diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
index 3e2d250160..a381802796 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/session.h
@@ -955,6 +955,7 @@ class Session : public PBD::StatefulDestructible
 	void destroy ();
 
 	void initialize_start_and_end_locations(nframes_t start, nframes_t end);
+	bool create_session_file();
 
 	nframes_t compute_initial_length ();
 
diff --git a/libs/ardour/session_state.cc b/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
index f1c51f7ed2..c8623980df 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/session_state.cc
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ Session::setup_raid_path (string path)
 }
 
 void
-Session::initialize_start_and_end_locations(nframes_t start, nframes_t end)
+Session::initialize_start_and_end_locations (nframes_t start, nframes_t end)
 {
 	start_location->set_end (start);
 	_locations.add (start_location);
@@ -473,6 +473,18 @@ Session::initialize_start_and_end_locations(nframes_t start, nframes_t end)
 	_locations.add (end_location);
 }
 
+bool
+Session::create_session_file ()
+{
+	_state_of_the_state = Clean;
+
+	if (save_state (_current_snapshot_name)) {
+		error << "Could not create new session file" << endmsg;
+		return false;
+	}
+	return true;
+}
+
 int
 Session::create (bool& new_session, string* mix_template, nframes_t initial_length)
 {
@@ -535,11 +547,7 @@ Session::create (bool& new_session, string* mix_template, nframes_t initial_leng
 
 	initialize_start_and_end_locations(0, initial_length);
 
-	_state_of_the_state = Clean;
-
-	if (save_state (_current_snapshot_name)) {
-		return -1;
-	}
+	if (!create_session_file()) return -1;
 
 	return 0;
 }