diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting-private.h b/libnm-core/nm-setting-private.h
index 913b8a739..e68d5a427 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting-private.h
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting-private.h
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ static void __attribute__((constructor)) register_setting (void) \
 
 NMSetting *nm_setting_find_in_list (GSList *settings_list, const char *setting_name);
 
+NMSetting * _nm_setting_find_in_list_required (GSList *all_settings,
+                                               const char *setting_name,
+                                               GError **error,
+                                               const char *error_prefix_setting_name,
+                                               const char *error_prefix_property_name);
+
 NMSettingVerifyResult _nm_setting_verify_deprecated_virtual_iface_name (const char *interface_name,
                                                                         gboolean allow_missing,
                                                                         const char *setting_name,
diff --git a/libnm-core/nm-setting.c b/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
index 6acb75ef2..830484b56 100644
--- a/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
+++ b/libnm-core/nm-setting.c
@@ -1288,6 +1288,34 @@ nm_setting_get_virtual_iface_name (NMSetting *setting)
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+NMSetting *
+_nm_setting_find_in_list_required (GSList *all_settings,
+                                   const char *setting_name,
+                                   GError **error,
+                                   const char *error_prefix_setting_name,
+                                   const char *error_prefix_property_name)
+{
+	NMSetting *setting;
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (!error || !*error, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (all_settings, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (setting_name, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (!error_prefix_setting_name == !error_prefix_property_name, NULL);
+
+	setting = nm_setting_find_in_list (all_settings, setting_name);
+	if (!setting) {
+		g_set_error (error,
+		             NM_CONNECTION_ERROR,
+		             !strcmp (setting_name, NM_SETTING_CONNECTION_SETTING_NAME)
+		                 ? NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_CONNECTION_SETTING_NOT_FOUND
+		                 : NM_CONNECTION_ERROR_SETTING_NOT_FOUND,
+		             _("Missing '%s' setting"),
+		             setting_name);
+		if (error_prefix_setting_name)
+			g_prefix_error (error, "%s.%s: ", error_prefix_setting_name, error_prefix_property_name);
+	}
+	return setting;
+}
 
 NMSettingVerifyResult
 _nm_setting_verify_deprecated_virtual_iface_name (const char *interface_name,