diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index 67745ceab0dbc..a0fb8363fe635 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -1980,6 +1980,23 @@ config EFI_STUB
 
 	  See Documentation/admin-guide/efi-stub.rst for more information.
 
+config EFI_HANDOVER_PROTOCOL
+	bool "EFI handover protocol (DEPRECATED)"
+	depends on EFI_STUB
+	default y
+	help
+	  Select this in order to include support for the deprecated EFI
+	  handover protocol, which defines alternative entry points into the
+	  EFI stub.  This is a practice that has no basis in the UEFI
+	  specification, and requires a priori knowledge on the part of the
+	  bootloader about Linux/x86 specific ways of passing the command line
+	  and initrd, and where in memory those assets may be loaded.
+
+	  If in doubt, say Y. Even though the corresponding support is not
+	  present in upstream GRUB or other bootloaders, most distros build
+	  GRUB with numerous downstream patches applied, and may rely on the
+	  handover protocol as as result.
+
 config EFI_MIXED
 	bool "EFI mixed-mode support"
 	depends on EFI_STUB && X86_64
diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/head_64.S b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/head_64.S
index 6ba2c2142c33b..d4c4281db635c 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/compressed/head_64.S
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/compressed/head_64.S
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ SYM_FUNC_START(startup_32)
 	lret
 SYM_FUNC_END(startup_32)
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_EFI_MIXED
+#if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_EFI_MIXED) && IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_EFI_HANDOVER_PROTOCOL)
 	.org 0x190
 SYM_FUNC_START(efi32_stub_entry)
 	add	$0x4, %esp		/* Discard return address */
@@ -516,7 +516,9 @@ trampoline_return:
 SYM_CODE_END(startup_64)
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_EFI_STUB
+#ifdef CONFIG_EFI_HANDOVER_PROTOCOL
 	.org 0x390
+#endif
 SYM_FUNC_START(efi64_stub_entry)
 	and	$~0xf, %rsp			/* realign the stack */
 	movq	%rdx, %rbx			/* save boot_params pointer */
diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/header.S b/arch/x86/boot/header.S
index f912d77701305..d31982509654d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/header.S
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/header.S
@@ -406,7 +406,7 @@ xloadflags:
 # define XLF1 0
 #endif
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_EFI_STUB
+#ifdef CONFIG_EFI_HANDOVER_PROTOCOL
 # ifdef CONFIG_EFI_MIXED
 #  define XLF23 (XLF_EFI_HANDOVER_32|XLF_EFI_HANDOVER_64)
 # else
diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/tools/build.c b/arch/x86/boot/tools/build.c
index a3725ad46c5a0..bd247692b7017 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/tools/build.c
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/tools/build.c
@@ -290,6 +290,7 @@ static void efi_stub_entry_update(void)
 {
 	unsigned long addr = efi32_stub_entry;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_EFI_HANDOVER_PROTOCOL
 #ifdef CONFIG_X86_64
 	/* Yes, this is really how we defined it :( */
 	addr = efi64_stub_entry - 0x200;
@@ -298,6 +299,7 @@ static void efi_stub_entry_update(void)
 #ifdef CONFIG_EFI_MIXED
 	if (efi32_stub_entry != addr)
 		die("32-bit and 64-bit EFI entry points do not match\n");
+#endif
 #endif
 	put_unaligned_le32(addr, &buf[0x264]);
 }