that when 'drain_rcu_callback'
+         * is called, all RCU callbacks that were registered on this thread
+         * prior to calling this function are completed.
+         *
+         * Note that since we have only one global queue of the RCU callbacks,
+         * we also end up waiting for most of RCU callbacks that were registered
+         * on the other threads, but this is a side effect that shoudn't be
+         * assumed.
+         */
 
-    if (locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
+        qatomic_inc(&in_drain_call_rcu);
+        call_rcu1(&rcu_drain.rcu, drain_rcu_callback);
+        qemu_event_wait(&rcu_drain.drain_complete_event);
+        qatomic_dec(&in_drain_call_rcu);
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/ui/cocoa.m b/ui/cocoa.m
index 660d3e0935..f8bd315bdd 100644
--- a/ui/cocoa.m
+++ b/ui/cocoa.m
@@ -115,27 +115,17 @@ static void cocoa_switch(DisplayChangeListener *dcl,
 
 static void with_iothread_lock(CodeBlock block)
 {
-    bool locked = qemu_mutex_iothread_locked();
-    if (!locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-    }
-    block();
-    if (!locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
+    WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK {
+        block();
     }
 }
 
 static bool bool_with_iothread_lock(BoolCodeBlock block)
 {
-    bool locked = qemu_mutex_iothread_locked();
     bool val;
 
-    if (!locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();
-    }
-    val = block();
-    if (!locked) {
-        qemu_mutex_unlock_iothread();
+    WITH_QEMU_IOTHREAD_LOCK {
+      val = block();
     }
     return val;
 }
