diff --git a/server/dcc.cpp b/server/dcc.cpp
index 606e6873..a825cf2d 100644
--- a/server/dcc.cpp
+++ b/server/dcc.cpp
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ void dcc_start(DisplayChannelClient *dcc)
     if (!display_channel_client_wait_for_init(dcc))
         return;
 
-    g_object_ref(dcc);
+    dcc->ref();
     dcc->ack_zero_messages_window();
     if (display->priv->surfaces[0].context.canvas) {
         display_channel_current_flush(display, 0);
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ void dcc_start(DisplayChannelClient *dcc)
         dcc->pipe_add(dcc_gl_scanout_item_new(dcc, NULL, 0));
         dcc_push_monitors_config(dcc);
     }
-    g_object_unref(dcc);
+    dcc->unref();
 }
 
 static void dcc_destroy_stream_agents(DisplayChannelClient *dcc)
diff --git a/server/display-channel.cpp b/server/display-channel.cpp
index 0bdda034..8d43de8a 100644
--- a/server/display-channel.cpp
+++ b/server/display-channel.cpp
@@ -1476,7 +1476,7 @@ bool display_channel_wait_for_migrate_data(DisplayChannel *display)
 
     rcc = (RedChannelClient*) g_list_nth_data(clients, 0);
 
-    g_object_ref(rcc);
+    rcc->ref();
     for (;;) {
         rcc->receive();
         if (!rcc->is_connected()) {
@@ -1494,7 +1494,7 @@ bool display_channel_wait_for_migrate_data(DisplayChannel *display)
         }
         usleep(DISPLAY_CLIENT_RETRY_INTERVAL);
     }
-    g_object_unref(rcc);
+    rcc->unref();
     return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/server/red-channel-client.cpp b/server/red-channel-client.cpp
index b96c3d1a..b60b89d8 100644
--- a/server/red-channel-client.cpp
+++ b/server/red-channel-client.cpp
@@ -704,7 +704,7 @@ static void red_channel_client_ping_timer(void *opaque)
 {
     RedChannelClient *rcc = (RedChannelClient *) opaque;
 
-    g_object_ref(rcc);
+    rcc->ref();
 
     spice_assert(rcc->priv->latency_monitor.state == PING_STATE_TIMER);
     red_channel_client_cancel_ping_timer(rcc);
@@ -720,13 +720,13 @@ static void red_channel_client_ping_timer(void *opaque)
     if (so_unsent_size > 0) {
         /* tcp send buffer is still occupied. rescheduling ping */
         red_channel_client_start_ping_timer(rcc, PING_TEST_IDLE_NET_TIMEOUT_MS);
-        g_object_unref(rcc);
+        rcc->unref();
         return;
     }
 #endif /* ifdef HAVE_LINUX_SOCKIOS_H */
     /* More portable alternative code path (less accurate but avoids bogus ioctls)*/
     red_channel_client_push_ping(rcc);
-    g_object_unref(rcc);
+    rcc->unref();
 }
 
 static inline int red_channel_client_waiting_for_ack(RedChannelClient *rcc)
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ static void red_channel_client_connectivity_timer(void *opaque)
     RedChannelClientConnectivityMonitor *monitor = &rcc->priv->connectivity_monitor;
     int is_alive = TRUE;
 
-    g_object_ref(rcc);
+    rcc->ref();
 
     if (monitor->state == CONNECTIVITY_STATE_BLOCKED) {
         if (!monitor->received_bytes && !monitor->sent_bytes) {
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ static void red_channel_client_connectivity_timer(void *opaque)
                             rcc, monitor->timeout);
         rcc->disconnect();
     }
-    g_object_unref(rcc);
+    rcc->unref();
 }
 
 void RedChannelClient::start_connectivity_monitoring(uint32_t timeout_ms)
@@ -842,14 +842,14 @@ static void red_channel_client_event(int fd, int event, void *data)
 {
     RedChannelClient *rcc = (RedChannelClient *) data;
 
-    g_object_ref(rcc);
+    rcc->ref();
     if (event & SPICE_WATCH_EVENT_READ) {
         rcc->receive();
     }
     if (event & SPICE_WATCH_EVENT_WRITE) {
         rcc->push();
     }
-    g_object_unref(rcc);
+    rcc->unref();
 }
 
 static uint32_t full_header_get_msg_size(SpiceDataHeaderOpaque *header)
@@ -1285,16 +1285,16 @@ static void red_channel_client_handle_incoming(RedChannelClient *rcc)
 
 void RedChannelClient::receive()
 {
-    g_object_ref(this);
+    ref();
     red_channel_client_handle_incoming(this);
-    g_object_unref(this);
+    unref();
 }
 
 void RedChannelClient::send()
 {
-    g_object_ref(this);
+    ref();
     red_channel_client_handle_outgoing(this);
-    g_object_unref(this);
+    unref();
 }
 
 static inline RedPipeItem *red_channel_client_pipe_item_get(RedChannelClient *rcc)
@@ -1315,7 +1315,7 @@ void RedChannelClient::push()
     }
 
     priv->during_send = TRUE;
-    g_object_ref(this);
+    ref();
     if (is_blocked()) {
         send();
     }
@@ -1349,7 +1349,7 @@ void RedChannelClient::push()
         red_stream_flush(priv->stream);
     }
     priv->during_send = FALSE;
-    g_object_unref(this);
+    unref();
 }
 
 int RedChannelClient::get_roundtrip_ms() const
diff --git a/server/red-channel-client.h b/server/red-channel-client.h
index 2de62569..102074ec 100644
--- a/server/red-channel-client.h
+++ b/server/red-channel-client.h
@@ -137,6 +137,9 @@ struct RedChannelClient: public GObject
     void block_read();
     void unblock_read();
 
+    void ref() { g_object_ref(this); }
+    void unref() { g_object_unref(this); }
+
     RedChannelClientPrivate *priv;
 };
 
diff --git a/server/red-channel.cpp b/server/red-channel.cpp
index 70d82ec2..2a04e5c1 100644
--- a/server/red-channel.cpp
+++ b/server/red-channel.cpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include "red-stream.h"
 #include "main-dispatcher.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include "utils.hpp"
 
 /*
  * Lifetime of RedChannel, RedChannelClient and RedClient:
@@ -721,7 +722,7 @@ static void handle_dispatcher_migrate(void *opaque, void *payload)
     RedChannelClass *klass = RED_CHANNEL_GET_CLASS(channel);
 
     klass->migrate(msg->rcc);
-    g_object_unref(msg->rcc);
+    msg->rcc->unref();
 }
 
 void RedChannel::migrate_client(RedChannelClient *rcc)
@@ -733,7 +734,7 @@ void RedChannel::migrate_client(RedChannelClient *rcc)
         return;
     }
 
-    RedMessageMigrate payload = { .rcc = (RedChannelClient *) g_object_ref(rcc) };
+    RedMessageMigrate payload = { .rcc = red::add_ref(rcc) };
     dispatcher_send_message_custom(priv->dispatcher, handle_dispatcher_migrate,
                                    &payload, sizeof(payload), false);
 }
diff --git a/server/red-client.cpp b/server/red-client.cpp
index bccea554..fc3f996c 100644
--- a/server/red-client.cpp
+++ b/server/red-client.cpp
@@ -106,7 +106,10 @@ red_client_finalize (GObject *object)
 {
     RedClient *self = RED_CLIENT(object);
 
-    g_clear_object(&self->mcc);
+    if (self->mcc) {
+        self->mcc->unref();
+        self->mcc = nullptr;
+    }
     spice_debug("release client=%p", self);
     pthread_mutex_destroy(&self->lock);
 
@@ -233,7 +236,7 @@ void red_client_destroy(RedClient *client)
         spice_assert(rcc->pipe_is_empty());
         spice_assert(rcc->no_item_being_sent());
 
-        g_object_unref(rcc);
+        rcc->unref();
         pthread_mutex_lock(&client->lock);
     }
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
@@ -293,8 +296,10 @@ gboolean red_client_add_channel(RedClient *client, RedChannelClient *rcc, GError
 
     // first must be the main one
     if (!client->mcc) {
-        spice_assert(MAIN_CHANNEL_CLIENT(rcc) != NULL);
-        client->mcc = (MainChannelClient *) g_object_ref(rcc);
+        // FIXME use dynamic_cast to check type
+        // spice_assert(MAIN_CHANNEL_CLIENT(rcc) != NULL);
+        rcc->ref();
+        client->mcc = (MainChannelClient *) rcc;
     }
     client->channels = g_list_prepend(client->channels, rcc);
     if (client->during_target_migrate && client->seamless_migrate) {
@@ -351,7 +356,7 @@ void red_client_remove_channel(RedChannelClient *rcc)
     }
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&client->lock);
     if (link) {
-        g_object_unref(rcc);
+        rcc->unref();
     }
 }