diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.modpost b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
index 7e07adab929c44e9acc5cf2385b0c7090c3dd2fb..4d79afe997ad28bd07af4668e722a43925597976 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.modpost
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ src := $(obj)
 # Include the module's Makefile to find KBUILD_EXTRA_SYMBOLS
 include $(if $(wildcard $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Kbuild), \
              $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Kbuild, $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Makefile)
+
+# modpost option for external modules
+MODPOST += -e
+
 endif
 
 # modpost options for modules (both in-kernel and external)
diff --git a/scripts/mod/modpost.c b/scripts/mod/modpost.c
index b8e521f50b2d235fc6ad11a6d941030c4ed253bc..4a2f27d97bf172509018a3db8319aaf1e1d5299f 100644
--- a/scripts/mod/modpost.c
+++ b/scripts/mod/modpost.c
@@ -2552,10 +2552,12 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	struct dump_list *dump_read_start = NULL;
 	struct dump_list **dump_read_iter = &dump_read_start;
 
-	while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "i:mnsT:o:awENd:")) != -1) {
+	while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "ei:mnsT:o:awENd:")) != -1) {
 		switch (opt) {
-		case 'i':
+		case 'e':
 			external_module = 1;
+			break;
+		case 'i':
 			*dump_read_iter =
 				NOFAIL(calloc(1, sizeof(**dump_read_iter)));
 			(*dump_read_iter)->file = optarg;