diff --git a/stmhal/main.c b/stmhal/main.c
index 78afe54ef691b481ce6aa3d9c47b077c43095ed5..6140a06a8a81c19f78b972841ea0c3c16e9658e5 100644
--- a/stmhal/main.c
+++ b/stmhal/main.c
@@ -438,6 +438,7 @@ soft_reset:
     mp_obj_list_append(mp_sys_path, MP_OBJ_NEW_QSTR(MP_QSTR__slash_flash));
     mp_obj_list_append(mp_sys_path, MP_OBJ_NEW_QSTR(MP_QSTR__slash_flash_slash_lib));
     mp_obj_list_init(mp_sys_argv, 0);
+    MP_STATE_PORT(mp_kbd_exception) = mp_obj_new_exception(&mp_type_KeyboardInterrupt);
 
     // Initialise low-level sub-systems.  Here we need to very basic things like
     // zeroing out memory and resetting any of the sub-systems.  Following this
diff --git a/stmhal/mpconfigport.h b/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
index 979cb3678d044bfcc82d0267ab48e1b2ae20a9cb..203d41472ba4ea5456038a0584c3ca1c9dcfbd79 100644
--- a/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
+++ b/stmhal/mpconfigport.h
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ extern const struct _mp_obj_module_t mp_module_network;
 #define MICROPY_PORT_ROOT_POINTERS \
     const char *readline_hist[8]; \
     \
-    mp_obj_t mp_const_vcp_interrupt; \
+    mp_obj_t mp_kbd_exception; \
     mp_obj_t pyb_hid_report_desc; \
     \
     mp_obj_t pyb_config_main; \
diff --git a/stmhal/pendsv.c b/stmhal/pendsv.c
index fb66a3dad4503d0e43c2b376ef13bc24b3eaa2ea..ff4480eed32a511fc4a840cb0aade740f3853c3b 100644
--- a/stmhal/pendsv.c
+++ b/stmhal/pendsv.c
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
 // PENDSV call that actually raises the exception.  It must be non-static
 // otherwise gcc-5 optimises it away.  It can point to the heap but is not
 // traced by GC.  This is okay because we only ever set it to
-// mp_const_vcp_interrupt which is in the root-pointer set.
+// mp_kbd_exception which is in the root-pointer set.
 void *pendsv_object;
 
 void pendsv_init(void) {
diff --git a/stmhal/usb.c b/stmhal/usb.c
index b0a66ef9b007a46ef227edb5d4c63a0a89c22d05..591cb321aa9d92e086273d1acc2734d28e2da422 100644
--- a/stmhal/usb.c
+++ b/stmhal/usb.c
@@ -96,9 +96,7 @@ const mp_obj_tuple_t pyb_usb_hid_keyboard_obj = {
 };
 
 void pyb_usb_init0(void) {
-    // create an exception object for interrupting by VCP
-    MP_STATE_PORT(mp_const_vcp_interrupt) = mp_obj_new_exception(&mp_type_KeyboardInterrupt);
-    USBD_CDC_SetInterrupt(-1, MP_STATE_PORT(mp_const_vcp_interrupt));
+    USBD_CDC_SetInterrupt(-1, MP_STATE_PORT(mp_kbd_exception));
     MP_STATE_PORT(pyb_hid_report_desc) = MP_OBJ_NULL;
 }
 
@@ -146,9 +144,9 @@ bool usb_vcp_is_enabled(void) {
 void usb_vcp_set_interrupt_char(int c) {
     if (pyb_usb_flags & PYB_USB_FLAG_DEV_ENABLED) {
         if (c != -1) {
-            mp_obj_exception_clear_traceback(MP_STATE_PORT(mp_const_vcp_interrupt));
+            mp_obj_exception_clear_traceback(MP_STATE_PORT(mp_kbd_exception));
         }
-        USBD_CDC_SetInterrupt(c, MP_STATE_PORT(mp_const_vcp_interrupt));
+        USBD_CDC_SetInterrupt(c, MP_STATE_PORT(mp_kbd_exception));
     }
 }