diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 394e20af8..8b88abdb6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -371,6 +371,7 @@ Makefile.in
 /src/guestfs-availability.pod
 /src/guestfs.h
 /src/guestfs-internal-actions.h
+/src/guestfs-internal-frontend-cleanups.h
 /src/guestfs_protocol.c
 /src/guestfs_protocol.h
 /src/guestfs_protocol.x
diff --git a/generator/c.ml b/generator/c.ml
index 81f7a7635..72d8ceb40 100644
--- a/generator/c.ml
+++ b/generator/c.ml
@@ -779,6 +779,60 @@ and generate_internal_actions_h () =
   pr "\n";
   pr "#endif /* GUESTFS_INTERNAL_ACTIONS_H_ */\n"
 
+(* Generate guestfs-internal-frontend-cleanups.h file. *)
+and generate_internal_frontend_cleanups_h () =
+  generate_header CStyle LGPLv2plus;
+
+  pr "\
+/* These CLEANUP_* macros automatically free the struct or struct list
+ * pointed to by the local variable at the end of the current scope.
+ *
+ * Don't include this file directly!  To use these cleanups in library
+ * bindings and tools, include \"guestfs-internal-frontend.h\" only.
+ */
+
+#ifndef GUESTFS_INTERNAL_FRONTEND_CLEANUPS_H_
+#define GUESTFS_INTERNAL_FRONTEND_CLEANUPS_H_
+
+#ifdef HAVE_ATTRIBUTE_CLEANUP
+";
+
+  List.iter (
+    fun { s_name = name } ->
+      pr "#define CLEANUP_FREE_%s \\\n" (String.uppercase name);
+      pr "  __attribute__((cleanup(guestfs___cleanup_free_%s)))\n" name;
+      pr "#define CLEANUP_FREE_%s_LIST \\\n" (String.uppercase name);
+      pr "  __attribute__((cleanup(guestfs___cleanup_free_%s_list)))\n" name
+  ) structs;
+
+  pr "#else /* !HAVE_ATTRIBUTE_CLEANUP */\n";
+
+  List.iter (
+    fun { s_name = name } ->
+      pr "#define CLEANUP_FREE_%s\n" (String.uppercase name);
+      pr "#define CLEANUP_FREE_%s_LIST\n" (String.uppercase name)
+  ) structs;
+
+  pr "\
+#endif /* !HAVE_ATTRIBUTE_CLEANUP */
+
+/* These functions are used internally by the CLEANUP_* macros.
+ * Don't call them directly.
+ */
+
+";
+
+  List.iter (
+    fun { s_name = name } ->
+      pr "extern GUESTFS_DLL_PUBLIC void guestfs___cleanup_free_%s (void *ptr);\n"
+        name;
+      pr "extern GUESTFS_DLL_PUBLIC void guestfs___cleanup_free_%s_list (void *ptr);\n"
+        name
+  ) structs;
+
+  pr "\n";
+  pr "#endif /* GUESTFS_INTERNAL_FRONTEND_CLEANUPS_H_ */\n"
+
 (* Functions to free structures. *)
 and generate_client_free_structs () =
   generate_header CStyle LGPLv2plus;
@@ -824,6 +878,28 @@ and generate_client_free_structs () =
       pr "}\n";
       pr "\n";
 
+  ) structs;
+
+  pr "/* Cleanup functions used by CLEANUP_* macros. */\n";
+  pr "\n";
+
+  List.iter (
+    fun { s_name = typ } ->
+      pr "GUESTFS_DLL_PUBLIC void\n";
+      pr "guestfs___cleanup_free_%s (void *ptr)\n" typ;
+      pr "{\n";
+      pr "  guestfs_free_%s (* (struct guestfs_%s **) ptr);\n" typ typ;
+      pr "}\n";
+      pr "\n";
+
+      pr "GUESTFS_DLL_PUBLIC void\n";
+      pr "guestfs___cleanup_free_%s_list (void *ptr)\n" typ;
+      pr "{\n";
+      pr "  guestfs_free_%s_list (* (struct guestfs_%s_list **) ptr);\n"
+        typ typ;
+      pr "}\n";
+      pr "\n";
+
   ) structs
 
 (* Generate the client-side dispatch stubs. *)
@@ -1707,13 +1783,24 @@ and generate_linker_script () =
              "guestfs_" ^ c_name ^ "_argv"]
       ) all_functions
     ) in
-  let structs =
+  let struct_frees =
     List.concat (
       List.map (fun { s_name = typ } ->
-                  ["guestfs_free_" ^ typ; "guestfs_free_" ^ typ ^ "_list"])
+                  ["guestfs_free_" ^ typ;
+                   "guestfs_free_" ^ typ ^ "_list"])
         structs
     ) in
-  let globals = List.sort compare (globals @ functions @ structs) in
+  let struct_cleanups =
+    List.concat (
+      List.map (fun { s_name = typ } ->
+                  ["guestfs___cleanup_free_" ^ typ;
+                   "guestfs___cleanup_free_" ^ typ ^ "_list"])
+        structs
+    ) in
+  let globals = List.sort compare (globals @
+                                     functions @
+                                     struct_frees @
+                                     struct_cleanups) in
 
   pr "{\n";
   pr "    global:\n";
diff --git a/generator/main.ml b/generator/main.ml
index f4f05fb74..0e182362b 100644
--- a/generator/main.ml
+++ b/generator/main.ml
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ Run it from the top source directory using the command
   output_to "src/guestfs_protocol.x" generate_xdr;
   output_to "src/guestfs.h" generate_guestfs_h;
   output_to "src/guestfs-internal-actions.h" generate_internal_actions_h;
+  output_to "src/guestfs-internal-frontend-cleanups.h"
+    generate_internal_frontend_cleanups_h;
   output_to "src/bindtests.c" generate_bindtests;
   output_to "src/guestfs-structs.pod" generate_structs_pod;
   output_to "src/guestfs-actions.pod" generate_actions_pod;
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index e344190a3..1b6dbace4 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ generator_built = \
 	guestfs_protocol.x \
 	guestfs.h \
 	guestfs-internal-actions.h \
+	guestfs-internal-frontend-cleanups.h \
 	actions-0.c \
 	actions-1.c \
 	actions-2.c \
diff --git a/src/guestfs-internal-frontend.h b/src/guestfs-internal-frontend.h
index 7d418069a..c80bb3bcd 100644
--- a/src/guestfs-internal-frontend.h
+++ b/src/guestfs-internal-frontend.h
@@ -108,4 +108,9 @@ extern void guestfs___cleanup_xmlXPathFreeContext (void *ptr);
 extern void guestfs___cleanup_xmlXPathFreeObject (void *ptr);
 #endif
 
+/* These are in a separate header so the header can be generated.
+ * Don't include the following file directly:
+ */
+#include "guestfs-internal-frontend-cleanups.h"
+
 #endif /* GUESTFS_INTERNAL_FRONTEND_H_ */