diff --git a/src/confd/src/dagger.c b/src/confd/src/dagger.c
index 634f6757..4e7bd49e 100644
--- a/src/confd/src/dagger.c
+++ b/src/confd/src/dagger.c
@@ -127,6 +127,10 @@ int dagger_should_skip_current(struct dagger *d, const char *ifname)
 	return fexistf("%s/%d/skip/%s", d->path, d->current, ifname);
 }
 
+int dagger_is_bootstrap(struct dagger *d)
+{
+	return d->next == 0;
+}
 
 int dagger_claim(struct dagger *d, const char *path)
 {
diff --git a/src/confd/src/dagger.h b/src/confd/src/dagger.h
index fa4ae7a6..35d39079 100644
--- a/src/confd/src/dagger.h
+++ b/src/confd/src/dagger.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ int dagger_evolve_or_abandon(struct dagger *d);
 void dagger_skip_iface(struct dagger *d, const char *ifname);
 int dagger_should_skip(struct dagger *d, const char *ifname);
 int dagger_should_skip_current(struct dagger *d, const char *ifname);
+int dagger_is_bootstrap(struct dagger *d);
 
 int dagger_claim(struct dagger *d, const char *path);
 
diff --git a/src/confd/src/ietf-interfaces.c b/src/confd/src/ietf-interfaces.c
index 457613fa..ba0ab441 100644
--- a/src/confd/src/ietf-interfaces.c
+++ b/src/confd/src/ietf-interfaces.c
@@ -775,12 +775,18 @@ static int netdag_gen_ethtool(struct dagger *net, struct lyd_node *cif, struct l
 	if (strcmp(type, "infix-if-type:ethernet"))
 		return 0;
 
-	/* XXX: add configurable flow-control support <<here>> */
-	err = netdag_gen_ethtool_flow_control(net, cif);
-	if (err)
-		return err;
+	if (!eth)
+		return 0;
 
-	if (lydx_get_descendant(lyd_child(eth), "auto-negotiation", "enable", NULL) ||
+	if (dagger_is_bootstrap(net) ||
+	    lydx_get_descendant(lyd_child(eth), "auto-negotiation", "enable", NULL)) {
+		err = netdag_gen_ethtool_flow_control(net, cif);
+		if (err)
+			return err;
+	}
+
+	if (dagger_is_bootstrap(net) ||
+	    lydx_get_descendant(lyd_child(eth), "auto-negotiation", "enable", NULL) ||
 	    lydx_get_child(eth, "speed") ||
 	    lydx_get_child(eth, "duplex")) {
 		err = netdag_gen_ethtool_autoneg(net, cif);