diff --git a/test/common/autotest_common.sh b/test/common/autotest_common.sh
index dc44249af..9c33b7669 100755
--- a/test/common/autotest_common.sh
+++ b/test/common/autotest_common.sh
@@ -226,6 +226,10 @@ fi
 export SPDK_BIN_DIR="$rootdir/build/bin"
 export SPDK_EXAMPLE_DIR="$rootdir/build/examples"
 
+# for vhost, vfio-user tests
+export QEMU_BIN=${QEMU_BIN:-}
+export VFIO_QEMU_BIN=${VFIO_QEMU_BIN:-}
+
 # pass our valgrind desire on to unittest.sh
 if [ $SPDK_RUN_VALGRIND -eq 0 ]; then
 	export valgrind=''
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/common.sh b/test/vfio_user/common.sh
index 4176c3d9d..73ab3bf4b 100644
--- a/test/vfio_user/common.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/common.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,17 @@
 : ${MALLOC_BDEV_SIZE=256}
 : ${MALLOC_BLOCK_SIZE=512}
 
+source "$rootdir/test/vhost/common.sh"
+
 # Verify vfio-user support of qemu.
-QEMU_BIN="/usr/local/qemu/vfio-user-dbfix/bin/qemu-system-x86_64"
+VFIO_QEMU_BIN=${VFIO_QEMU_BIN:-/usr/local/qemu/vfio-user-dbfix/bin/qemu-system-x86_64}
+
+if [[ ! -e $VFIO_QEMU_BIN ]]; then
+	error "$VFIO_QEMU_BIN QEMU not found, cannot run the vfio-user tests"
+	return 1
+fi
+
+QEMU_BIN=$VFIO_QEMU_BIN
 
 function clean_vfio_user() {
 	trap - ERR
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user.sh b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user.sh
index dd19603d7..479d54669 100755
--- a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 testdir=$(readlink -f $(dirname $0))
 rootdir=$(readlink -f $testdir/../..)
 source $rootdir/test/common/autotest_common.sh
-source $rootdir/test/vhost/common.sh
 source $rootdir/test/vfio_user/common.sh
 
 echo "Running SPDK vfio-user fio autotest..."
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_fio/vfio_user_fio.sh b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_fio/vfio_user_fio.sh
index 77c9dbf92..c0c78df5d 100755
--- a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_fio/vfio_user_fio.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_fio/vfio_user_fio.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 testdir=$(readlink -f $(dirname $0))
 rootdir=$(readlink -f $testdir/../../..)
 source $rootdir/test/common/autotest_common.sh
-source $rootdir/test/vhost/common.sh
 source $rootdir/test/vfio_user/common.sh
 
 rpc_py="$rootdir/scripts/rpc.py -s $(get_vhost_dir 0)/rpc.sock"
diff --git a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_restart_vm/vfio_user_restart_vm.sh b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_restart_vm/vfio_user_restart_vm.sh
index 33d7dcb3e..9d9619e92 100755
--- a/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_restart_vm/vfio_user_restart_vm.sh
+++ b/test/vfio_user/vfio_user_restart_vm/vfio_user_restart_vm.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 testdir=$(readlink -f $(dirname $0))
 rootdir=$(readlink -f $testdir/../../..)
 source $rootdir/test/common/autotest_common.sh
-source $rootdir/test/vhost/common.sh
 source $rootdir/test/vfio_user/common.sh
 
 bdfs=($(get_nvme_bdfs))
diff --git a/test/vhost/common.sh b/test/vhost/common.sh
index c989772b8..59f629c81 100644
--- a/test/vhost/common.sh
+++ b/test/vhost/common.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 : ${SPDK_VHOST_VERBOSE=false}
 : ${VHOST_DIR="$HOME/vhost_test"}
-: ${QEMU_BIN="qemu-system-x86_64"}
+: ${QEMU_BIN:="qemu-system-x86_64"}
 : ${QEMU_IMG_BIN="qemu-img"}
 
 TEST_DIR=$(readlink -f $rootdir/..)