diff --git a/package/nftables/Config.in b/package/nftables/Config.in
index 8d172b7256..833a3a38a2 100644
--- a/package/nftables/Config.in
+++ b/package/nftables/Config.in
@@ -13,5 +13,10 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_NFTABLES
 
 	  http://www.netfilter.org/projects/nftables/index.html
 
+# Legacy: this used to be handled in nftables.mk
+if BR2_PACKAGE_NFTABLES
+source "package/nftables/nftables-python/Config.in"
+endif
+
 comment "nftables needs a toolchain w/ wchar, headers >= 3.12"
 	depends on !BR2_USE_WCHAR || !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HEADERS_AT_LEAST_3_12
diff --git a/package/nftables/nftables-python/Config.in b/package/nftables/nftables-python/Config.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b16e2d0ad1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/nftables/nftables-python/Config.in
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+config BR2_PACKAGE_NFTABLES_PYTHON
+	bool "python bindings"
+	default y # legacy
+	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3
diff --git a/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.hash b/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.hash
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000..9ac74580e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.hash
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+../nftables.hash
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.mk b/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.mk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..908bacd99a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+################################################################################
+#
+# nftables-python
+#
+################################################################################
+
+# The following assignments work only because nftables.mk is included before
+# this file is.
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_VERSION = $(NFTABLES_VERSION)
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_SOURCE = $(NFTABLES_SOURCE)
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_SITE = $(NFTABLES_SITE)
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_LICENSE = $(NFTABLES_LICENSE)
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_LICENSE_FILES = $(NFTABLES_LICENSE_FILES)
+
+# We share the same source code as nftables
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_DL_SUBDIR = nftables
+
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_SUBDIR = py
+
+NFTABLES_PYTHON_SETUP_TYPE = setuptools
+
+$(eval $(python-package))
diff --git a/package/nftables/nftables.mk b/package/nftables/nftables.mk
index b0a14bd429..d31df8afa4 100644
--- a/package/nftables/nftables.mk
+++ b/package/nftables/nftables.mk
@@ -10,9 +10,15 @@ NFTABLES_SITE = https://www.netfilter.org/projects/nftables/files
 NFTABLES_DEPENDENCIES = libmnl libnftnl host-pkgconf $(TARGET_NLS_DEPENDENCIES)
 NFTABLES_LICENSE = GPL-2.0
 NFTABLES_LICENSE_FILES = COPYING
-NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS = --disable-debug --disable-man-doc --disable-pdf-doc
 NFTABLES_SELINUX_MODULES = iptables
 
+# Python bindings are handled by package nftables-python
+NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS = \
+	--disable-debug \
+	--disable-man-doc \
+	--disable-pdf-doc \
+	--disable-python
+
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_GMP),y)
 NFTABLES_DEPENDENCIES += gmp
 NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS += --without-mini-gmp
@@ -42,13 +48,6 @@ else
 NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS += --without-json
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3),y)
-NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS += --enable-python
-NFTABLES_DEPENDENCIES += python3
-else
-NFTABLES_CONF_OPTS += --disable-python
-endif
-
 NFTABLES_CONF_ENV = LIBS="$(NFTABLES_LIBS)"
 
 define NFTABLES_LINUX_CONFIG_FIXUPS
@@ -58,3 +57,6 @@ define NFTABLES_LINUX_CONFIG_FIXUPS
 endef
 
 $(eval $(autotools-package))
+
+# Legacy: we used to handle it in this .mk
+include package/nftables/nftables-python/nftables-python.mk