diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/bus-objects.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/bus-objects.c
index 0d4e75ccde..f5f67950c6 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/bus-objects.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/bus-objects.c
@@ -2088,7 +2088,6 @@ _public_ int sd_bus_emit_properties_changed_strv(
                 const char *interface,
                 char **names) {
 
-        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
         bool found_interface = false;
         char *prefix;
         int r;
@@ -2109,6 +2108,8 @@ _public_ int sd_bus_emit_properties_changed_strv(
         if (names && names[0] == NULL)
                 return 0;
 
+        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
+
         do {
                 bus->nodes_modified = false;
 
@@ -2308,8 +2309,6 @@ static int object_added_append_all(sd_bus *bus, sd_bus_message *m, const char *p
 }
 
 _public_ int sd_bus_emit_object_added(sd_bus *bus, const char *path) {
-        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
-
         _cleanup_(sd_bus_message_unrefp) sd_bus_message *m = NULL;
         struct node *object_manager;
         int r;
@@ -2339,6 +2338,8 @@ _public_ int sd_bus_emit_object_added(sd_bus *bus, const char *path) {
         if (r == 0)
                 return -ESRCH;
 
+        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
+
         do {
                 bus->nodes_modified = false;
                 m = sd_bus_message_unref(m);
@@ -2479,8 +2480,6 @@ static int object_removed_append_all(sd_bus *bus, sd_bus_message *m, const char
 }
 
 _public_ int sd_bus_emit_object_removed(sd_bus *bus, const char *path) {
-        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
-
         _cleanup_(sd_bus_message_unrefp) sd_bus_message *m = NULL;
         struct node *object_manager;
         int r;
@@ -2510,6 +2509,8 @@ _public_ int sd_bus_emit_object_removed(sd_bus *bus, const char *path) {
         if (r == 0)
                 return -ESRCH;
 
+        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
+
         do {
                 bus->nodes_modified = false;
                 m = sd_bus_message_unref(m);
@@ -2643,8 +2644,6 @@ static int interfaces_added_append_one(
 }
 
 _public_ int sd_bus_emit_interfaces_added_strv(sd_bus *bus, const char *path, char **interfaces) {
-        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
-
         _cleanup_(sd_bus_message_unrefp) sd_bus_message *m = NULL;
         struct node *object_manager;
         char **i;
@@ -2667,6 +2666,8 @@ _public_ int sd_bus_emit_interfaces_added_strv(sd_bus *bus, const char *path, ch
         if (r == 0)
                 return -ESRCH;
 
+        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
+
         do {
                 bus->nodes_modified = false;
                 m = sd_bus_message_unref(m);
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/sd-bus.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/sd-bus.c
index deb664540a..7787caaa4f 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/sd-bus.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-bus/sd-bus.c
@@ -2884,7 +2884,6 @@ finish:
 }
 
 static int bus_process_internal(sd_bus *bus, bool hint_priority, int64_t priority, sd_bus_message **ret) {
-        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
         int r;
 
         /* Returns 0 when we didn't do anything. This should cause the
@@ -2898,7 +2897,9 @@ static int bus_process_internal(sd_bus *bus, bool hint_priority, int64_t priorit
 
         /* We don't allow recursively invoking sd_bus_process(). */
         assert_return(!bus->current_message, -EBUSY);
-        assert(!bus->current_slot);
+        assert(!bus->current_slot); /* This should be NULL whenever bus->current_message is */
+
+        BUS_DONT_DESTROY(bus);
 
         switch (bus->state) {