diff --git a/src/mux_quic.c b/src/mux_quic.c
index f276d7776..9585bb4cc 100644
--- a/src/mux_quic.c
+++ b/src/mux_quic.c
@@ -2523,6 +2523,17 @@ static struct task *qcc_timeout_task(struct task *t, void *ctx, unsigned int sta
 	return t;
 }
 
+/* Minimal initialization of <qcc> members to use qcc_release() safely. */
+static void _qcc_init(struct qcc *qcc)
+{
+	qcc->conn = NULL;
+	qcc->task = NULL;
+	qcc->wait_event.tasklet = NULL;
+	qcc->app_ops = NULL;
+	qcc->streams_by_id = EB_ROOT_UNIQUE;
+	LIST_INIT(&qcc->lfctl.frms);
+}
+
 static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
                      struct session *sess, struct buffer *input)
 {
@@ -2534,24 +2545,19 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 	qcc = pool_alloc(pool_head_qcc);
 	if (!qcc) {
 		TRACE_ERROR("alloc failure", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW);
-		goto fail_no_qcc;
+		goto err;
 	}
 
-	qcc->conn = conn;
+	_qcc_init(qcc);
 	conn->ctx = qcc;
 	qcc->nb_hreq = qcc->nb_sc = 0;
 	qcc->flags = 0;
 
-	qcc->app_ops = NULL;
-
-	qcc->streams_by_id = EB_ROOT_UNIQUE;
-
 	/* Server parameters, params used for RX flow control. */
 	lparams = &conn->handle.qc->rx.params;
 
 	qcc->tx.sent_offsets = qcc->tx.offsets = 0;
 
-	LIST_INIT(&qcc->lfctl.frms);
 	qcc->lfctl.ms_bidi = qcc->lfctl.ms_bidi_init = lparams->initial_max_streams_bidi;
 	qcc->lfctl.ms_uni = lparams->initial_max_streams_uni;
 	qcc->lfctl.msd_bidi_l = lparams->initial_max_stream_data_bidi_local;
@@ -2584,7 +2590,7 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 	qcc->wait_event.tasklet = tasklet_new();
 	if (!qcc->wait_event.tasklet) {
 		TRACE_ERROR("taslket alloc failure", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW);
-		goto fail_no_tasklet;
+		goto err;
 	}
 
 	LIST_INIT(&qcc->send_list);
@@ -2595,7 +2601,7 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 
 	qcc->proxy = prx;
 	/* haproxy timeouts */
-	if (conn_is_back(qcc->conn)) {
+	if (conn_is_back(conn)) {
 		qcc->timeout = prx->timeout.server;
 		qcc->shut_timeout = tick_isset(prx->timeout.serverfin) ?
 		                    prx->timeout.serverfin : prx->timeout.server;
@@ -2612,7 +2618,7 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 	qcc->task = task_new_here();
 	if (!qcc->task) {
 		TRACE_ERROR("timeout task alloc failure", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW);
-		goto fail_no_timeout_task;
+		goto err;
 	}
 	qcc->task->process = qcc_timeout_task;
 	qcc->task->context = qcc;
@@ -2623,11 +2629,14 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 
 	HA_ATOMIC_STORE(&conn->handle.qc->qcc, qcc);
 
+	/* Register conn as app_ops may use it. */
+	qcc->conn = conn;
+
 	if (qcc_install_app_ops(qcc, conn->handle.qc->app_ops)) {
-		TRACE_PROTO("Cannot install app layer", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW|QMUX_EV_QCC_ERR, qcc->conn);
+		TRACE_PROTO("Cannot install app layer", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW|QMUX_EV_QCC_ERR, conn);
 		/* prepare a CONNECTION_CLOSE frame */
 		quic_set_connection_close(conn->handle.qc, quic_err_transport(QC_ERR_APPLICATION_ERROR));
-		goto fail_install_app_ops;
+		goto err;
 	}
 
 	if (qcc->app_ops == &h3_ops)
@@ -2640,19 +2649,17 @@ static int qmux_init(struct connection *conn, struct proxy *prx,
 	/* init read cycle */
 	tasklet_wakeup(qcc->wait_event.tasklet);
 
-	TRACE_LEAVE(QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW, qcc->conn);
+	TRACE_LEAVE(QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW, conn);
 	return 0;
 
- fail_install_app_ops:
-	if (qcc->app_ops && qcc->app_ops->release)
-		qcc->app_ops->release(qcc->ctx);
-	task_destroy(qcc->task);
- fail_no_timeout_task:
-	tasklet_free(qcc->wait_event.tasklet);
- fail_no_tasklet:
-	pool_free(pool_head_qcc, qcc);
- fail_no_qcc:
-	TRACE_LEAVE(QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW);
+ err:
+	if (qcc) {
+		/* In case of MUX init failure, session will ensure connection is freed. */
+		qcc->conn = NULL;
+		qcc_release(qcc);
+	}
+
+	TRACE_DEVEL("leaving on error", QMUX_EV_QCC_NEW, conn);
 	return -1;
 }