diff --git a/src/fu-device.c b/src/fu-device.c
index 272607d04..13ed6fc31 100644
--- a/src/fu-device.c
+++ b/src/fu-device.c
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ guint
 fu_device_get_order (FuDevice *self)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), 0);
 	return priv->order;
 }
 
@@ -229,6 +230,7 @@ void
 fu_device_set_order (FuDevice *self, guint order)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
 	priv->order = order;
 }
 
@@ -246,6 +248,7 @@ guint
 fu_device_get_priority (FuDevice *self)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), 0);
 	return priv->priority;
 }
 
@@ -262,6 +265,7 @@ void
 fu_device_set_priority (FuDevice *self, guint priority)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
 	priv->priority = priority;
 }
 
@@ -393,6 +397,8 @@ fu_device_set_parent (FuDevice *self, FuDevice *parent)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
 
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+
 	g_object_add_weak_pointer (G_OBJECT (parent), (gpointer *) &priv->parent);
 	priv->parent = parent;
 
@@ -542,6 +548,7 @@ fu_device_add_parent_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 {
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
 	g_autoptr(FuMutexLocker) locker = NULL;
+
 	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
 	g_return_if_fail (guid != NULL);
 
@@ -852,6 +859,9 @@ fu_device_add_guid_safe (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 gboolean
 fu_device_has_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 {
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), FALSE);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (guid != NULL, FALSE);
+
 	/* make valid */
 	if (!fwupd_guid_is_valid (guid)) {
 		g_autofree gchar *tmp = fwupd_guid_hash_string (guid);
@@ -916,6 +926,8 @@ fu_device_add_instance_id (FuDevice *self, const gchar *instance_id)
 void
 fu_device_add_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 {
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (guid != NULL);
 	if (!fwupd_guid_is_valid (guid)) {
 		fu_device_add_instance_id (self, guid);
 		return;
@@ -940,6 +952,9 @@ fu_device_add_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 void
 fu_device_add_counterpart_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 {
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (guid != NULL);
+
 	/* make valid */
 	if (!fwupd_guid_is_valid (guid)) {
 		g_autofree gchar *tmp = fwupd_guid_hash_string (guid);
@@ -965,8 +980,13 @@ fu_device_add_counterpart_guid (FuDevice *self, const gchar *guid)
 gchar *
 fu_device_get_guids_as_str (FuDevice *self)
 {
-	GPtrArray *guids = fu_device_get_guids (self);
-	g_autofree gchar **tmp = g_new0 (gchar *, guids->len + 1);
+	GPtrArray *guids;
+	g_autofree gchar **tmp = NULL;
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), NULL);
+
+	guids = fu_device_get_guids (self);
+	tmp = g_new0 (gchar *, guids->len + 1);
 	for (guint i = 0; i < guids->len; i++)
 		tmp[i] = g_ptr_array_index (guids, i);
 	return g_strjoinv (",", tmp);
@@ -1011,9 +1031,11 @@ fu_device_get_metadata_boolean (FuDevice *self, const gchar *key)
 	FuDevicePrivate *priv = GET_PRIVATE (self);
 	const gchar *tmp;
 	g_autoptr(FuMutexLocker) locker = fu_mutex_read_locker_new (priv->metadata_mutex);
+
 	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), FALSE);
 	g_return_val_if_fail (key != NULL, FALSE);
 	g_return_val_if_fail (locker != NULL, FALSE);
+
 	tmp = g_hash_table_lookup (priv->metadata, key);
 	if (tmp == NULL)
 		return FALSE;
@@ -1091,6 +1113,9 @@ fu_device_set_metadata (FuDevice *self, const gchar *key, const gchar *value)
 void
 fu_device_set_metadata_boolean (FuDevice *self, const gchar *key, gboolean value)
 {
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (key != NULL);
+
 	fu_device_set_metadata (self, key, value ? "true" : "false");
 }
 
@@ -1109,6 +1134,10 @@ void
 fu_device_set_metadata_integer (FuDevice *self, const gchar *key, guint value)
 {
 	g_autofree gchar *tmp = g_strdup_printf ("%u", value);
+
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (key != NULL);
+
 	fu_device_set_metadata (self, key, tmp);
 }
 
@@ -1126,6 +1155,9 @@ fu_device_set_name (FuDevice *self, const gchar *value)
 {
 	g_autoptr(GString) new = g_string_new (value);
 
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (value != NULL);
+
 	/* overwriting? */
 	if (g_strcmp0 (value, fu_device_get_name (self)) == 0) {
 		const gchar *id = fu_device_get_id (self);
@@ -1236,6 +1268,9 @@ fu_device_ensure_id (FuDevice *self, GError **error)
 {
 	g_autofree gchar *device_id = NULL;
 
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), FALSE);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (error == NULL || *error == NULL, FALSE);
+
 	/* already set */
 	if (fu_device_get_id (self) != NULL)
 		return TRUE;
@@ -1581,6 +1616,7 @@ void
 fu_device_set_progress_full (FuDevice *self, gsize progress_done, gsize progress_total)
 {
 	gdouble percentage = 0.f;
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
 	if (progress_total > 0)
 		percentage = (100.f * (gdouble) progress_done) / (gdouble) progress_total;
 	fu_device_set_progress (self, (guint) percentage);
@@ -1691,6 +1727,7 @@ FwupdRelease *
 fu_device_get_release_default (FuDevice *self)
 {
 	g_autoptr(FwupdRelease) rel = NULL;
+	g_return_val_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self), NULL);
 	if (fwupd_device_get_release_default (FWUPD_DEVICE (self)) != NULL)
 		return fwupd_device_get_release_default (FWUPD_DEVICE (self));
 	rel = fwupd_release_new ();
@@ -2233,12 +2270,14 @@ fu_device_incorporate (FuDevice *self, FuDevice *donor)
  * Since: 1.2.4
  **/
 void
-fu_device_incorporate_from_component (FuDevice *device, XbNode *component)
+fu_device_incorporate_from_component (FuDevice *self, XbNode *component)
 {
 	const gchar *tmp;
+	g_return_if_fail (FU_IS_DEVICE (self));
+	g_return_if_fail (XB_IS_NODE (component));
 	tmp = xb_node_query_text (component, "custom/value[@key='LVFS::UpdateMessage']", NULL);
 	if (tmp != NULL)
-		fwupd_device_set_update_message (FWUPD_DEVICE (device), tmp);
+		fwupd_device_set_update_message (FWUPD_DEVICE (self), tmp);
 }
 
 static void