diff --git a/monitor.c b/monitor.c
index 1296c4025..1e8b1fc9b 100644
--- a/monitor.c
+++ b/monitor.c
@@ -3891,49 +3891,43 @@ void monitor_set_error(Monitor *mon, QError *qerror)
 
 static void handler_audit(Monitor *mon, const mon_cmd_t *cmd, int ret)
 {
-    if (monitor_ctrl_mode(mon)) {
-        if (ret && !monitor_has_error(mon)) {
-            /*
-             * If it returns failure, it must have passed on error.
-             *
-             * Action: Report an internal error to the client if in QMP.
-             */
-            qerror_report(QERR_UNDEFINED_ERROR);
-            MON_DEBUG("command '%s' returned failure but did not pass an error\n",
-                      cmd->name);
-        }
+    if (ret && !monitor_has_error(mon)) {
+        /*
+         * If it returns failure, it must have passed on error.
+         *
+         * Action: Report an internal error to the client if in QMP.
+         */
+        qerror_report(QERR_UNDEFINED_ERROR);
+        MON_DEBUG("command '%s' returned failure but did not pass an error\n",
+                  cmd->name);
+    }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_MONITOR
-        if (!ret && monitor_has_error(mon)) {
-            /*
-             * If it returns success, it must not have passed an error.
-             *
-             * Action: Report the passed error to the client.
-             */
-            MON_DEBUG("command '%s' returned success but passed an error\n",
-                      cmd->name);
-        }
-
-        if (mon_print_count_get(mon) > 0 && strcmp(cmd->name, "info") != 0) {
-            /*
-             * Handlers should not call Monitor print functions.
-             *
-             * Action: Ignore them in QMP.
-             *
-             * (XXX: we don't check any 'info' or 'query' command here
-             * because the user print function _is_ called by do_info(), hence
-             * we will trigger this check. This problem will go away when we
-             * make 'query' commands real and kill do_info())
-             */
-            MON_DEBUG("command '%s' called print functions %d time(s)\n",
-                      cmd->name, mon_print_count_get(mon));
-        }
-#endif
-    } else {
-        assert(!monitor_has_error(mon));
-        QDECREF(mon->error);
-        mon->error = NULL;
+    if (!ret && monitor_has_error(mon)) {
+        /*
+         * If it returns success, it must not have passed an error.
+         *
+         * Action: Report the passed error to the client.
+         */
+        MON_DEBUG("command '%s' returned success but passed an error\n",
+                  cmd->name);
     }
+
+    if (mon_print_count_get(mon) > 0 && strcmp(cmd->name, "info") != 0) {
+        /*
+         * Handlers should not call Monitor print functions.
+         *
+         * Action: Ignore them in QMP.
+         *
+         * (XXX: we don't check any 'info' or 'query' command here
+         * because the user print function _is_ called by do_info(), hence
+         * we will trigger this check. This problem will go away when we
+         * make 'query' commands real and kill do_info())
+         */
+        MON_DEBUG("command '%s' called print functions %d time(s)\n",
+                  cmd->name, mon_print_count_get(mon));
+    }
+#endif
 }
 
 static void handle_user_command(Monitor *mon, const char *cmdline)