diff --git a/src/drivers/net/gve.c b/src/drivers/net/gve.c
index 3c45b92fa..c25f1d452 100644
--- a/src/drivers/net/gve.c
+++ b/src/drivers/net/gve.c
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ static int gve_alloc_qpl ( struct gve_nic *gve, struct gve_qpl *qpl,
 	qpl->data = dma_umalloc ( gve->dma, &qpl->map, len, GVE_ALIGN );
 	if ( ! qpl->data )
 		return -ENOMEM;
-	qpl->base = ( ( gve->mode & GVE_MODE_QPL ) ?
+	qpl->base = ( ( gve->mode == GVE_MODE_QPL ) ?
 		      0 : dma ( &qpl->map, qpl->data ) );
 
 	DBGC ( gve, "GVE %p QPL %#08x at [%08lx,%08lx)\n",
diff --git a/src/drivers/net/gve.h b/src/drivers/net/gve.h
index 9cef01a02..d352306ef 100644
--- a/src/drivers/net/gve.h
+++ b/src/drivers/net/gve.h
@@ -530,9 +530,10 @@ struct gve_qpl {
 	unsigned int id;
 	/** Queue page list base device address
 	 *
-	 * This will be zero if queue page list addressing is in use,
-	 * or the DMA address of the first page if raw DMA addressing
-	 * is in use.
+	 * This will be zero in the GQI-QPL operating mode, or the DMA
+	 * address of the first page in any other operating mode.
+	 * (Despite its name, DQO-QPL still requires the use of raw
+	 * DMA addresses in transmit and receive descriptors.)
 	 */
 	physaddr_t base;
 };