diff --git a/include/net/rtnetlink.h b/include/net/rtnetlink.h
index 3bfb80bad173..b45d57b5968a 100644
--- a/include/net/rtnetlink.h
+++ b/include/net/rtnetlink.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ enum rtnl_link_flags {
 	RTNL_FLAG_DOIT_UNLOCKED		= BIT(0),
 	RTNL_FLAG_BULK_DEL_SUPPORTED	= BIT(1),
 	RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED		= BIT(2),
+	RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE	= BIT(3),	/* legacy behavior */
 };
 
 enum rtnl_kinds {
diff --git a/net/core/rtnetlink.c b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
index b86b0a87367d..4668d6718040 100644
--- a/net/core/rtnetlink.c
+++ b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
@@ -6484,6 +6484,46 @@ static int rtnl_mdb_del(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 
 /* Process one rtnetlink message. */
 
+static int rtnl_dumpit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct netlink_callback *cb)
+{
+	rtnl_dumpit_func dumpit = cb->data;
+	int err;
+
+	/* Previous iteration have already finished, avoid calling->dumpit()
+	 * again, it may not expect to be called after it reached the end.
+	 */
+	if (!dumpit)
+		return 0;
+
+	err = dumpit(skb, cb);
+
+	/* Old dump handlers used to send NLM_DONE as in a separate recvmsg().
+	 * Some applications which parse netlink manually depend on this.
+	 */
+	if (cb->flags & RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE) {
+		if (err < 0 && err != -EMSGSIZE)
+			return err;
+		if (!err)
+			cb->data = NULL;
+
+		return skb->len;
+	}
+	return err;
+}
+
+static int rtnetlink_dump_start(struct sock *ssk, struct sk_buff *skb,
+				const struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
+				struct netlink_dump_control *control)
+{
+	if (control->flags & RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE) {
+		WARN_ON(control->data);
+		control->data = control->dump;
+		control->dump = rtnl_dumpit;
+	}
+
+	return netlink_dump_start(ssk, skb, nlh, control);
+}
+
 static int rtnetlink_rcv_msg(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 			     struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
 {
@@ -6548,7 +6588,7 @@ static int rtnetlink_rcv_msg(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 				.module		= owner,
 				.flags		= flags,
 			};
-			err = netlink_dump_start(rtnl, skb, nlh, &c);
+			err = rtnetlink_dump_start(rtnl, skb, nlh, &c);
 			/* netlink_dump_start() will keep a reference on
 			 * module if dump is still in progress.
 			 */
@@ -6694,7 +6734,7 @@ void __init rtnetlink_init(void)
 	register_netdevice_notifier(&rtnetlink_dev_notifier);
 
 	rtnl_register(PF_UNSPEC, RTM_GETLINK, rtnl_getlink,
-		      rtnl_dump_ifinfo, 0);
+		      rtnl_dump_ifinfo, RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE);
 	rtnl_register(PF_UNSPEC, RTM_SETLINK, rtnl_setlink, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_UNSPEC, RTM_NEWLINK, rtnl_newlink, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_UNSPEC, RTM_DELLINK, rtnl_dellink, NULL, 0);
diff --git a/net/ipv4/devinet.c b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
index f3892ee9dfb3..d09f557eaa77 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/devinet.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/devinet.c
@@ -2805,7 +2805,7 @@ void __init devinet_init(void)
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_NEWADDR, inet_rtm_newaddr, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_DELADDR, inet_rtm_deladdr, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_GETADDR, NULL, inet_dump_ifaddr,
-		      RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED);
+		      RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED | RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE);
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_GETNETCONF, inet_netconf_get_devconf,
 		      inet_netconf_dump_devconf,
 		      RTNL_FLAG_DOIT_UNLOCKED | RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED);
diff --git a/net/ipv4/fib_frontend.c b/net/ipv4/fib_frontend.c
index c484b1c0fc00..7ad2cafb9276 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/fib_frontend.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/fib_frontend.c
@@ -1050,11 +1050,6 @@ next:
 			e++;
 		}
 	}
-
-	/* Don't let NLM_DONE coalesce into a message, even if it could.
-	 * Some user space expects NLM_DONE in a separate recv().
-	 */
-	err = skb->len;
 out:
 
 	cb->args[1] = e;
@@ -1665,5 +1660,5 @@ void __init ip_fib_init(void)
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_NEWROUTE, inet_rtm_newroute, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_DELROUTE, inet_rtm_delroute, NULL, 0);
 	rtnl_register(PF_INET, RTM_GETROUTE, NULL, inet_dump_fib,
-		      RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED);
+		      RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_UNLOCKED | RTNL_FLAG_DUMP_SPLIT_NLM_DONE);
 }