diff --git a/include/system/device_tree.h b/include/system/device_tree.h
index eb601522f88..49d8482ed4e 100644
--- a/include/system/device_tree.h
+++ b/include/system/device_tree.h
@@ -133,8 +133,6 @@ int qemu_fdt_add_path(void *fdt, const char *path);
                          sizeof(qdt_tmp));                                    \
     } while (0)
 
-void qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(void *fdt, int size);
-
 /**
  * qemu_fdt_setprop_sized_cells_from_array:
  * @fdt: device tree blob
diff --git a/hw/arm/boot.c b/hw/arm/boot.c
index cbc24356fc1..533424cf2e1 100644
--- a/hw/arm/boot.c
+++ b/hw/arm/boot.c
@@ -661,8 +661,6 @@ int arm_load_dtb(hwaddr addr, const struct arm_boot_info *binfo,
         binfo->modify_dtb(binfo, fdt);
     }
 
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, size);
-
     /* Put the DTB into the memory map as a ROM image: this will ensure
      * the DTB is copied again upon reset, even if addr points into RAM.
      */
diff --git a/hw/core/machine.c b/hw/core/machine.c
index 254cc20c4cb..1b740071ac7 100644
--- a/hw/core/machine.c
+++ b/hw/core/machine.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "qemu/error-report.h"
 #include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "qapi/qapi-visit-machine.h"
+#include "qapi/qapi-commands-machine.h"
 #include "qemu/madvise.h"
 #include "qom/object_interfaces.h"
 #include "system/cpus.h"
@@ -1695,6 +1696,24 @@ void qemu_remove_machine_init_done_notifier(Notifier *notify)
     notifier_remove(notify);
 }
 
+static void handle_machine_dumpdtb(MachineState *ms)
+{
+    if (!ms->dumpdtb) {
+        return;
+    }
+    if (!ms->fdt) {
+        /* Silently ignore dumpdtb option if there is nothing to dump */
+        return;
+    }
+#ifdef CONFIG_FDT
+    qmp_dumpdtb(ms->dumpdtb, &error_fatal);
+    exit(0);
+#else
+    error_report("This machine doesn't have an FDT");
+    exit(1);
+#endif
+}
+
 void qdev_machine_creation_done(void)
 {
     cpu_synchronize_all_post_init();
@@ -1711,6 +1730,12 @@ void qdev_machine_creation_done(void)
     phase_advance(PHASE_MACHINE_READY);
     qdev_assert_realized_properly();
 
+    /*
+     * If the user used -machine dumpdtb=file.dtb to request that we
+     * dump the DTB to a file,  do it now, and exit.
+     */
+    handle_machine_dumpdtb(current_machine);
+
     /* TODO: once all bus devices are qdevified, this should be done
      * when bus is created by qdev.c */
     /*
diff --git a/hw/loongarch/virt.c b/hw/loongarch/virt.c
index 63fa0f4e32a..8ef965dea0e 100644
--- a/hw/loongarch/virt.c
+++ b/hw/loongarch/virt.c
@@ -674,7 +674,6 @@ static void virt_fdt_setup(LoongArchVirtMachineState *lvms)
      * Put the FDT into the memory map as a ROM image: this will ensure
      * the FDT is copied again upon reset, even if addr points into RAM.
      */
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(machine->fdt, lvms->fdt_size);
     rom_add_blob_fixed_as("fdt", machine->fdt, lvms->fdt_size, FDT_BASE,
                           &address_space_memory);
     qemu_register_reset_nosnapshotload(qemu_fdt_randomize_seeds,
diff --git a/hw/mips/boston.c b/hw/mips/boston.c
index 99e65f9fafb..73cbc11b33d 100644
--- a/hw/mips/boston.c
+++ b/hw/mips/boston.c
@@ -395,7 +395,6 @@ static void *boston_fdt_filter(void *opaque, const void *fdt_orig,
                         1, ram_high_sz);
 
     fdt = g_realloc(fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdt_sz);
 
     s->fdt_base = *load_addr;
 
diff --git a/hw/openrisc/boot.c b/hw/openrisc/boot.c
index 72e2756af05..0a5881be314 100644
--- a/hw/openrisc/boot.c
+++ b/hw/openrisc/boot.c
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ uint32_t openrisc_load_fdt(MachineState *ms, void *fdt,
     /* Should only fail if we've built a corrupted tree */
     g_assert(ret == 0);
     /* copy in the device tree */
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdtsize);
 
     /* Save FDT for dumpdtb monitor command */
     ms->fdt = fdt;
diff --git a/hw/ppc/e500.c b/hw/ppc/e500.c
index 26933e0457e..fe8b9f79621 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/e500.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/e500.c
@@ -658,7 +658,6 @@ static int ppce500_load_device_tree(PPCE500MachineState *pms,
 
 done:
     if (!dry_run) {
-        qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdt_size);
         cpu_physical_memory_write(addr, fdt, fdt_size);
 
         /* Set machine->fdt for 'dumpdtb' QMP/HMP command */
diff --git a/hw/ppc/pegasos2.c b/hw/ppc/pegasos2.c
index 0364243f4fe..eebb359abb0 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/pegasos2.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/pegasos2.c
@@ -417,7 +417,6 @@ static void pegasos2_machine_reset(MachineState *machine, ResetType type)
     d[1] = cpu_to_be64(pm->kernel_size - (pm->kernel_entry - pm->kernel_addr));
     qemu_fdt_setprop(fdt, "/chosen", "qemu,boot-kernel", d, sizeof(d));
 
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
     g_free(pm->fdt_blob);
     pm->fdt_blob = fdt;
 
diff --git a/hw/ppc/pnv.c b/hw/ppc/pnv.c
index 11fd477b71b..87607508c76 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/pnv.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/pnv.c
@@ -744,7 +744,6 @@ static void pnv_reset(MachineState *machine, ResetType type)
         _FDT((fdt_pack(fdt)));
     }
 
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
     cpu_physical_memory_write(PNV_FDT_ADDR, fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
 
     /* Update machine->fdt with latest fdt */
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr.c b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
index f3a4b4235d4..c15340a58d8 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr.c
@@ -1760,7 +1760,6 @@ static void spapr_machine_reset(MachineState *machine, ResetType type)
                                   0, fdt_addr, 0);
         cpu_physical_memory_write(fdt_addr, fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
     }
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdt_totalsize(fdt));
 
     g_free(spapr->fdt_blob);
     spapr->fdt_size = fdt_totalsize(fdt);
diff --git a/hw/riscv/boot.c b/hw/riscv/boot.c
index c309441b7d8..765b9e2b1ab 100644
--- a/hw/riscv/boot.c
+++ b/hw/riscv/boot.c
@@ -374,8 +374,6 @@ void riscv_load_fdt(hwaddr fdt_addr, void *fdt)
     uint32_t fdtsize = fdt_totalsize(fdt);
 
     /* copy in the device tree */
-    qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(fdt, fdtsize);
-
     rom_add_blob_fixed_as("fdt", fdt, fdtsize, fdt_addr,
                           &address_space_memory);
     qemu_register_reset_nosnapshotload(qemu_fdt_randomize_seeds,
diff --git a/system/device_tree.c b/system/device_tree.c
index 11f3178095c..56d4ac5650a 100644
--- a/system/device_tree.c
+++ b/system/device_tree.c
@@ -594,21 +594,6 @@ int qemu_fdt_add_path(void *fdt, const char *path)
     return retval;
 }
 
-void qemu_fdt_dumpdtb(void *fdt, int size)
-{
-    const char *dumpdtb = current_machine->dumpdtb;
-
-    if (dumpdtb) {
-        /* Dump the dtb to a file and quit */
-        if (g_file_set_contents(dumpdtb, fdt, size, NULL)) {
-            info_report("dtb dumped to %s. Exiting.", dumpdtb);
-            exit(0);
-        }
-        error_report("%s: Failed dumping dtb to %s", __func__, dumpdtb);
-        exit(1);
-    }
-}
-
 int qemu_fdt_setprop_sized_cells_from_array(void *fdt,
                                             const char *node_path,
                                             const char *property,
