diff --git a/Documentation/netlink/specs/fou.yaml b/Documentation/netlink/specs/fou.yaml
index 8e7974ec453f..331f1b342b3a 100644
--- a/Documentation/netlink/specs/fou.yaml
+++ b/Documentation/netlink/specs/fou.yaml
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ attribute-sets:
       -
         name: ipproto
         type: u8
+        checks:
+          min: 1
       -
         name: type
         type: u8
diff --git a/net/ipv4/fou_nl.c b/net/ipv4/fou_nl.c
index 7a99639204b1..309d5ba983d0 100644
--- a/net/ipv4/fou_nl.c
+++ b/net/ipv4/fou_nl.c
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 const struct nla_policy fou_nl_policy[FOU_ATTR_IFINDEX + 1] = {
 	[FOU_ATTR_PORT] = { .type = NLA_BE16, },
 	[FOU_ATTR_AF] = { .type = NLA_U8, },
-	[FOU_ATTR_IPPROTO] = { .type = NLA_U8, },
+	[FOU_ATTR_IPPROTO] = NLA_POLICY_MIN(NLA_U8, 1),
 	[FOU_ATTR_TYPE] = { .type = NLA_U8, },
 	[FOU_ATTR_REMCSUM_NOPARTIAL] = { .type = NLA_FLAG, },
 	[FOU_ATTR_LOCAL_V4] = { .type = NLA_U32, },