diff --git a/include/net/cfg80211.h b/include/net/cfg80211.h
index b59baf9dfd67..d19e48f9fdc6 100644
--- a/include/net/cfg80211.h
+++ b/include/net/cfg80211.h
@@ -1187,17 +1187,6 @@ struct cfg80211_unsol_bcast_probe_resp {
 	const u8 *tmpl;
 };
 
-/**
- * enum cfg80211_ap_settings_flags - AP settings flags
- *
- * Used by cfg80211_ap_settings
- *
- * @AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT: AP supports external authentication
- */
-enum cfg80211_ap_settings_flags {
-	AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT = BIT(0),
-};
-
 /**
  * struct cfg80211_ap_settings - AP configuration
  *
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h b/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
index 5ce20fb44f24..ab461b2be157 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
@@ -2477,7 +2477,9 @@ enum nl80211_commands {
  *	space supports external authentication. This attribute shall be used
  *	with %NL80211_CMD_CONNECT and %NL80211_CMD_START_AP request. The driver
  *	may offload authentication processing to user space if this capability
- *	is indicated in the respective requests from the user space.
+ *	is indicated in the respective requests from the user space. (This flag
+ *	attribute deprecated for %NL80211_CMD_START_AP, use
+ *	%NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS)
  *
  * @NL80211_ATTR_NSS: Station's New/updated  RX_NSS value notified using this
  *	u8 attribute. This is used with %NL80211_CMD_STA_OPMODE_CHANGED.
@@ -2653,6 +2655,10 @@ enum nl80211_commands {
  *	switching on a different channel during CAC detection on the selected
  *	radar channel.
  *
+ * @NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS: u32 attribute contains ap settings flags,
+ *	enumerated in &enum nl80211_ap_settings_flags. This attribute shall be
+ *	used with %NL80211_CMD_START_AP request.
+ *
  * @NUM_NL80211_ATTR: total number of nl80211_attrs available
  * @NL80211_ATTR_MAX: highest attribute number currently defined
  * @__NL80211_ATTR_AFTER_LAST: internal use
@@ -3161,6 +3167,8 @@ enum nl80211_attrs {
 
 	NL80211_ATTR_RADAR_BACKGROUND,
 
+	NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS,
+
 	/* add attributes here, update the policy in nl80211.c */
 
 	__NL80211_ATTR_AFTER_LAST,
@@ -7481,4 +7489,14 @@ enum nl80211_mbssid_config_attributes {
 	NL80211_MBSSID_CONFIG_ATTR_MAX = __NL80211_MBSSID_CONFIG_ATTR_LAST - 1,
 };
 
+/**
+ * enum nl80211_ap_settings_flags - AP settings flags
+ *
+ * @NL80211_AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT: AP supports external
+ *	authentication.
+ */
+enum nl80211_ap_settings_flags {
+	NL80211_AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT	= 1 << 0,
+};
+
 #endif /* __LINUX_NL80211_H */
diff --git a/net/wireless/nl80211.c b/net/wireless/nl80211.c
index 6ee21049b028..578bff9c378b 100644
--- a/net/wireless/nl80211.c
+++ b/net/wireless/nl80211.c
@@ -777,6 +777,7 @@ static const struct nla_policy nl80211_policy[NUM_NL80211_ATTR] = {
 			NLA_POLICY_NESTED(nl80211_mbssid_config_policy),
 	[NL80211_ATTR_MBSSID_ELEMS] = { .type = NLA_NESTED },
 	[NL80211_ATTR_RADAR_BACKGROUND] = { .type = NLA_FLAG },
+	[NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS] = { .type = NLA_U32 },
 };
 
 /* policy for the key attributes */
@@ -5714,8 +5715,11 @@ static int nl80211_start_ap(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 
 	nl80211_calculate_ap_params(params);
 
-	if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT])
-		params->flags |= AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT;
+	if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS])
+		params->flags = nla_get_u32(
+			info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_AP_SETTINGS_FLAGS]);
+	else if (info->attrs[NL80211_ATTR_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT])
+		params->flags |= NL80211_AP_SETTINGS_EXTERNAL_AUTH_SUPPORT;
 
 	wdev_lock(wdev);
 	err = rdev_start_ap(rdev, dev, params);