diff --git a/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh b/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
index 915775eb2921..2438a9faf3f1 100755
--- a/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
+++ b/scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ modpost_link()
 # ${2} - output file
 vmlinux_link()
 {
+	info LD ${2}
 	local lds="${objtree}/${KBUILD_LDS}"
 	local objects
 
@@ -138,6 +139,18 @@ kallsyms()
 	${CC} ${aflags} -c -o ${2} ${afile}
 }
 
+# Perform one step in kallsyms generation, including temporary linking of
+# vmlinux.
+kallsyms_step()
+{
+	kallsymso_prev=${kallsymso}
+	kallsymso=.tmp_kallsyms${1}.o
+	kallsyms_vmlinux=.tmp_vmlinux${1}
+
+	vmlinux_link "${kallsymso_prev}" ${kallsyms_vmlinux}
+	kallsyms ${kallsyms_vmlinux} ${kallsymso}
+}
+
 # Create map file with all symbols from ${1}
 # See mksymap for additional details
 mksysmap()
@@ -216,6 +229,7 @@ info MODINFO modules.builtin.modinfo
 ${OBJCOPY} -j .modinfo -O binary vmlinux.o modules.builtin.modinfo
 
 kallsymso=""
+kallsymso_prev=""
 kallsyms_vmlinux=""
 if [ -n "${CONFIG_KALLSYMS}" ]; then
 
@@ -242,32 +256,18 @@ if [ -n "${CONFIG_KALLSYMS}" ]; then
 	# a)  Verify that the System.map from vmlinux matches the map from
 	#     ${kallsymso}.
 
-	kallsymso=.tmp_kallsyms2.o
-	kallsyms_vmlinux=.tmp_vmlinux2
-
-	# step 1
-	vmlinux_link "" .tmp_vmlinux1
-	kallsyms .tmp_vmlinux1 .tmp_kallsyms1.o
-
-	# step 2
-	vmlinux_link .tmp_kallsyms1.o .tmp_vmlinux2
-	kallsyms .tmp_vmlinux2 .tmp_kallsyms2.o
+	kallsyms_step 1
+	kallsyms_step 2
 
 	# step 3
-	size1=$(${CONFIG_SHELL} "${srctree}/scripts/file-size.sh" .tmp_kallsyms1.o)
-	size2=$(${CONFIG_SHELL} "${srctree}/scripts/file-size.sh" .tmp_kallsyms2.o)
+	size1=$(${CONFIG_SHELL} "${srctree}/scripts/file-size.sh" ${kallsymso_prev})
+	size2=$(${CONFIG_SHELL} "${srctree}/scripts/file-size.sh" ${kallsymso})
 
 	if [ $size1 -ne $size2 ] || [ -n "${KALLSYMS_EXTRA_PASS}" ]; then
-		kallsymso=.tmp_kallsyms3.o
-		kallsyms_vmlinux=.tmp_vmlinux3
-
-		vmlinux_link .tmp_kallsyms2.o .tmp_vmlinux3
-
-		kallsyms .tmp_vmlinux3 .tmp_kallsyms3.o
+		kallsyms_step 3
 	fi
 fi
 
-info LD vmlinux
 vmlinux_link "${kallsymso}" vmlinux
 
 if [ -n "${CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_BTF}" ]; then