diff --git a/package/zfs/Config.in b/package/zfs/Config.in
index 6209c5865b..049e0716f3 100644
--- a/package/zfs/Config.in
+++ b/package/zfs/Config.in
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_ZFS
 	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_HAS_UDEV
 	depends on BR2_USE_MMU  # util-linux (libblkid)
 	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS  # libtirpc
+	select BR2_LINUX_NEEDS_MODULES
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_UTIL_LINUX
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_UTIL_LINUX_LIBBLKID
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_UTIL_LINUX_LIBUUID
diff --git a/package/zfs/zfs.mk b/package/zfs/zfs.mk
index 6d5d46a305..b852d8d4e2 100644
--- a/package/zfs/zfs.mk
+++ b/package/zfs/zfs.mk
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ ZFS_CPE_ID_PRODUCT = openzfs
 # 0001-removal-of-LegacyVersion-broke-ax_python_dev.m4.patch
 ZFS_AUTORECONF = YES
 
-ZFS_DEPENDENCIES = libaio openssl udev util-linux zlib libcurl
+ZFS_DEPENDENCIES = libaio openssl udev util-linux zlib libcurl linux
 
 # sysvinit installs only a commented-out modules-load.d/ config file
 ZFS_CONF_OPTS = \
@@ -79,5 +79,7 @@ define ZFS_LINUX_CONFIG_FIXUPS
 	$(call KCONFIG_ENABLE_OPT,CONFIG_ZLIB_INFLATE)
 endef
 
-$(eval $(kernel-module))
+# Even though zfs builds a kernel module, it gets built directly by
+# the autotools logic, so we don't use the kernel-module
+# infrastructure.
 $(eval $(autotools-package))