diff --git a/lib/ublk/ublk.c b/lib/ublk/ublk.c
index a73a9f4b1..d10f1126c 100644
--- a/lib/ublk/ublk.c
+++ b/lib/ublk/ublk.c
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ struct ublk_thread_ctx;
 static void ublk_submit_bdev_io(struct ublk_queue *q, uint16_t tag);
 static void ublk_dev_queue_fini(struct ublk_queue *q);
 static int ublk_poll(void *arg);
+static int finish_start(struct spdk_ublk_dev *ublk);
 
 struct ublk_io {
 	void			*payload;
@@ -1321,11 +1322,8 @@ ublk_start_disk(const char *bdev_name, uint32_t ublk_id,
 		uint32_t num_queues, uint32_t queue_depth)
 {
 	int			rc;
-	uint32_t		q_id, i;
 	struct spdk_bdev	*bdev;
 	struct spdk_ublk_dev	*ublk = NULL;
-	struct spdk_thread	*ublk_thread;
-	char			buf[64];
 
 	if (g_ublk_tgt.active == false) {
 		SPDK_ERRLOG("NO ublk target exist\n");
@@ -1388,6 +1386,21 @@ ublk_start_disk(const char *bdev_name, uint32_t ublk_id,
 		goto err;
 	}
 
+	return finish_start(ublk);
+
+err:
+	_ublk_try_close_dev(ublk);
+	return rc;
+}
+
+static int
+finish_start(struct spdk_ublk_dev *ublk)
+{
+	int			rc;
+	uint32_t		q_id, i;
+	struct spdk_thread	*ublk_thread;
+	char			buf[64];
+
 	snprintf(buf, 64, "%s%d", UBLK_BLK_CDEV, ublk->ublk_id);
 	ublk->cdev_fd = open(buf, O_RDWR);
 	if (ublk->cdev_fd < 0) {