diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 56cfa505b..4d64de847 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@
 # freeform string.
 m4_define([libguestfs_major],   [1])
 m4_define([libguestfs_minor],   [53])
-m4_define([libguestfs_release], [5])
-m4_define([release_date],       [2024-07-08])
+m4_define([libguestfs_release], [6])
+m4_define([release_date],       [2024-08-16])
 
 AC_INIT([libguestfs],libguestfs_major.libguestfs_minor.libguestfs_release)
 AC_SUBST([RELEASE_DATE],release_date)
diff --git a/po/libguestfs.pot b/po/libguestfs.pot
index 31aa97078..6f8fd249b 100644
--- a/po/libguestfs.pot
+++ b/po/libguestfs.pot
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
 #, fuzzy
 msgid ""
 msgstr ""
-"Project-Id-Version: libguestfs 1.53.5\n"
+"Project-Id-Version: libguestfs 1.53.6\n"
 "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/enter_bug.cgi?"
 "component=libguestfs&product=Virtualization+Tools\n"
-"POT-Creation-Date: 2024-07-08 16:21+0100\n"
+"POT-Creation-Date: 2024-08-16 15:29+0100\n"
 "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
 "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
 "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
@@ -3808,47 +3808,47 @@ msgid ""
 "found when libguestfs was compiled"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:143
+#: lib/handle.c:144
 msgid ""
 "libguestfs was built with an invalid default backend, using ‘direct’ instead"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:145
+#: lib/handle.c:146
 msgid "‘direct’ backend does not work"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:203 lib/handle.c:213
+#: lib/handle.c:204 lib/handle.c:214
 #, c-format
 msgid "%s=%s: non-boolean value"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:255
+#: lib/handle.c:256
 msgid "non-numeric value for LIBGUESTFS_MEMSIZE"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:336
+#: lib/handle.c:337
 #, c-format
 msgid "guestfs_close: called twice on the same handle\n"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:547
+#: lib/handle.c:548
 msgid ""
 "configured --without-qemu so calling guestfs_set_qemu with qemu == NULL is "
 "an error"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:600
+#: lib/handle.c:601
 #, c-format
 msgid "too small value for memsize (must be at least %d)"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:717
+#: lib/handle.c:718
 msgid ""
 "identifier must contain only alphanumeric characters, underscore or minus "
 "sign"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: lib/handle.c:823
+#: lib/handle.c:824
 msgid "setting not found"
 msgstr ""