diff --git a/dbus/dbus-userdb-util.c b/dbus/dbus-userdb-util.c
index 558acff1..73624495 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-userdb-util.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-userdb-util.c
@@ -353,6 +353,8 @@ _dbus_groups_from_uid (dbus_uid_t         uid,
 {
   DBusUserDatabase *db;
   const DBusUserInfo *info;
+  dbus_bool_t ret = FALSE;
+
   *group_ids = NULL;
   *n_group_ids = 0;
 
@@ -366,15 +368,11 @@ _dbus_groups_from_uid (dbus_uid_t         uid,
   if (db == NULL)
     {
       _DBUS_SET_OOM (error);
-      _dbus_user_database_unlock_system ();
-      return FALSE;
+      goto out;
     }
 
   if (!_dbus_user_database_get_uid (db, uid, &info, error))
-    {
-      _dbus_user_database_unlock_system ();
-      return FALSE;
-    }
+    goto out;
 
   _dbus_assert (info->uid == uid);
   
@@ -384,8 +382,7 @@ _dbus_groups_from_uid (dbus_uid_t         uid,
       if (*group_ids == NULL)
         {
           _DBUS_SET_OOM (error);
-	  _dbus_user_database_unlock_system ();
-          return FALSE;
+          goto out;
         }
 
       *n_group_ids = info->n_group_ids;
@@ -393,7 +390,10 @@ _dbus_groups_from_uid (dbus_uid_t         uid,
       memcpy (*group_ids, info->group_ids, info->n_group_ids * sizeof (dbus_gid_t));
     }
 
+  ret = TRUE;
+out:
+  _DBUS_ASSERT_ERROR_XOR_BOOL (error, ret);
   _dbus_user_database_unlock_system ();
-  return TRUE;
+  return ret;
 }
 /** @} */