diff --git a/virt/backup_restore/virt-backup-restore-snapshots.adoc b/virt/backup_restore/virt-backup-restore-snapshots.adoc
index f2c5c58780..fb9a366e00 100644
--- a/virt/backup_restore/virt-backup-restore-snapshots.adoc
+++ b/virt/backup_restore/virt-backup-restore-snapshots.adoc
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ To create snapshots of a VM in the `Running` state with the highest integrity, i
 [IMPORTANT]
 ====
 Online snapshots are supported for virtual machines that have hot plugged virtual disks. However, hot plugged disks that are not in the virtual machine specification are not included in the snapshot.
+
+Ensure that the QEMU guest agent is installed and running on the virtual machine before you take an online snapshot.
+
+The QEMU guest agent stops responding to file system operations to ensure that the snapshot captures a consistent state.
 ====
 
 The QEMU guest agent takes a consistent snapshot by attempting to quiesce the VM file system. This ensures that in-flight I/O is written to the disk before the snapshot is taken. If the guest agent is not present, quiescing is not possible and a best-effort snapshot is taken.