diff --git a/net/key/af_key.c b/net/key/af_key.c
index b3faede9a4f6..c269ce6094d6 100644
--- a/net/key/af_key.c
+++ b/net/key/af_key.c
@@ -1768,8 +1768,11 @@ static int pfkey_flush(struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb, struct sadb_msg *hd
 	audit_info.secid = 0;
 	err = xfrm_state_flush(net, proto, &audit_info);
 	err2 = unicast_flush_resp(sk, hdr);
-	if (err || err2)
+	if (err || err2) {
+		if (err == -ESRCH) /* empty table - go quietly */
+			err = 0;
 		return err ? err : err2;
+	}
 
 	c.data.proto = proto;
 	c.seq = hdr->sadb_msg_seq;
diff --git a/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c b/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
index c9d6a5f1348d..9fa3322b2a7d 100644
--- a/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
+++ b/net/xfrm/xfrm_state.c
@@ -603,13 +603,14 @@ xfrm_state_flush_secctx_check(struct net *net, u8 proto, struct xfrm_audit *audi
 
 int xfrm_state_flush(struct net *net, u8 proto, struct xfrm_audit *audit_info)
 {
-	int i, err = 0;
+	int i, err = 0, cnt = 0;
 
 	spin_lock_bh(&xfrm_state_lock);
 	err = xfrm_state_flush_secctx_check(net, proto, audit_info);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
 
+	err = -ESRCH;
 	for (i = 0; i <= net->xfrm.state_hmask; i++) {
 		struct hlist_node *entry;
 		struct xfrm_state *x;
@@ -626,13 +627,16 @@ int xfrm_state_flush(struct net *net, u8 proto, struct xfrm_audit *audit_info)
 							audit_info->sessionid,
 							audit_info->secid);
 				xfrm_state_put(x);
+				if (!err)
+					cnt++;
 
 				spin_lock_bh(&xfrm_state_lock);
 				goto restart;
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	err = 0;
+	if (cnt)
+		err = 0;
 
 out:
 	spin_unlock_bh(&xfrm_state_lock);
diff --git a/net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c b/net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c
index 943c8712bd97..cd94a9dd1bad 100644
--- a/net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c
+++ b/net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c
@@ -1524,8 +1524,11 @@ static int xfrm_flush_sa(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh,
 	audit_info.sessionid = NETLINK_CB(skb).sessionid;
 	audit_info.secid = NETLINK_CB(skb).sid;
 	err = xfrm_state_flush(net, p->proto, &audit_info);
-	if (err)
+	if (err) {
+		if (err == -ESRCH) /* empty table */
+			return 0;
 		return err;
+	}
 	c.data.proto = p->proto;
 	c.event = nlh->nlmsg_type;
 	c.seq = nlh->nlmsg_seq;