diff --git a/docs/reference/glib/glib-sections.txt b/docs/reference/glib/glib-sections.txt
index 83a9a8e9a..cf5f2ce1b 100644
--- a/docs/reference/glib/glib-sections.txt
+++ b/docs/reference/glib/glib-sections.txt
@@ -786,6 +786,7 @@ g_set_error_literal
 g_propagate_error
 g_clear_error
 g_prefix_error
+g_prefix_error_literal
 g_propagate_prefixed_error
 <SUBSECTION>
 GErrorInitFunc
diff --git a/glib/gerror.c b/glib/gerror.c
index 222db1cc2..bd5408872 100644
--- a/glib/gerror.c
+++ b/glib/gerror.c
@@ -1100,6 +1100,30 @@ g_prefix_error (GError      **err,
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * g_prefix_error_literal:
+ * @err: (allow-none): a return location for a #GError, or %NULL
+ * @prefix: string to prefix @err with
+ *
+ * Prefixes @prefix to an existing error message. If @err or *@err is
+ * %NULL (i.e.: no error variable) then do nothing.
+ *
+ * Since: 2.70
+ */
+void
+g_prefix_error_literal (GError      **err,
+                        const gchar  *prefix)
+{
+  if (err && *err)
+    {
+      gchar *oldstring;
+
+      oldstring = (*err)->message;
+      (*err)->message = g_strconcat (prefix, oldstring, NULL);
+      g_free (oldstring);
+    }
+}
+
 /**
  * g_propagate_prefixed_error:
  * @dest: error return location
diff --git a/glib/gerror.h b/glib/gerror.h
index 6431d5b6c..bc9c03a91 100644
--- a/glib/gerror.h
+++ b/glib/gerror.h
@@ -244,6 +244,11 @@ void     g_prefix_error               (GError       **err,
                                        const gchar   *format,
                                        ...) G_GNUC_PRINTF (2, 3);
 
+/* if (err) prefix the string to the ->message */
+GLIB_AVAILABLE_IN_2_70
+void     g_prefix_error_literal       (GError       **err,
+                                       const gchar   *prefix);
+
 /* g_propagate_error then g_error_prefix on dest */
 GLIB_AVAILABLE_IN_ALL
 void     g_propagate_prefixed_error   (GError       **dest,
diff --git a/glib/tests/error.c b/glib/tests/error.c
index 48f480222..51a0c35dc 100644
--- a/glib/tests/error.c
+++ b/glib/tests/error.c
@@ -69,6 +69,27 @@ test_prefix (void)
   g_propagate_prefixed_error (NULL, src, "foo %d %s: ", 1, "two");
 }
 
+static void
+test_prefix_literal (void)
+{
+  GError *error = NULL;
+
+  g_prefix_error_literal (NULL, "foo: ");
+
+  g_prefix_error_literal (&error, "foo: ");
+  g_assert_null (error);
+
+  error = NULL;
+  g_prefix_error_literal (&error, "foo: ");
+  g_assert_null (error);
+
+  error = g_error_new_literal (G_MARKUP_ERROR, G_MARKUP_ERROR_EMPTY, "bla");
+  g_assert_nonnull (error);
+  g_prefix_error_literal (&error, "foo: ");
+  g_assert_cmpstr (error->message, ==, "foo: bla");
+  g_error_free (error);
+}
+
 static void
 test_literal (void)
 {
@@ -374,6 +395,7 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 
   g_test_add_func ("/error/overwrite", test_overwrite);
   g_test_add_func ("/error/prefix", test_prefix);
+  g_test_add_func ("/error/prefix-literal", test_prefix_literal);
   g_test_add_func ("/error/literal", test_literal);
   g_test_add_func ("/error/copy", test_copy);
   g_test_add_func ("/error/matches", test_matches);