diff --git a/Documentation/netlink/specs/netdev.yaml b/Documentation/netlink/specs/netdev.yaml
index cbb544bd6c84..785240d60df6 100644
--- a/Documentation/netlink/specs/netdev.yaml
+++ b/Documentation/netlink/specs/netdev.yaml
@@ -268,6 +268,14 @@ attribute-sets:
         doc: The timeout, in nanoseconds, of how long to suspend irq
              processing, if event polling finds events
         type: uint
+      -
+        name: threaded
+        doc: Whether the napi is configured to operate in threaded polling
+             mode. If this is set to `1` then the NAPI context operates
+             in threaded polling mode.
+        type: u32
+        checks:
+          max: 1
   -
     name: queue
     attributes:
@@ -659,6 +667,7 @@ operations:
             - defer-hard-irqs
             - gro-flush-timeout
             - irq-suspend-timeout
+            - threaded
       dump:
         request:
           attributes:
@@ -711,6 +720,7 @@ operations:
             - defer-hard-irqs
             - gro-flush-timeout
             - irq-suspend-timeout
+            - threaded
 
 kernel-family:
   headers: [ "linux/list.h"]
diff --git a/Documentation/networking/napi.rst b/Documentation/networking/napi.rst
index f970a2be271a..73c83b4533dc 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/napi.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/napi.rst
@@ -413,7 +413,18 @@ dependent). The NAPI instance IDs will be assigned in the opposite
 order than the process IDs of the kernel threads.
 
 Threaded NAPI is controlled by writing 0/1 to the ``threaded`` file in
-netdev's sysfs directory.
+netdev's sysfs directory. It can also be enabled for a specific napi using
+netlink interface.
+
+For example, using the script:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+  $ kernel-source/tools/net/ynl/pyynl/cli.py \
+            --spec Documentation/netlink/specs/netdev.yaml \
+            --do napi-set \
+            --json='{"id": 66,
+                     "threaded": 1}'
 
 .. rubric:: Footnotes
 
diff --git a/include/linux/netdevice.h b/include/linux/netdevice.h
index 2a59034a5fa2..a0e485722ed9 100644
--- a/include/linux/netdevice.h
+++ b/include/linux/netdevice.h
@@ -352,6 +352,7 @@ struct napi_config {
 	u64 gro_flush_timeout;
 	u64 irq_suspend_timeout;
 	u32 defer_hard_irqs;
+	bool threaded;
 	unsigned int napi_id;
 };
 
@@ -572,6 +573,15 @@ static inline bool napi_complete(struct napi_struct *n)
 
 int dev_set_threaded(struct net_device *dev, bool threaded);
 
+/*
+ * napi_set_threaded - set napi threaded state
+ * @napi: NAPI context
+ * @threaded: whether this napi does threaded polling
+ *
+ * Return 0 on success and negative errno on failure.
+ */
+int napi_set_threaded(struct napi_struct *napi, bool threaded);
+
 void napi_disable(struct napi_struct *n);
 void napi_disable_locked(struct napi_struct *n);
 
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h b/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
index e4be227d3ad6..829648b2ef65 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ enum {
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_DEFER_HARD_IRQS,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_GRO_FLUSH_TIMEOUT,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ_SUSPEND_TIMEOUT,
+	NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED,
 
 	__NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX = (__NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX - 1)
diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index c0021cbd28fc..50fb234dd7a0 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -6787,6 +6787,30 @@ static void init_gro_hash(struct napi_struct *napi)
 	napi->gro_bitmask = 0;
 }
 
+int napi_set_threaded(struct napi_struct *napi, bool threaded)
+{
+	if (napi->dev->threaded)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (threaded) {
+		if (!napi->thread) {
+			int err = napi_kthread_create(napi);
+
+			if (err)
+				return err;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (napi->config)
+		napi->config->threaded = threaded;
+
+	/* Make sure kthread is created before THREADED bit is set. */
+	smp_mb__before_atomic();
+	assign_bit(NAPI_STATE_THREADED, &napi->state, threaded);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 int dev_set_threaded(struct net_device *dev, bool threaded)
 {
 	struct napi_struct *napi;
@@ -6798,6 +6822,11 @@ int dev_set_threaded(struct net_device *dev, bool threaded)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (threaded) {
+		/* Check if threaded is set at napi level already */
+		list_for_each_entry(napi, &dev->napi_list, dev_list)
+			if (test_bit(NAPI_STATE_THREADED, &napi->state))
+				return -EINVAL;
+
 		list_for_each_entry(napi, &dev->napi_list, dev_list) {
 			if (!napi->thread) {
 				err = napi_kthread_create(napi);
@@ -6880,6 +6909,8 @@ static void napi_restore_config(struct napi_struct *n)
 		napi_hash_add(n);
 		n->config->napi_id = n->napi_id;
 	}
+
+	napi_set_threaded(n, n->config->threaded);
 }
 
 static void napi_save_config(struct napi_struct *n)
diff --git a/net/core/netdev-genl-gen.c b/net/core/netdev-genl-gen.c
index 996ac6a449eb..a1f80e687f53 100644
--- a/net/core/netdev-genl-gen.c
+++ b/net/core/netdev-genl-gen.c
@@ -92,11 +92,12 @@ static const struct nla_policy netdev_bind_rx_nl_policy[NETDEV_A_DMABUF_FD + 1]
 };
 
 /* NETDEV_CMD_NAPI_SET - do */
-static const struct nla_policy netdev_napi_set_nl_policy[NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ_SUSPEND_TIMEOUT + 1] = {
+static const struct nla_policy netdev_napi_set_nl_policy[NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED + 1] = {
 	[NETDEV_A_NAPI_ID] = { .type = NLA_U32, },
 	[NETDEV_A_NAPI_DEFER_HARD_IRQS] = NLA_POLICY_FULL_RANGE(NLA_U32, &netdev_a_napi_defer_hard_irqs_range),
 	[NETDEV_A_NAPI_GRO_FLUSH_TIMEOUT] = { .type = NLA_UINT, },
 	[NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ_SUSPEND_TIMEOUT] = { .type = NLA_UINT, },
+	[NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED] = NLA_POLICY_MAX(NLA_U32, 1),
 };
 
 /* Ops table for netdev */
@@ -187,7 +188,7 @@ static const struct genl_split_ops netdev_nl_ops[] = {
 		.cmd		= NETDEV_CMD_NAPI_SET,
 		.doit		= netdev_nl_napi_set_doit,
 		.policy		= netdev_napi_set_nl_policy,
-		.maxattr	= NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ_SUSPEND_TIMEOUT,
+		.maxattr	= NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED,
 		.flags		= GENL_ADMIN_PERM | GENL_CMD_CAP_DO,
 	},
 };
diff --git a/net/core/netdev-genl.c b/net/core/netdev-genl.c
index 715f85c6b62e..208c3dd768ec 100644
--- a/net/core/netdev-genl.c
+++ b/net/core/netdev-genl.c
@@ -183,6 +183,9 @@ netdev_nl_napi_fill_one(struct sk_buff *rsp, struct napi_struct *napi,
 	if (napi->irq >= 0 && nla_put_u32(rsp, NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ, napi->irq))
 		goto nla_put_failure;
 
+	if (nla_put_u32(rsp, NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED, !!napi->thread))
+		goto nla_put_failure;
+
 	if (napi->thread) {
 		pid = task_pid_nr(napi->thread);
 		if (nla_put_u32(rsp, NETDEV_A_NAPI_PID, pid))
@@ -321,8 +324,14 @@ netdev_nl_napi_set_config(struct napi_struct *napi, struct genl_info *info)
 {
 	u64 irq_suspend_timeout = 0;
 	u64 gro_flush_timeout = 0;
+	u32 threaded = 0;
 	u32 defer = 0;
 
+	if (info->attrs[NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED]) {
+		threaded = nla_get_u32(info->attrs[NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED]);
+		napi_set_threaded(napi, !!threaded);
+	}
+
 	if (info->attrs[NETDEV_A_NAPI_DEFER_HARD_IRQS]) {
 		defer = nla_get_u32(info->attrs[NETDEV_A_NAPI_DEFER_HARD_IRQS]);
 		napi_set_defer_hard_irqs(napi, defer);
diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h b/tools/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
index e4be227d3ad6..829648b2ef65 100644
--- a/tools/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
+++ b/tools/include/uapi/linux/netdev.h
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ enum {
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_DEFER_HARD_IRQS,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_GRO_FLUSH_TIMEOUT,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_IRQ_SUSPEND_TIMEOUT,
+	NETDEV_A_NAPI_THREADED,
 
 	__NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX,
 	NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX = (__NETDEV_A_NAPI_MAX - 1)
