diff --git a/instances/test_live_xml_effects.py b/instances/test_live_xml_effects.py
index 59e42535..cf1b7b55 100644
--- a/instances/test_live_xml_effects.py
+++ b/instances/test_live_xml_effects.py
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ def domain_xml(name, disk, iso):
     <serial type='pty'><target port='0'/></serial>
     <rng model='virtio'><backend model='random'>/dev/urandom</backend></rng>
     <watchdog model='i6300esb' action='reset'/>
+    <controller type='virtio-serial'/>  <!-- add_guest_agent hotplugs a channel -->
   </devices>
 </domain>"""
 
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ EDITS = {
     ),
     "umount_iso": (
         lambda vm: vm.umount_iso("sda"),
-        lambda t: not t.xpath("devices/disk[target/@dev='sda']/source"),
+        lambda t: not t.xpath("devices/disk[target/@dev='sda']/source/@file"),
         ["devices/disk[target/@dev='sda']/source"], True, True,
     ),
     "set_link_state": (
@@ -166,6 +167,16 @@ EDITS = {
         lambda t: not t.xpath("devices/interface"),
         ["devices/interface"], True, True,
     ),
+    "attach_disk": (
+        lambda vm: vm.attach_disk("vdc", livetest.create_volume(vm.wvm, P + "fx-extra"), target_bus="virtio", format_type="qcow2"),
+        lambda t: bool(t.xpath("devices/disk[target/@dev='vdc']")),
+        ["devices/disk[target/@dev='vdc']"], True, True,
+    ),
+    "add_guest_agent": (
+        lambda vm: vm.add_guest_agent(),
+        lambda t: bool(t.xpath("devices/channel/target[@name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0']")),
+        ["devices/channel[target/@name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0']"], True, True,
+    ),
     "edit_disk (cache mode)": (
         lambda vm: vm.edit_disk("vda", vm.get_disk_devices(config=True)[0]["path"], False, False, "virtio",
                                 "keep-serial", "qcow2", "writeback", None, None, None),
@@ -246,6 +257,10 @@ class LiveXmlEffectsTestCase(SimpleTestCase):
                     after = self.persistent(dom)
                     self.assertTrue(effect(after), "edit had no effect")
                     self.assertEqual(canonical(after, touched), canonical(before, touched), "unrelated change")
+                    # An unplug completes only when the guest acknowledges it; these
+                    # VMs have no OS (test_live_guest covers it with a real guest).
+                    if running and changes_live and name != "delete_network":
+                        self.assertTrue(effect(self.live(dom)), "edit did not reach the running VM")
                     if running and not changes_live:
                         self.assertEqual(
                             canonical(self.live(dom), ["devices/graphics/@port"]),
diff --git a/vrtManager/instance.py b/vrtManager/instance.py
index c1a10eac..df563b7d 100644
--- a/vrtManager/instance.py
+++ b/vrtManager/instance.py
@@ -831,11 +831,8 @@ class wvmInstance(wvmConnect):
         if serial is not None and serial != "None" and serial != "":
             xml_disk += f"""<serial>{serial}</serial>"""
         xml_disk += """</disk>"""
-        if self.get_status() == 1:
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(xml_disk, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_LIVE)
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(xml_disk, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
-        if self.get_status() == 5:
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(xml_disk, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
+        for _, affect in self._definitions():
+            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(xml_disk, affect)
 
     def detach_disk(self, target_dev):
         tree = etree.fromstring(self._XMLDesc(0))
@@ -1927,24 +1924,17 @@ class wvmInstance(wvmConnect):
                             <target type='virtio' name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0'/>
                         </channel>
                       """
-        if self.get_status() == 1:
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_LIVE)
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
-        if self.get_status() == 5:
-            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
+        for _, affect in self._definitions():
+            self.instance.attachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, affect)
 
     def remove_guest_agent(self):
-        tree = etree.fromstring(self._XMLDesc(0))
-        for target in tree.xpath(
-            "/domain/devices/channel[@type='unix']/target[@name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0']"
-        ):
-            parent = target.getparent()
-            channel_xml = etree.tostring(parent).decode()
-            if self.get_status() == 1:
-                self.instance.detachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_LIVE)
-                self.instance.detachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
-            if self.get_status() == 5:
-                self.instance.detachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG)
+        for xml_flags, affect in self._definitions():
+            tree = etree.fromstring(self._XMLDesc(xml_flags))
+            for target in tree.xpath(
+                "/domain/devices/channel[@type='unix']/target[@name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0']"
+            ):
+                channel_xml = etree.tostring(target.getparent()).decode()
+                self.instance.detachDeviceFlags(channel_xml, affect)
 
     def get_guest_agent(self):
         def _get_agent(doc):
diff --git a/vrtManager/test_persistent_edits.py b/vrtManager/test_persistent_edits.py
index 33636a02..8f5f345b 100644
--- a/vrtManager/test_persistent_edits.py
+++ b/vrtManager/test_persistent_edits.py
@@ -78,5 +78,47 @@ class XmlFidelityTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
 
+AGENT_DOMAIN = """<domain><name>vm</name><devices><channel type='unix'>
+<target type='virtio' name='org.qemu.guest_agent.0'/></channel></devices></domain>"""
+
+
+class DeviceEditsByStateTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Disk and agent channel changes reach the running definition whenever the
+    VM is active, paused included, and the persistent one always."""
+
+    EDITS = {
+        "attach_disk": ("attachDeviceFlags", lambda vm: vm.attach_disk("vdb", "/var/lib/libvirt/images/d.qcow2")),
+        "add_guest_agent": ("attachDeviceFlags", lambda vm: vm.add_guest_agent()),
+        "remove_guest_agent": ("detachDeviceFlags", lambda vm: vm.remove_guest_agent()),
+    }
+
+    def affected(self, state, active):
+        from libvirt import VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG, VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_LIVE
+
+        names = {VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_LIVE: "live", VIR_DOMAIN_AFFECT_CONFIG: "config"}
+        result = {}
+        for name, (method, edit) in self.EDITS.items():
+            vm = wvmInstance.__new__(wvmInstance)
+            vm.instance = MagicMock()
+            vm.instance.isActive.return_value = active
+            vm.get_status = MagicMock(return_value=state)
+            vm._XMLDesc = MagicMock(return_value=AGENT_DOMAIN)
+            edit(vm)
+            result[name] = [names[c.args[1]] for c in getattr(vm.instance, method).call_args_list]
+        return result
+
+    def test_paused_vm(self):
+        for name, affected in self.affected(state=3, active=True).items():
+            self.assertEqual(affected, ["live", "config"], name)
+
+    def test_running_vm(self):
+        for name, affected in self.affected(state=1, active=True).items():
+            self.assertEqual(affected, ["live", "config"], name)
+
+    def test_stopped_vm(self):
+        for name, affected in self.affected(state=5, active=False).items():
+            self.assertEqual(affected, ["config"], name)
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()