diff --git a/bin/propolis-server/src/lib/initializer.rs b/bin/propolis-server/src/lib/initializer.rs
index 8e5d4961b..c53ddb34d 100644
--- a/bin/propolis-server/src/lib/initializer.rs
+++ b/bin/propolis-server/src/lib/initializer.rs
@@ -771,32 +771,27 @@ impl MachineInitializer<'_> {
             info!(self.log, "Creating vNIC {}", device_name);
             let bdf: pci::Bdf = nic.device_spec.pci_path.into();
 
-            // Set viona device parameters if possible.
+            // Set viona device parameters. The parameters here (copy_data and
+            // header_pad) require `viona::ApiVersion::V3`, below Propolis'
+            // minimum of V6, so we can always set them.
             //
             // The values chosen here are tuned to maximize performance when
             // Propolis is used with OPTE in a full Oxide rack deployment,
             // although they should not negatively impact use outside those
             // conditions.  These parameters and their effects (save for
             // performance delta) are not guest-visible.
-            let params = if virtio::viona::api_version()
-                .expect("can query viona version")
-                >= virtio::viona::ApiVersion::V3
-            {
-                Some(virtio::viona::DeviceParams {
-                    // Loan guest packet data, rather than allocating fresh
-                    // buffers and copying it.
-                    copy_data: false,
-                    // Leave room for underlay encapsulation:
-                    // - ethernet: 14
-                    // - IPv6: 40
-                    // - UDP: 8
-                    // - Geneve: 8–16 (due to options)
-                    // - (and then round up to nearest 8)
-                    header_pad: 80,
-                })
-            } else {
-                None
-            };
+            let params = Some(virtio::viona::DeviceParams {
+                // Loan guest packet data, rather than allocating fresh
+                // buffers and copying it.
+                copy_data: false,
+                // Leave room for underlay encapsulation:
+                // - ethernet: 14
+                // - IPv6: 40
+                // - UDP: 8
+                // - Geneve: 8–16 (due to options)
+                // - (and then round up to nearest 8)
+                header_pad: 80,
+            });
 
             let viona = virtio::PciVirtioViona::new(
                 &nic.backend_spec.vnic_name,
diff --git a/bin/propolis-standalone/src/main.rs b/bin/propolis-standalone/src/main.rs
index cc5a1d31c..42a97319a 100644
--- a/bin/propolis-standalone/src/main.rs
+++ b/bin/propolis-standalone/src/main.rs
@@ -1251,15 +1251,9 @@ fn setup_instance(
                         config::VionaDeviceParams::from_opts(&dev.options)
                             .expect("viona params are valid");
 
-                    if viona_params.is_some()
-                        && hw::virtio::viona::api_version()
-                            .expect("can query viona version")
-                            < hw::virtio::viona::ApiVersion::V3
-                    {
-                        // lazy cop-out for now
-                        panic!("can't set viona params on too-old version");
-                    }
-
+                    // The viona_params here (currently just copy_data and
+                    // header_pad) require `viona::ApiVersion::V3`, below
+                    // Propolis' minimum of V6, so we can always set them.
                     let viona = hw::virtio::PciVirtioViona::new(
                         vnic_name,
                         &hdl,
@@ -1452,18 +1446,12 @@ fn api_version_checks(log: &slog::Logger) -> std::io::Result<()> {
         }
         Err(VersionCheckError {
             component,
+            err: source @ Error::TooLow { .. },
             path: _,
-            err: Error::Mismatch(act, exp),
         }) => {
             // Make noise about version mismatch, but soldier on and let the
             // user decide if they want to quit
-            slog::error!(
-                log,
-                "{} API version mismatch {} != {}",
-                component,
-                act,
-                exp
-            );
+            slog::error!(log, "{component}: {source}");
             Ok(())
         }
         Ok(_) => Ok(()),
diff --git a/lib/propolis/src/api_version.rs b/lib/propolis/src/api_version.rs
index a2370fe98..00ba0ecba 100644
--- a/lib/propolis/src/api_version.rs
+++ b/lib/propolis/src/api_version.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,14 @@ pub enum Error {
     #[error("IO Error")]
     Io(#[from] std::io::Error),
 
-    #[error("API version {0} did not match expectation {1}")]
-    Mismatch(u32, u32),
+    // Newer APIs are backwards compatible with older (for now?), so don't
+    // bother trying to express "we need a version before .." or any of that.
+    //
+    // Also assume that the component being versioned is either part of the OS
+    // or that the OS version is a decent proxy for it. Not necessarily true in
+    // general, but true for viona and bhyve.
+    #[error("API version {have} is not at or above {want}. OS is too old?")]
+    TooLow { have: u32, want: u32 },
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
diff --git a/lib/propolis/src/hw/virtio/viona.rs b/lib/propolis/src/hw/virtio/viona.rs
index 1ae5d8000..c9ec21347 100644
--- a/lib/propolis/src/hw/virtio/viona.rs
+++ b/lib/propolis/src/hw/virtio/viona.rs
@@ -226,8 +226,6 @@ impl Inner {
 }
 
 /// Configuration parmaeters for the underlying viona device
-///
-/// These parameters assume an [viona_api::ApiVersion::V3] device
 #[derive(Copy, Clone)]
 pub struct DeviceParams {
     /// When transmitting packets, should viona (allocate and) copy the entire
@@ -237,12 +235,18 @@ pub struct DeviceParams {
     /// There is a performance cost to copying the full packet, but it avoids
     /// certain issues pertaining to looped-back viona packets being delivered
     /// to native zones on the machine.
+    ///
+    /// This parameter requires [viona_api::ApiVersion::V3] or greater. This is
+    /// before Propolis' minimum viona API version and can always be set.
     pub copy_data: bool,
 
     /// Byte count for padding added to the head of transmitted packets.  This
     /// padding can be used by subsequent operations in the transmission chain,
     /// such as encapsulation, which would otherwise need to re-allocate for the
     /// larger header.
+    ///
+    /// This parameter requires [viona_api::ApiVersion::V3] or greater. This is
+    /// before Propolis' minimum viona API version and can always be set.
     pub header_pad: u16,
 }
 impl DeviceParams {
@@ -1393,11 +1397,12 @@ use bits::*;
 pub(crate) fn check_api_version() -> Result<(), crate::api_version::Error> {
     let vers = viona_api::api_version()?;
 
-    // viona only requires the V2 bits for now
-    let compare = viona_api::ApiVersion::V2;
+    // when setting up a vNIC, Propolis will unconditionally do the SET_PAIRS
+    // ioctl, which requires V6.
+    let want = viona_api::ApiVersion::V6 as u32;
 
-    if vers < compare {
-        Err(crate::api_version::Error::Mismatch(vers, compare as u32))
+    if vers < want {
+        Err(crate::api_version::Error::TooLow { have: vers, want })
     } else {
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/lib/propolis/src/vmm/mod.rs b/lib/propolis/src/vmm/mod.rs
index 033bc8991..80a25cfcb 100644
--- a/lib/propolis/src/vmm/mod.rs
+++ b/lib/propolis/src/vmm/mod.rs
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@ pub(crate) fn check_api_version() -> Result<(), crate::api_version::Error> {
     let vers = ctl.api_version()?;
 
     // propolis only requires the bits provided by V8, currently
-    let compare = bhyve_api::ApiVersion::V8;
+    let want = bhyve_api::ApiVersion::V8 as u32;
 
-    if vers < compare {
-        return Err(crate::api_version::Error::Mismatch(vers, compare as u32));
+    if vers < want {
+        return Err(crate::api_version::Error::TooLow { have: vers, want });
     }
 
     Ok(())