diff --git a/src/core/agent_data.h b/src/core/agent_data.h
index ec7e1e1de4..a0cc263329 100644
--- a/src/core/agent_data.h
+++ b/src/core/agent_data.h
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ class nixlAgentData {
         void enqueueCommWork(nixl_comm_req_t request);
         void getCommWork(std::vector<nixl_comm_req_t> &req_list);
         nixl_status_t
+        loadConnInfo(const std::string &remote_name,
+                     const nixl_backend_t &backend,
+                     const nixl_blob_t &conn_info);
+        nixl_status_t
+        loadRemoteSections(const std::string &remote_name, nixlSerDes &sd);
+        nixl_status_t
         invalidateRemoteData(const std::string &remote_name);
 
     public:
diff --git a/src/core/nixl_agent.cpp b/src/core/nixl_agent.cpp
index 74c8d9e7c1..1acfd00a64 100644
--- a/src/core/nixl_agent.cpp
+++ b/src/core/nixl_agent.cpp
@@ -1334,7 +1334,7 @@ nixlAgent::loadRemoteMD (const nixl_blob_t &remote_metadata,
 
     size_t conn_cnt;
     ret = sd.getBuf("Conns", &conn_cnt, sizeof(conn_cnt));
-    if(ret) {
+    if (ret != NIXL_SUCCESS) {
         NIXL_ERROR << "Error getting connection count: " << nixlEnumStrings::statusStr(ret);
         return ret;
     }
@@ -1351,32 +1351,11 @@ nixlAgent::loadRemoteMD (const nixl_blob_t &remote_metadata,
             return NIXL_ERR_MISMATCH;
         }
 
-        // Current agent might not support a remote backend
-        if (data->backendEngines.count(nixl_backend) != 0) {
-
-            // No need to reload same conn info, error if it changed
-            if (data->remoteBackends.count(remote_agent) != 0 &&
-                data->remoteBackends[remote_agent].count(nixl_backend) != 0) {
-                if (data->remoteBackends[remote_agent][nixl_backend] != conn_info)
-                    return NIXL_ERR_NOT_ALLOWED;
-                count++;
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            nixlBackendEngine *eng = data->backendEngines[nixl_backend];
-            if (eng->supportsRemote()) {
-                ret = eng->loadRemoteConnInfo(remote_agent, conn_info);
-                if (ret != NIXL_SUCCESS) {
-                    return ret; // Error in load
-                }
-
-                count++;
-                data->remoteBackends[remote_agent].emplace(nixl_backend, conn_info);
-            } else {
-                // If there was an issue and we return error while some connections
-                // are loaded, they will be deleted in the backend destructor.
-                return NIXL_ERR_UNKNOWN; // This is an erroneous case
-            }
+        ret = data->loadConnInfo(remote_agent, nixl_backend, conn_info);
+        if (ret == NIXL_SUCCESS) {
+            count++;
+        } else if (ret != NIXL_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED) {
+            return ret;
         }
     }
 
@@ -1389,17 +1368,8 @@ nixlAgent::loadRemoteMD (const nixl_blob_t &remote_metadata,
         return NIXL_ERR_MISMATCH;
     }
 
-    if (data->remoteSections.count(remote_agent) == 0) {
-        data->remoteSections[remote_agent] = new nixlRemoteSection(remote_agent);
-    }
-
-    ret = data->remoteSections[remote_agent]->loadRemoteData(&sd, data->backendEngines);
-
-    // TODO: can be more graceful, if just the new MD blob was improper
+    ret = data->loadRemoteSections(remote_agent, sd);
     if (ret != NIXL_SUCCESS) {
-        delete data->remoteSections[remote_agent];
-        data->remoteSections.erase(remote_agent);
-        data->remoteBackends.erase(remote_agent);
         return ret;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/core/nixl_listener.cpp b/src/core/nixl_listener.cpp
index 51d7c728b4..2886b78b92 100644
--- a/src/core/nixl_listener.cpp
+++ b/src/core/nixl_listener.cpp
@@ -663,6 +663,58 @@ void nixlAgentData::getCommWork(std::vector<nixl_comm_req_t> &req_list){
     commQueue.clear();
 }
 
+nixl_status_t
+nixlAgentData::loadConnInfo(const std::string &remote_name,
+                            const nixl_backend_t &backend,
+                            const nixl_blob_t &conn_info) {
+    if (backendEngines.count(backend) == 0) {
+        NIXL_DEBUG << "Agent " << name << " does not support a remote backend: " << backend;
+        return NIXL_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
+    }
+
+    // No need to reload same conn info, error if it changed
+    if ((remoteBackends.count(remote_name) != 0) &&
+        (remoteBackends[remote_name].count(backend) != 0)) {
+        if (remoteBackends[remote_name][backend] != conn_info) {
+            return NIXL_ERR_NOT_ALLOWED;
+        }
+
+        return NIXL_SUCCESS;
+    }
+
+    nixlBackendEngine *eng = backendEngines[backend];
+    if (!eng->supportsRemote()) {
+        NIXL_DEBUG << backend << " does not support remote operations";
+        return NIXL_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
+    }
+
+    const nixl_status_t ret = eng->loadRemoteConnInfo(remote_name, conn_info);
+    if (ret != NIXL_SUCCESS) {
+        return ret;
+    }
+
+    remoteBackends[remote_name].emplace(backend, conn_info);
+    return NIXL_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+nixl_status_t
+nixlAgentData::loadRemoteSections(const std::string &remote_name, nixlSerDes &sd) {
+    if (remoteSections.count(remote_name) == 0) {
+        remoteSections[remote_name] = new nixlRemoteSection(remote_name);
+    }
+
+    const nixl_status_t ret = remoteSections[remote_name]->loadRemoteData(&sd, backendEngines);
+    // TODO: can be more graceful, if just the new MD blob was improper
+    if (ret != NIXL_SUCCESS) {
+        delete remoteSections[remote_name];
+        remoteSections.erase(remote_name);
+        remoteBackends.erase(remote_name);
+        return ret;
+    }
+
+    return NIXL_SUCCESS;
+}
+
 nixl_status_t
 nixlAgentData::invalidateRemoteData(const std::string &remote_name) {
     if (remote_name == name) {