diff --git a/doc/api_break.dox b/doc/api_break.dox
index 48c516a6b58..7a46af3199a 100644
--- a/doc/api_break.dox
+++ b/doc/api_break.dox
@@ -1018,6 +1018,7 @@ QgsEditorWidgetRegistry::instance()->findBest() must be used instead.
 have been removed. Use QgsVectorLayer.setConstraintExpression()/constraintExpression(),
 or QgsField.constraintExpression()/QgsField.constraintDescription() instead.
 - notNull() and setNotNull() have been removed. Use QgsVectorLayer.setFieldConstraint()/fieldConstraints(), or QgsField.constraints() instead.
+- readXml() and writeXml() now also expect a reference to QgsReadWriteContext object.
 
 QgsEditorWidgetWrapper        {#qgis_api_break_3_0_QgsEditorWidgetWrapper}
 ----------------------
diff --git a/python/core/qgseditformconfig.sip b/python/core/qgseditformconfig.sip
index 1daa5ee2632..230f3b93c09 100644
--- a/python/core/qgseditformconfig.sip
+++ b/python/core/qgseditformconfig.sip
@@ -197,13 +197,13 @@ class QgsEditFormConfig
      * Read XML information
      * Deserialize on project load
      */
-    void readXml( const QDomNode &node );
+    void readXml( const QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context );
 
     /**
      * Write XML information
      * Serialize on project save
      */
-    void writeXml( QDomNode &node ) const;
+    void writeXml( QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context ) const;
 
     /**
      * Deserialize drag and drop designer elements.
diff --git a/src/core/annotations/qgssvgannotation.cpp b/src/core/annotations/qgssvgannotation.cpp
index 0fa9695fbfe..988cc946c6f 100644
--- a/src/core/annotations/qgssvgannotation.cpp
+++ b/src/core/annotations/qgssvgannotation.cpp
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
  ***************************************************************************/
 
 #include "qgssvgannotation.h"
+
+#include "qgsreadwritecontext.h"
 #include "qgsproject.h"
+#include "qgssymbollayerutils.h"
+
 #include <QDomDocument>
 #include <QDomElement>
 
@@ -37,15 +41,16 @@ QgsSvgAnnotation *QgsSvgAnnotation::clone() const
 
 void QgsSvgAnnotation::writeXml( QDomElement &elem, QDomDocument &doc, const QgsReadWriteContext &context ) const
 {
+  QString filePath = QgsSymbolLayerUtils::svgSymbolPathToName( mFilePath, context.pathResolver() );
   QDomElement svgAnnotationElem = doc.createElement( QStringLiteral( "SVGAnnotationItem" ) );
-  svgAnnotationElem.setAttribute( QStringLiteral( "file" ), QgsProject::instance()->writePath( mFilePath ) );
+  svgAnnotationElem.setAttribute( QStringLiteral( "file" ), filePath );
   _writeXml( svgAnnotationElem, doc, context );
   elem.appendChild( svgAnnotationElem );
 }
 
 void QgsSvgAnnotation::readXml( const QDomElement &itemElem, const QgsReadWriteContext &context )
 {
-  QString filePath = QgsProject::instance()->readPath( itemElem.attribute( QStringLiteral( "file" ) ) );
+  QString filePath = QgsSymbolLayerUtils::svgSymbolNameToPath( itemElem.attribute( QStringLiteral( "file" ) ), context.pathResolver() );
   setFilePath( filePath );
   QDomElement annotationElem = itemElem.firstChildElement( QStringLiteral( "AnnotationItem" ) );
   if ( !annotationElem.isNull() )
diff --git a/src/core/qgseditformconfig.cpp b/src/core/qgseditformconfig.cpp
index 3f860e9b855..eb3e7ea7911 100644
--- a/src/core/qgseditformconfig.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgseditformconfig.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
  ***************************************************************************/
 #include "qgseditformconfig_p.h"
 #include "qgseditformconfig.h"
+#include "qgspathresolver.h"
 #include "qgsproject.h"
+#include "qgsreadwritecontext.h"
 #include "qgsrelationmanager.h"
 #include "qgslogger.h"
 
@@ -255,14 +257,14 @@ void QgsEditFormConfig::setSuppress( QgsEditFormConfig::FeatureFormSuppress s )
   d->mSuppressForm = s;
 }
 
-void QgsEditFormConfig::readXml( const QDomNode &node )
+void QgsEditFormConfig::readXml( const QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context )
 {
   d.detach();
   QDomNode editFormNode = node.namedItem( QStringLiteral( "editform" ) );
   if ( !editFormNode.isNull() )
   {
     QDomElement e = editFormNode.toElement();
-    d->mUiFormPath = QgsProject::instance()->readPath( e.text() );
+    d->mUiFormPath = context.pathResolver().readPath( e.text() );
   }
 
   QDomNode editFormInitNode = node.namedItem( QStringLiteral( "editforminit" ) );
@@ -299,7 +301,7 @@ void QgsEditFormConfig::readXml( const QDomNode &node )
   QDomNode editFormInitFilePathNode = node.namedItem( QStringLiteral( "editforminitfilepath" ) );
   if ( !editFormInitFilePathNode.isNull() && !editFormInitFilePathNode.toElement().text().isEmpty() )
   {
-    setInitFilePath( QgsProject::instance()->readPath( editFormInitFilePathNode.toElement().text() ) );
+    setInitFilePath( context.pathResolver().readPath( editFormInitFilePathNode.toElement().text() ) );
   }
 
   QDomNode fFSuppNode = node.namedItem( QStringLiteral( "featformsuppress" ) );
@@ -357,12 +359,12 @@ void QgsEditFormConfig::readXml( const QDomNode &node )
   }
 }
 
-void QgsEditFormConfig::writeXml( QDomNode &node ) const
+void QgsEditFormConfig::writeXml( QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context ) const
 {
   QDomDocument doc( node.ownerDocument() );
 
   QDomElement efField  = doc.createElement( QStringLiteral( "editform" ) );
-  QDomText efText = doc.createTextNode( QgsProject::instance()->writePath( uiForm() ) );
+  QDomText efText = doc.createTextNode( context.pathResolver().writePath( uiForm() ) );
   efField.appendChild( efText );
   node.appendChild( efField );
 
@@ -376,7 +378,7 @@ void QgsEditFormConfig::writeXml( QDomNode &node ) const
   node.appendChild( eficsField );
 
   QDomElement efifpField  = doc.createElement( QStringLiteral( "editforminitfilepath" ) );
-  efifpField.appendChild( doc.createTextNode( QgsProject::instance()->writePath( initFilePath() ) ) );
+  efifpField.appendChild( doc.createTextNode( context.pathResolver().writePath( initFilePath() ) ) );
   node.appendChild( efifpField );
 
   QDomElement eficField  = doc.createElement( QStringLiteral( "editforminitcode" ) );
diff --git a/src/core/qgseditformconfig.h b/src/core/qgseditformconfig.h
index 7ce3156542d..cad6037f657 100644
--- a/src/core/qgseditformconfig.h
+++ b/src/core/qgseditformconfig.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 
 #include "qgsattributeeditorelement.h"
 
+class QgsReadWriteContext;
 class QgsRelationManager;
 class QgsEditFormConfigPrivate;
 
@@ -268,13 +269,13 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsEditFormConfig
      * Read XML information
      * Deserialize on project load
      */
-    void readXml( const QDomNode &node );
+    void readXml( const QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context );
 
     /**
      * Write XML information
      * Serialize on project save
      */
-    void writeXml( QDomNode &node ) const;
+    void writeXml( QDomNode &node, const QgsReadWriteContext &context ) const;
 
     /**
      * Deserialize drag and drop designer elements.
diff --git a/src/core/qgsproject.cpp b/src/core/qgsproject.cpp
index 071da64d84b..9445c79dcc4 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsproject.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsproject.cpp
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ bool QgsProject::read()
 
   //crs
   QgsCoordinateReferenceSystem projectCrs;
-  if ( QgsProject::instance()->readNumEntry( QStringLiteral( "SpatialRefSys" ), QStringLiteral( "/ProjectionsEnabled" ), 0 ) )
+  if ( readNumEntry( QStringLiteral( "SpatialRefSys" ), QStringLiteral( "/ProjectionsEnabled" ), 0 ) )
   {
     long currentCRS = readNumEntry( QStringLiteral( "SpatialRefSys" ), QStringLiteral( "/ProjectCRSID" ), -1 );
     if ( currentCRS != -1 )
diff --git a/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp b/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
index 9347e1923e0..ba8f45a046e 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsvectorlayer.cpp
@@ -1734,7 +1734,7 @@ bool QgsVectorLayer::readSymbology( const QDomNode &layerNode, QString &errorMes
     mFieldWidgetSetups[fieldName] = setup;
   }
 
-  mEditFormConfig.readXml( layerNode );
+  mEditFormConfig.readXml( layerNode, context );
 
   mAttributeTableConfig.readXml( layerNode );
 
@@ -2008,7 +2008,7 @@ bool QgsVectorLayer::writeSymbology( QDomNode &node, QDomDocument &doc, QString
   // add attribute actions
   mActions->writeXml( node );
   mAttributeTableConfig.writeXml( node );
-  mEditFormConfig.writeXml( node );
+  mEditFormConfig.writeXml( node, context );
   mConditionalStyles->writeXml( node, doc, context );
 
   // save expression fields