diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 3adea59847ce..df8d3146a43f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ modules.order
 /tags
 /TAGS
 /linux
+/modules-only.symvers
 /vmlinux
 /vmlinux.32
 /vmlinux.map
diff --git a/Documentation/dontdiff b/Documentation/dontdiff
index ac42ad8d430d..910b30a2a7d9 100644
--- a/Documentation/dontdiff
+++ b/Documentation/dontdiff
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ mktables
 mktree
 mkutf8data
 modpost
+modules-only.symvers
 modules.builtin
 modules.builtin.modinfo
 modules.nsdeps
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2b161f5a5a66..ed8bd815e8a3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1532,7 +1532,7 @@ endif # CONFIG_MODULES
 # make distclean Remove editor backup files, patch leftover files and the like
 
 # Directories & files removed with 'make clean'
-CLEAN_FILES += include/ksym vmlinux.symvers \
+CLEAN_FILES += include/ksym vmlinux.symvers modules-only.symvers \
 	       modules.builtin modules.builtin.modinfo modules.nsdeps \
 	       compile_commands.json .thinlto-cache
 
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.modpost b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
index df57e259fac3..3f5b09a09aef 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.modpost
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
@@ -68,7 +68,20 @@ else
 ifeq ($(KBUILD_EXTMOD),)
 
 input-symdump := vmlinux.symvers
-output-symdump := Module.symvers
+output-symdump := modules-only.symvers
+
+quiet_cmd_cat = GEN     $@
+      cmd_cat = cat $(real-prereqs) > $@
+
+ifneq ($(wildcard vmlinux.symvers),)
+
+__modpost: Module.symvers
+Module.symvers: vmlinux.symvers modules-only.symvers FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,cat)
+
+targets += Module.symvers
+
+endif
 
 else
 
diff --git a/scripts/mod/modpost.c b/scripts/mod/modpost.c
index 24725e50c7b4..10c3fba26f03 100644
--- a/scripts/mod/modpost.c
+++ b/scripts/mod/modpost.c
@@ -2423,19 +2423,6 @@ fail:
 	fatal("parse error in symbol dump file\n");
 }
 
-/* For normal builds always dump all symbols.
- * For external modules only dump symbols
- * that are not read from kernel Module.symvers.
- **/
-static int dump_sym(struct symbol *sym)
-{
-	if (!external_module)
-		return 1;
-	if (sym->module->from_dump)
-		return 0;
-	return 1;
-}
-
 static void write_dump(const char *fname)
 {
 	struct buffer buf = { };
@@ -2446,7 +2433,7 @@ static void write_dump(const char *fname)
 	for (n = 0; n < SYMBOL_HASH_SIZE ; n++) {
 		symbol = symbolhash[n];
 		while (symbol) {
-			if (dump_sym(symbol)) {
+			if (!symbol->module->from_dump) {
 				namespace = symbol->namespace;
 				buf_printf(&buf, "0x%08x\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\n",
 					   symbol->crc, symbol->name,