diff --git a/nvme-print-json.c b/nvme-print-json.c
index 1766cae882..bbb948f53e 100644
--- a/nvme-print-json.c
+++ b/nvme-print-json.c
@@ -2558,6 +2558,14 @@ static void json_print_nvme_subsystem_list(nvme_root_t r, bool show_ana)
 			obj_add_str(host_attrs, "HostID", hostid);
 		subsystems = json_create_array();
 		nvme_for_each_subsystem(h, s) {
+			nvme_ctrl_t c;
+			bool no_ctrl = true;
+
+			nvme_subsystem_for_each_ctrl(s, c)
+				no_ctrl = false;
+			if (no_ctrl)
+				continue;
+
 			subsystem_attrs = json_create_object();
 			obj_add_str(subsystem_attrs, "Name", nvme_subsystem_get_name(s));
 			obj_add_str(subsystem_attrs, "NQN", nvme_subsystem_get_nqn(s));
diff --git a/nvme-print-stdout.c b/nvme-print-stdout.c
index 4686241e63..7d7d4b2735 100644
--- a/nvme-print-stdout.c
+++ b/nvme-print-stdout.c
@@ -1134,6 +1134,14 @@ static void stdout_subsystem(nvme_root_t r, bool show_ana)
 		nvme_subsystem_t s;
 
 		nvme_for_each_subsystem(h, s) {
+			bool no_ctrl = true;
+			nvme_ctrl_t c;
+
+			nvme_subsystem_for_each_ctrl(s, c)
+				no_ctrl = false;
+			if (no_ctrl)
+				continue;
+
 			if (!first)
 				printf("\n");
 			first = false;
diff --git a/nvme.c b/nvme.c
index 7c4e0bdadc..1dec63a447 100644
--- a/nvme.c
+++ b/nvme.c
@@ -3388,33 +3388,24 @@ static int create_ns(int argc, char **argv, struct command *cmd, struct plugin *
 static bool nvme_match_device_filter(nvme_subsystem_t s,
 		nvme_ctrl_t c, nvme_ns_t ns, void *f_args)
 {
-	int ret, instance, nsid, s_num;
 	char *devname = f_args;
+	nvme_ns_t n;
 
-	if (!devname || !strlen(devname))
+	if (ns && !strcmp(devname, nvme_ns_get_name(ns)))
 		return true;
 
-	ret = sscanf(devname, "nvme%dn%d", &instance, &nsid);
-	if (ret != 2)
-		return true;
-
-	if (s) {
-		ret = sscanf(nvme_subsystem_get_name(s), "nvme-subsys%d",
-			     &s_num);
-		if (ret == 1 && s_num == instance)
-			return true;
-	}
 	if (c) {
 		s = nvme_ctrl_get_subsystem(c);
-
-		ret = sscanf(nvme_subsystem_get_name(s), "nvme-subsys%d",
-			     &s_num);
-		if (ret == 1 && s_num == instance)
-			return true;
+		nvme_ctrl_for_each_ns(c, n) {
+			if (!strcmp(devname, nvme_ns_get_name(n)))
+				return true;
+		}
 	}
-	if (ns) {
-		if (!strcmp(devname, nvme_ns_get_name(ns)))
-			return true;
+	if (s) {
+		nvme_subsystem_for_each_ns(s, n) {
+			if (!strcmp(devname, nvme_ns_get_name(n)))
+				return true;
+		}
 	}
 
 	return false;