diff --git a/lib/guestfs-internal.h b/lib/guestfs-internal.h
index b3f887935..4097b33fd 100644
--- a/lib/guestfs-internal.h
+++ b/lib/guestfs-internal.h
@@ -157,6 +157,9 @@ cleanup_mutex_unlock (pthread_mutex_t **ptr)
 #ifdef __powerpc__
 #define MACHINE_TYPE "pseries"
 #endif
+#ifdef __riscv
+#define MACHINE_TYPE "virt"
+#endif
 
 /* Differences in qemu device names on ARMv7 (virtio-mmio), s/390x
  * (CCW) vs normal hardware with PCI.