diff --git a/bus/config-parser.c b/bus/config-parser.c
index dbffd3f..1bfe8a3 100644
--- a/bus/config-parser.c
+++ b/bus/config-parser.c
@@ -2037,7 +2037,7 @@ include_file (BusConfigParser   *parser,
 
   if (included == NULL)
     {
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
 
       if (dbus_error_has_name (&tmp_error, DBUS_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND) &&
           ignore_missing)
@@ -2053,7 +2053,7 @@ include_file (BusConfigParser   *parser,
     }
   else
     {
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
 
       if (!merge_included (parser, included, error))
         {
diff --git a/bus/connection.c b/bus/connection.c
index df888f4..d843cd8 100644
--- a/bus/connection.c
+++ b/bus/connection.c
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ bus_connection_disconnected (DBusConnection *connection)
       if (!bus_service_remove_owner (service, connection,
                                      transaction, &error))
         {
-          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&error);
+          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&error);
           
           if (dbus_error_has_name (&error, DBUS_ERROR_NO_MEMORY))
             {
diff --git a/bus/dispatch.c b/bus/dispatch.c
index 185d7f8..d48ce90 100644
--- a/bus/dispatch.c
+++ b/bus/dispatch.c
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ bus_dispatch (DBusConnection *connection,
           if (!bus_activation_activate_service (activation, connection, transaction, TRUE,
                                                 message, service_name, &error))
             {
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&error);
               _dbus_verbose ("bus_activation_activate_service() failed: %s\n", error.name);
               goto out;
             }
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-auth.c b/dbus/dbus-auth.c
index 7ece76e..b45de36 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-auth.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-auth.c
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ sha1_handle_first_client_response (DBusAuth         *auth,
             }
           else
             {
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&error);
               _dbus_verbose ("%s: Error loading keyring: %s\n",
                              DBUS_AUTH_NAME (auth), error.message);
               if (send_rejected (auth))
@@ -579,7 +579,7 @@ sha1_handle_first_client_response (DBusAuth         *auth,
   auth->cookie_id = _dbus_keyring_get_best_key (auth->keyring, &error);
   if (auth->cookie_id < 0)
     {
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&error);
       _dbus_verbose ("%s: Could not get a cookie ID to send to client: %s\n",
                      DBUS_AUTH_NAME (auth), error.message);
       if (send_rejected (auth))
@@ -870,7 +870,7 @@ handle_client_data_cookie_sha1_mech (DBusAuth         *auth,
             }
           else
             {
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&error);
 
               _dbus_verbose ("%s: Error loading keyring: %s\n",
                              DBUS_AUTH_NAME (auth), error.message);
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-connection.c b/dbus/dbus-connection.c
index 3fb6f36..cf9c21c 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-connection.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-connection.c
@@ -1790,7 +1790,7 @@ _dbus_connection_open_internal (const char     *address,
       if (connection)
         break;
 
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
       
       if (i == 0)
         dbus_move_error (&tmp_error, &first_error);
@@ -1799,11 +1799,11 @@ _dbus_connection_open_internal (const char     *address,
     }
   
   _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (error);
-  _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+  _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
   
   if (connection == NULL)
     {
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&first_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&first_error);
       dbus_move_error (&first_error, error);
     }
   else
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-internals.h b/dbus/dbus-internals.h
index 750882b..a872bba 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-internals.h
+++ b/dbus/dbus-internals.h
@@ -167,9 +167,13 @@ extern const char _dbus_return_if_fail_warning_format[];
  */
 #define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET(error)
 #define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR(error)
+#define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET(error)
+#define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR(error)
 #else
 #define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET(error)   _dbus_assert ((error) == NULL || dbus_error_is_set ((error)))
 #define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR(error) _dbus_assert ((error) == NULL || !dbus_error_is_set ((error)))
+#define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET(error)   _dbus_assert (dbus_error_is_set ((error)))
+#define _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR(error) _dbus_assert (!dbus_error_is_set ((error)))
 #endif
 
 #define _dbus_return_if_error_is_set(error) _dbus_return_if_fail ((error) == NULL || !dbus_error_is_set ((error)))
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-server.c b/dbus/dbus-server.c
index f5c8e7c..08110ba 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-server.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-server.c
@@ -573,14 +573,14 @@ dbus_server_listen (const char     *address,
           if (result == DBUS_SERVER_LISTEN_OK)
             {
               _dbus_assert (server != NULL);
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
               handled_once = TRUE;
               goto out;
             }
           else if (result == DBUS_SERVER_LISTEN_BAD_ADDRESS)
             {
               _dbus_assert (server == NULL);
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
               dbus_move_error (&tmp_error, error);
               handled_once = TRUE;
               goto out;
@@ -588,14 +588,14 @@ dbus_server_listen (const char     *address,
           else if (result == DBUS_SERVER_LISTEN_NOT_HANDLED)
             {
               _dbus_assert (server == NULL);
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
 
               /* keep trying addresses */
             }
           else if (result == DBUS_SERVER_LISTEN_DID_NOT_CONNECT)
             {
               _dbus_assert (server == NULL);
-              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+              _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
               if (!dbus_error_is_set (&first_connect_error))
                 dbus_move_error (&tmp_error, &first_connect_error);
               else
@@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ dbus_server_listen (const char     *address,
           dbus_move_error (&first_connect_error, error);
         }
 
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&first_connect_error); /* be sure we freed it */
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&first_connect_error); /* be sure we freed it */
       _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (error);
 
       return NULL;
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-transport.c b/dbus/dbus-transport.c
index d8d3bb2..3c10e71 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-transport.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-transport.c
@@ -353,25 +353,25 @@ _dbus_transport_open (DBusAddressEntry *entry,
     {
       DBusTransportOpenResult result;
 
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
       result = (* open_funcs[i].func) (entry, &transport, &tmp_error);
 
       switch (result)
         {
         case DBUS_TRANSPORT_OPEN_OK:
-          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
           goto out;
           break;
         case DBUS_TRANSPORT_OPEN_NOT_HANDLED:
-          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
           /* keep going through the loop of open funcs */
           break;
         case DBUS_TRANSPORT_OPEN_BAD_ADDRESS:
-          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
           goto out;
           break;
         case DBUS_TRANSPORT_OPEN_DID_NOT_CONNECT:
-          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+          _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
           goto out;
           break;
         }
@@ -386,13 +386,13 @@ _dbus_transport_open (DBusAddressEntry *entry,
                                NULL, NULL,
                                "Unknown address type (examples of valid types are \"tcp\" and on UNIX \"unix\")");
       
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_SET (&tmp_error);
       dbus_move_error(&tmp_error, error);
       dbus_free (expected_guid);
     }
   else
     {
-      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
+      _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_CONTENT_IS_CLEAR (&tmp_error);
       transport->expected_guid = expected_guid;
     }