diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/gen_loader.c b/tools/lib/bpf/gen_loader.c
index 8ecef1088ba2..927745b08014 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/gen_loader.c
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/gen_loader.c
@@ -1043,18 +1043,27 @@ void bpf_gen__map_update_elem(struct bpf_gen *gen, int map_idx, void *pvalue,
 	value = add_data(gen, pvalue, value_size);
 	key = add_data(gen, &zero, sizeof(zero));
 
-	/* if (map_desc[map_idx].initial_value)
-	 *    copy_from_user(value, initial_value, value_size);
+	/* if (map_desc[map_idx].initial_value) {
+	 *    if (ctx->flags & BPF_SKEL_KERNEL)
+	 *        bpf_probe_read_kernel(value, value_size, initial_value);
+	 *    else
+	 *        bpf_copy_from_user(value, value_size, initial_value);
+	 * }
 	 */
 	emit(gen, BPF_LDX_MEM(BPF_DW, BPF_REG_3, BPF_REG_6,
 			      sizeof(struct bpf_loader_ctx) +
 			      sizeof(struct bpf_map_desc) * map_idx +
 			      offsetof(struct bpf_map_desc, initial_value)));
-	emit(gen, BPF_JMP_IMM(BPF_JEQ, BPF_REG_3, 0, 4));
+	emit(gen, BPF_JMP_IMM(BPF_JEQ, BPF_REG_3, 0, 8));
 	emit2(gen, BPF_LD_IMM64_RAW_FULL(BPF_REG_1, BPF_PSEUDO_MAP_IDX_VALUE,
 					 0, 0, 0, value));
 	emit(gen, BPF_MOV64_IMM(BPF_REG_2, value_size));
+	emit(gen, BPF_LDX_MEM(BPF_W, BPF_REG_0, BPF_REG_6,
+			      offsetof(struct bpf_loader_ctx, flags)));
+	emit(gen, BPF_JMP_IMM(BPF_JSET, BPF_REG_0, BPF_SKEL_KERNEL, 2));
 	emit(gen, BPF_EMIT_CALL(BPF_FUNC_copy_from_user));
+	emit(gen, BPF_JMP_IMM(BPF_JA, 0, 0, 1));
+	emit(gen, BPF_EMIT_CALL(BPF_FUNC_probe_read_kernel));
 
 	map_update_attr = add_data(gen, &attr, attr_size);
 	move_blob2blob(gen, attr_field(map_update_attr, map_fd), 4,
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/skel_internal.h b/tools/lib/bpf/skel_internal.h
index dcd3336512d4..bd6f4505e7b1 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/skel_internal.h
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/skel_internal.h
@@ -3,9 +3,19 @@
 #ifndef __SKEL_INTERNAL_H
 #define __SKEL_INTERNAL_H
 
+#ifdef __KERNEL__
+#include <linux/fdtable.h>
+#include <linux/mm.h>
+#include <linux/mman.h>
+#include <linux/slab.h>
+#include <linux/bpf.h>
+#else
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/syscall.h>
 #include <sys/mman.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include "bpf.h"
+#endif
 
 #ifndef __NR_bpf
 # if defined(__mips__) && defined(_ABIO32)
@@ -25,24 +35,23 @@
  * requested during loader program generation.
  */
 struct bpf_map_desc {
-	union {
-		/* input for the loader prog */
-		struct {
-			__aligned_u64 initial_value;
-			__u32 max_entries;
-		};
-		/* output of the loader prog */
-		struct {
-			int map_fd;
-		};
-	};
+	/* output of the loader prog */
+	int map_fd;
+	/* input for the loader prog */
+	__u32 max_entries;
+	__aligned_u64 initial_value;
 };
 struct bpf_prog_desc {
 	int prog_fd;
 };
 
+enum {
+	BPF_SKEL_KERNEL = (1ULL << 0),
+};
+
 struct bpf_loader_ctx {
-	size_t sz;
+	__u32 sz;
+	__u32 flags;
 	__u32 log_level;
 	__u32 log_size;
 	__u64 log_buf;
@@ -57,12 +66,144 @@ struct bpf_load_and_run_opts {
 	const char *errstr;
 };
 
+long bpf_sys_bpf(__u32 cmd, void *attr, __u32 attr_size);
+
 static inline int skel_sys_bpf(enum bpf_cmd cmd, union bpf_attr *attr,
 			  unsigned int size)
 {
+#ifdef __KERNEL__
+	return bpf_sys_bpf(cmd, attr, size);
+#else
 	return syscall(__NR_bpf, cmd, attr, size);
+#endif
+}
+
+#ifdef __KERNEL__
+static inline int close(int fd)
+{
+	return close_fd(fd);
+}
+
+static inline void *skel_alloc(size_t size)
+{
+	struct bpf_loader_ctx *ctx = kzalloc(size, GFP_KERNEL);
+
+	if (!ctx)
+		return NULL;
+	ctx->flags |= BPF_SKEL_KERNEL;
+	return ctx;
+}
+
+static inline void skel_free(const void *p)
+{
+	kfree(p);
+}
+
+/* skel->bss/rodata maps are populated the following way:
+ *
+ * For kernel use:
+ * skel_prep_map_data() allocates kernel memory that kernel module can directly access.
+ * Generated lskel stores the pointer in skel->rodata and in skel->maps.rodata.initial_value.
+ * The loader program will perform probe_read_kernel() from maps.rodata.initial_value.
+ * skel_finalize_map_data() sets skel->rodata to point to actual value in a bpf map and
+ * does maps.rodata.initial_value = ~0ULL to signal skel_free_map_data() that kvfree
+ * is not nessary.
+ *
+ * For user space:
+ * skel_prep_map_data() mmaps anon memory into skel->rodata that can be accessed directly.
+ * Generated lskel stores the pointer in skel->rodata and in skel->maps.rodata.initial_value.
+ * The loader program will perform copy_from_user() from maps.rodata.initial_value.
+ * skel_finalize_map_data() remaps bpf array map value from the kernel memory into
+ * skel->rodata address.
+ *
+ * The "bpftool gen skeleton -L" command generates lskel.h that is suitable for
+ * both kernel and user space. The generated loader program does
+ * either bpf_probe_read_kernel() or bpf_copy_from_user() from initial_value
+ * depending on bpf_loader_ctx->flags.
+ */
+static inline void skel_free_map_data(void *p, __u64 addr, size_t sz)
+{
+	if (addr != ~0ULL)
+		kvfree(p);
+	/* When addr == ~0ULL the 'p' points to
+	 * ((struct bpf_array *)map)->value. See skel_finalize_map_data.
+	 */
 }
 
+static inline void *skel_prep_map_data(const void *val, size_t mmap_sz, size_t val_sz)
+{
+	void *addr;
+
+	addr = kvmalloc(val_sz, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!addr)
+		return NULL;
+	memcpy(addr, val, val_sz);
+	return addr;
+}
+
+static inline void *skel_finalize_map_data(__u64 *init_val, size_t mmap_sz, int flags, int fd)
+{
+	struct bpf_map *map;
+	void *addr = NULL;
+
+	kvfree((void *) (long) *init_val);
+	*init_val = ~0ULL;
+
+	/* At this point bpf_load_and_run() finished without error and
+	 * 'fd' is a valid bpf map FD. All sanity checks below should succeed.
+	 */
+	map = bpf_map_get(fd);
+	if (IS_ERR(map))
+		return NULL;
+	if (map->map_type != BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARRAY)
+		goto out;
+	addr = ((struct bpf_array *)map)->value;
+	/* the addr stays valid, since FD is not closed */
+out:
+	bpf_map_put(map);
+	return addr;
+}
+
+#else
+
+static inline void *skel_alloc(size_t size)
+{
+	return calloc(1, size);
+}
+
+static inline void skel_free(void *p)
+{
+	free(p);
+}
+
+static inline void skel_free_map_data(void *p, __u64 addr, size_t sz)
+{
+	munmap(p, sz);
+}
+
+static inline void *skel_prep_map_data(const void *val, size_t mmap_sz, size_t val_sz)
+{
+	void *addr;
+
+	addr = mmap(NULL, mmap_sz, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE,
+		    MAP_SHARED | MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0);
+	if (addr == (void *) -1)
+		return NULL;
+	memcpy(addr, val, val_sz);
+	return addr;
+}
+
+static inline void *skel_finalize_map_data(__u64 *init_val, size_t mmap_sz, int flags, int fd)
+{
+	void *addr;
+
+	addr = mmap((void *) (long) *init_val, mmap_sz, flags, MAP_SHARED | MAP_FIXED, fd, 0);
+	if (addr == (void *) -1)
+		return NULL;
+	return addr;
+}
+#endif
+
 static inline int skel_closenz(int fd)
 {
 	if (fd > 0)
@@ -136,22 +277,28 @@ static inline int skel_link_create(int prog_fd, int target_fd,
 	return skel_sys_bpf(BPF_LINK_CREATE, &attr, attr_sz);
 }
 
+#ifdef __KERNEL__
+#define set_err
+#else
+#define set_err err = -errno
+#endif
+
 static inline int bpf_load_and_run(struct bpf_load_and_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	int map_fd = -1, prog_fd = -1, key = 0, err;
 	union bpf_attr attr;
 
-	map_fd = skel_map_create(BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARRAY, "__loader.map", 4, opts->data_sz, 1);
+	err = map_fd = skel_map_create(BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARRAY, "__loader.map", 4, opts->data_sz, 1);
 	if (map_fd < 0) {
 		opts->errstr = "failed to create loader map";
-		err = -errno;
+		set_err;
 		goto out;
 	}
 
 	err = skel_map_update_elem(map_fd, &key, opts->data, 0);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		opts->errstr = "failed to update loader map";
-		err = -errno;
+		set_err;
 		goto out;
 	}
 
@@ -166,10 +313,10 @@ static inline int bpf_load_and_run(struct bpf_load_and_run_opts *opts)
 	attr.log_size = opts->ctx->log_size;
 	attr.log_buf = opts->ctx->log_buf;
 	attr.prog_flags = BPF_F_SLEEPABLE;
-	prog_fd = skel_sys_bpf(BPF_PROG_LOAD, &attr, sizeof(attr));
+	err = prog_fd = skel_sys_bpf(BPF_PROG_LOAD, &attr, sizeof(attr));
 	if (prog_fd < 0) {
 		opts->errstr = "failed to load loader prog";
-		err = -errno;
+		set_err;
 		goto out;
 	}
 
@@ -181,10 +328,12 @@ static inline int bpf_load_and_run(struct bpf_load_and_run_opts *opts)
 	if (err < 0 || (int)attr.test.retval < 0) {
 		opts->errstr = "failed to execute loader prog";
 		if (err < 0) {
-			err = -errno;
+			set_err;
 		} else {
 			err = (int)attr.test.retval;
+#ifndef __KERNEL__
 			errno = -err;
+#endif
 		}
 		goto out;
 	}
