diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.cpp
index e43ec70fe3e4e0db..1c7b9676f52abdb6 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.cpp
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ int CIO2Device::stop()
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int CIO2Device::queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer)
+FrameBuffer *CIO2Device::queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer)
 {
 	FrameBuffer *buffer = rawBuffer;
 
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ int CIO2Device::queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer)
 	if (!buffer) {
 		if (availableBuffers_.empty()) {
 			LOG(IPU3, Error) << "CIO2 buffer underrun";
-			return -EINVAL;
+			return nullptr;
 		}
 
 		buffer = availableBuffers_.front();
@@ -279,7 +279,11 @@ int CIO2Device::queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer)
 
 	buffer->setRequest(request);
 
-	return output_->queueBuffer(buffer);
+	int ret = output_->queueBuffer(buffer);
+	if (ret)
+		return nullptr;
+
+	return buffer;
 }
 
 void CIO2Device::tryReturnBuffer(FrameBuffer *buffer)
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.h b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.h
index fa813a989fd21aec..e8b491a0c104a3e2 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.h
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/cio2.h
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public:
 	CameraSensor *sensor() { return sensor_; }
 	const CameraSensor *sensor() const { return sensor_; }
 
-	int queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer);
+	FrameBuffer *queueBuffer(Request *request, FrameBuffer *rawBuffer);
 	void tryReturnBuffer(FrameBuffer *buffer);
 	Signal<FrameBuffer *> &bufferReady() { return output_->bufferReady; }
 
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
index c559d160084f87e7..62e99a308a6136a7 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline/ipu3/ipu3.cpp
@@ -643,10 +643,10 @@ int PipelineHandlerIPU3::queueRequestDevice(Camera *camera, Request *request)
 	 * Queue a buffer on the CIO2, using the raw stream buffer provided in
 	 * the request, if any, or a CIO2 internal buffer otherwise.
 	 */
-	FrameBuffer *rawBuffer = request->findBuffer(&data->rawStream_);
-	error = data->cio2_.queueBuffer(request, rawBuffer);
-	if (error)
-		return error;
+	FrameBuffer *reqRawBuffer = request->findBuffer(&data->rawStream_);
+	FrameBuffer *rawBuffer = data->cio2_.queueBuffer(request, reqRawBuffer);
+	if (!rawBuffer)
+		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	/* Queue all buffers from the request aimed for the ImgU. */
 	for (auto it : request->buffers()) {