diff --git a/include/spdk/bdev.h b/include/spdk/bdev.h
index 39fb72233..292d925c4 100644
--- a/include/spdk/bdev.h
+++ b/include/spdk/bdev.h
@@ -403,6 +403,8 @@ struct spdk_io_channel *spdk_bdev_get_io_channel(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc);
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
  */
 int spdk_bdev_read(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		   void *buf, uint64_t offset, uint64_t nbytes,
@@ -422,6 +424,8 @@ int spdk_bdev_read(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
  */
 int spdk_bdev_read_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			  void *buf, uint64_t offset_blocks, uint64_t num_blocks,
@@ -446,6 +450,8 @@ int spdk_bdev_read_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *c
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
  */
 int spdk_bdev_readv(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		    struct iovec *iov, int iovcnt,
@@ -471,6 +477,8 @@ int spdk_bdev_readv(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
  */
 int spdk_bdev_readv_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			   struct iovec *iov, int iovcnt,
@@ -491,6 +499,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_readv_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_write(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		    void *buf, uint64_t offset, uint64_t nbytes,
@@ -510,6 +521,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_write(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_write_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			   void *buf, uint64_t offset_blocks, uint64_t num_blocks,
@@ -534,6 +548,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_write_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_writev(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		     struct iovec *iov, int iovcnt,
@@ -559,6 +576,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_writev(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_writev_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			    struct iovec *iov, int iovcnt,
@@ -579,6 +599,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_writev_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_write_zeroes(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			   uint64_t offset, uint64_t len,
@@ -598,6 +621,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_write_zeroes(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 				  uint64_t offset_blocks, uint64_t num_blocks,
@@ -618,6 +644,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_write_zeroes_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_ch
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_unmap(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		    uint64_t offset, uint64_t nbytes,
@@ -638,6 +667,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_unmap(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_unmap_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			   uint64_t offset_blocks, uint64_t num_blocks,
@@ -658,6 +690,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_unmap_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset and/or nbytes are not aligned or out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_flush(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		    uint64_t offset, uint64_t length,
@@ -678,6 +713,9 @@ int spdk_bdev_flush(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -EINVAL - offset_blocks and/or num_blocks are out of range
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_flush_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 			   uint64_t offset_blocks, uint64_t num_blocks,
@@ -694,6 +732,7 @@ int spdk_bdev_flush_blocks(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
  */
 int spdk_bdev_reset(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc, struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
 		    spdk_bdev_io_completion_cb cb, void *cb_arg);
@@ -728,6 +767,8 @@ void spdk_bdev_set_qos_limit_iops(struct spdk_bdev *bdev, uint64_t ios_per_sec,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_nvme_admin_passthru(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc,
 				  struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
@@ -755,6 +796,8 @@ int spdk_bdev_nvme_admin_passthru(struct spdk_bdev_desc *desc,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_nvme_io_passthru(struct spdk_bdev_desc *bdev_desc,
 			       struct spdk_io_channel *ch,
@@ -784,6 +827,8 @@ int spdk_bdev_nvme_io_passthru(struct spdk_bdev_desc *bdev_desc,
  * \return 0 on success. On success, the callback will always
  * be called (even if the request ultimately failed). Return
  * negated errno on failure, in which case the callback will not be called.
+ *   * -ENOMEM - spdk_bdev_io buffer cannot be allocated
+ *   * -EBADF - desc not open for writing
  */
 int spdk_bdev_nvme_io_passthru_md(struct spdk_bdev_desc *bdev_desc,
 				  struct spdk_io_channel *ch,