diff --git a/main/stasis_cache.c b/main/stasis_cache.c
index 3bcf0c4162c8c117a52bea8e22cec8665bc7d7c2..ca17bdd26388e6b13fabdaf8d520ac7f900b29dd 100644
--- a/main/stasis_cache.c
+++ b/main/stasis_cache.c
@@ -868,9 +868,8 @@ static void caching_topic_exec(void *data, struct stasis_subscription *sub,
 
 struct stasis_caching_topic *stasis_caching_topic_create(struct stasis_topic *original_topic, struct stasis_cache *cache)
 {
-	RAII_VAR(struct stasis_caching_topic *, caching_topic, NULL, ao2_cleanup);
-	struct stasis_subscription *sub;
-	RAII_VAR(char *, new_name, NULL, ast_free);
+	struct stasis_caching_topic *caching_topic;
+	char *new_name;
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ast_asprintf(&new_name, "%s-cached", stasis_topic_name(original_topic));
@@ -881,29 +880,32 @@ struct stasis_caching_topic *stasis_caching_topic_create(struct stasis_topic *or
 	caching_topic = ao2_alloc_options(sizeof(*caching_topic),
 		stasis_caching_topic_dtor, AO2_ALLOC_OPT_LOCK_NOLOCK);
 	if (caching_topic == NULL) {
+		ast_free(new_name);
+
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	caching_topic->topic = stasis_topic_create(new_name);
+	ast_free(new_name);
 	if (caching_topic->topic == NULL) {
+		ao2_ref(caching_topic, -1);
+
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	ao2_ref(cache, +1);
 	caching_topic->cache = cache;
 
-	sub = internal_stasis_subscribe(original_topic, caching_topic_exec, caching_topic, 0, 0);
-	if (sub == NULL) {
+	caching_topic->sub = internal_stasis_subscribe(original_topic, caching_topic_exec, caching_topic, 0, 0);
+	if (caching_topic->sub == NULL) {
+		ao2_ref(caching_topic, -1);
+
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 	ao2_ref(original_topic, +1);
 	caching_topic->original_topic = original_topic;
 
-	/* This is for the reference contained in the subscription above */
-	ao2_ref(caching_topic, +1);
-	caching_topic->sub = sub;
-
 	/* The subscription holds the reference, so no additional ref bump. */
 	return caching_topic;
 }