diff --git a/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt b/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
index 39ae2cad98..1967adfa92 100644
--- a/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
+++ b/docs/devel/qapi-code-gen.txt
@@ -683,6 +683,12 @@ Intended use is to have each feature string signal that this build of
 QEMU shows a certain behaviour.
 
 
+==== Special features ====
+
+Feature "deprecated" marks a command, event, or struct member as
+deprecated.  It is not supported elsewhere so far.
+
+
 === Naming rules and reserved names ===
 
 All names must begin with a letter, and contain only ASCII letters,
diff --git a/scripts/qapi/schema.py b/scripts/qapi/schema.py
index 6ee3677215..78309a00f0 100644
--- a/scripts/qapi/schema.py
+++ b/scripts/qapi/schema.py
@@ -193,6 +193,12 @@ def doc_type(self):
             return None
         return self.name
 
+    def check(self, schema):
+        QAPISchemaEntity.check(self, schema)
+        if 'deprecated' in [f.name for f in self.features]:
+            raise QAPISemError(
+                self.info, "feature 'deprecated' is not supported for types")
+
     def describe(self):
         assert self.meta
         return "%s type '%s'" % (self.meta, self.name)
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index 67e8fcddda..d1340301b2 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -242,6 +242,7 @@ qapi-schema += event-case.json
 qapi-schema += event-member-invalid-dict.json
 qapi-schema += event-nest-struct.json
 qapi-schema += features-bad-type.json
+qapi-schema += features-deprecated-type.json
 qapi-schema += features-duplicate-name.json
 qapi-schema += features-if-invalid.json
 qapi-schema += features-missing-name.json
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.err b/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..af4ffe20aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.err
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+features-deprecated-type.json: In struct 'S':
+features-deprecated-type.json:2: feature 'deprecated' is not supported for types
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.json b/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4b5bf5b86e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Feature 'deprecated' is not supported for types
+{ 'struct': 'S', 'data': {},
+  'features': [ 'deprecated' ] }
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.out b/tests/qapi-schema/features-deprecated-type.out
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
index f576c337af..6b1f05afa7 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.json
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@
   'data': { 'foo': 'int' },
   'features': [] }
 { 'struct': 'FeatureStruct1',
-  'data': { 'foo': { 'type': 'int', 'features': [ 'member-feature1' ] } },
+  'data': { 'foo': { 'type': 'int', 'features': [ 'deprecated' ] } },
   'features': [ 'feature1' ] }
 { 'struct': 'FeatureStruct2',
   'data': { 'foo': 'int' },
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@
   'features': [] }
 
 { 'command': 'test-command-features1',
-  'features': [ 'feature1' ] }
+  'features': [ 'deprecated' ] }
 { 'command': 'test-command-features3',
   'features': [ 'feature1', 'feature2' ] }
 
@@ -322,4 +322,4 @@
                                               'defined(TEST_IF_COND_2)'] } ] }
 
 { 'event': 'TEST-EVENT-FEATURES1',
-  'features': [ 'feature1' ] }
+  'features': [ 'deprecated' ] }
diff --git a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
index cd863ae966..891b4101e0 100644
--- a/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
+++ b/tests/qapi-schema/qapi-schema-test.out
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ object FeatureStruct0
     member foo: int optional=False
 object FeatureStruct1
     member foo: int optional=False
-        feature member-feature1
+        feature deprecated
     feature feature1
 object FeatureStruct2
     member foo: int optional=False
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ command test-features0 q_obj_test-features0-arg -> None
     gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False
 command test-command-features1 None -> None
     gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False
-    feature feature1
+    feature deprecated
 command test-command-features3 None -> None
     gen=True success_response=True boxed=False oob=False preconfig=False
     feature feature1
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ command test-command-cond-features3 None -> None
         if ['defined(TEST_IF_COND_1)', 'defined(TEST_IF_COND_2)']
 event TEST-EVENT-FEATURES1 None
     boxed=False
-    feature feature1
+    feature deprecated
 module include/sub-module.json
 include sub-sub-module.json
 object SecondArrayRef