diff --git a/drivers/of/fdt.c b/drivers/of/fdt.c
index 65200af29c52..4af69a3564cc 100644
--- a/drivers/of/fdt.c
+++ b/drivers/of/fdt.c
@@ -681,9 +681,14 @@ int __init early_init_dt_scan_chosen(unsigned long node, const char *uname,
 	if (p != NULL && l > 0)
 		strlcpy(data, p, min((int)l, COMMAND_LINE_SIZE));
 
+	/*
+	 * CONFIG_CMDLINE is meant to be a default in case nothing else
+	 * managed to set the command line, unless CONFIG_CMDLINE_FORCE
+	 * is set in which case we override whatever was found earlier.
+	 */
 #ifdef CONFIG_CMDLINE
 #ifndef CONFIG_CMDLINE_FORCE
-	if (p == NULL || l == 0 || (l == 1 && (*p) == 0))
+	if (!((char *)data)[0])
 #endif
 		strlcpy(data, CONFIG_CMDLINE, COMMAND_LINE_SIZE);
 #endif /* CONFIG_CMDLINE */