diff --git a/cmd/vxlan.go b/cmd/vxlan.go
index d32586d22..56cd2b2a1 100644
--- a/cmd/vxlan.go
+++ b/cmd/vxlan.go
@@ -108,8 +108,7 @@ var vxlanCreateCmd = &cobra.Command{
 			return fmt.Errorf("not a VxlanStitched link")
 		}
 
-		// deploy the vxlan with existing link. The first endpoint is the host endpoint
-		err = vxl.DeployWithExistingVeth(ctx, vxl.GetEndpoints()[0])
+		err = vxl.DeployWithExistingVeth(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/links/link_vxlan.go b/links/link_vxlan.go
index 349556225..4dacc284b 100644
--- a/links/link_vxlan.go
+++ b/links/link_vxlan.go
@@ -85,23 +85,10 @@ func (lr *LinkVxlanRaw) resolveStitchedVxlan(params *ResolveParams) (Link, error
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	var vethLink *LinkVEth
-	var stitchEp Endpoint
-
-	// if the endpoint is host, we don't need to create the veth link
-	// the stitch endpoint is just a host endpoint with the passed interface name
-	if lr.Endpoint.Node == "host" {
-		// a fake endpoint used only to print the host interface name in the outputs
-		// it is not deployed as it meant to exist
-		epHost := NewEndpointHost(NewEndpointGeneric(vxlanLink.localEndpoint.GetNode(), params.VxlanIfaceNameOverwrite, nil))
-		vethLink, stitchEp, err = nil, epHost, nil
-	} else {
-		// otherwise we need to create the veth link
-		vethLink, stitchEp, err = lr.resolveStitchedVEthComponent(params)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
+	// prepare the veth struct
+	vethLink, stitchEp, err := lr.resolveStitchedVEthComponent(params)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// return the stitched vxlan link
@@ -241,7 +228,7 @@ func (l *LinkVxlan) deployVxlanInterface() error {
 	// retrieve the parent interface netlink handle
 	parentIface, err := netlink.LinkByName(l.remoteEndpoint.parentIface)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("error looking up vxlan parent interface %s: %w", l.remoteEndpoint.parentIface, err)
 	}
 
 	// create the Vxlan struct
@@ -269,14 +256,14 @@ func (l *LinkVxlan) deployVxlanInterface() error {
 	// add the link
 	err = netlink.LinkAdd(&vxlanconf)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("error adding vxlan link %s: %w", l.localEndpoint.String(), err)
 	}
 
 	// fetch the mtu from the actual state for templated config generation
 	if l.MTU == 0 {
 		interf, err := netlink.LinkByName(l.localEndpoint.GetRandIfaceName())
 		if err != nil {
-			return err
+			return fmt.Errorf("error looking up local vxlan endpoint of %s : %w", l.localEndpoint.String(), err)
 		}
 		l.MTU = interf.Attrs().MTU
 	}
diff --git a/links/link_vxlan_stitched.go b/links/link_vxlan_stitched.go
index 9a8a54421..451ec7d67 100644
--- a/links/link_vxlan_stitched.go
+++ b/links/link_vxlan_stitched.go
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ func NewVxlanStitched(vxlan *LinkVxlan, veth *LinkVEth, vethStitchEp Endpoint) *
 // DeployWithExistingVeth provisions the stitched vxlan link whilst the
 // veth interface does already exist, hence it is not created as part of this
 // deployment.
-func (l *VxlanStitched) DeployWithExistingVeth(ctx context.Context, ep Endpoint) error {
-	return l.internalDeploy(ctx, ep, true)
+func (l *VxlanStitched) DeployWithExistingVeth(ctx context.Context) error {
+	return l.internalDeploy(ctx, nil, true)
 }
 
 // Deploy provisions the stitched vxlan link with all its underlying sub-links.