diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
index 7bc83f3d9bdf..73dbbf942431 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/kernel-parameters.txt
@@ -4891,6 +4891,15 @@
 
 	switches=	[HW,M68k]
 
+	sysctl.*=	[KNL]
+			Set a sysctl parameter, right before loading the init
+			process, as if the value was written to the respective
+			/proc/sys/... file. Both '.' and '/' are recognized as
+			separators. Unrecognized parameters and invalid values
+			are reported in the kernel log. Sysctls registered
+			later by a loaded module cannot be set this way.
+			Example: sysctl.vm.swappiness=40
+
 	sysfs.deprecated=0|1 [KNL]
 			Enable/disable old style sysfs layout for old udev
 			on older distributions. When this option is enabled
diff --git a/fs/proc/proc_sysctl.c b/fs/proc/proc_sysctl.c
index b6f5d459b087..7804da5f5be0 100644
--- a/fs/proc/proc_sysctl.c
+++ b/fs/proc/proc_sysctl.c
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <linux/mm.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
 #include <linux/bpf-cgroup.h>
+#include <linux/mount.h>
 #include "internal.h"
 
 static const struct dentry_operations proc_sys_dentry_operations;
@@ -1692,3 +1693,109 @@ int __init proc_sys_init(void)
 
 	return sysctl_init();
 }
+
+/* Set sysctl value passed on kernel command line. */
+static int process_sysctl_arg(char *param, char *val,
+			       const char *unused, void *arg)
+{
+	char *path;
+	struct vfsmount **proc_mnt = arg;
+	struct file_system_type *proc_fs_type;
+	struct file *file;
+	int len;
+	int err;
+	loff_t pos = 0;
+	ssize_t wret;
+
+	if (strncmp(param, "sysctl", sizeof("sysctl") - 1))
+		return 0;
+
+	param += sizeof("sysctl") - 1;
+
+	if (param[0] != '/' && param[0] != '.')
+		return 0;
+
+	param++;
+
+	/*
+	 * To set sysctl options, we use a temporary mount of proc, look up the
+	 * respective sys/ file and write to it. To avoid mounting it when no
+	 * options were given, we mount it only when the first sysctl option is
+	 * found. Why not a persistent mount? There are problems with a
+	 * persistent mount of proc in that it forces userspace not to use any
+	 * proc mount options.
+	 */
+	if (!*proc_mnt) {
+		proc_fs_type = get_fs_type("proc");
+		if (!proc_fs_type) {
+			pr_err("Failed to find procfs to set sysctl from command line\n");
+			return 0;
+		}
+		*proc_mnt = kern_mount(proc_fs_type);
+		put_filesystem(proc_fs_type);
+		if (IS_ERR(*proc_mnt)) {
+			pr_err("Failed to mount procfs to set sysctl from command line\n");
+			return 0;
+		}
+	}
+
+	path = kasprintf(GFP_KERNEL, "sys/%s", param);
+	if (!path)
+		panic("%s: Failed to allocate path for %s\n", __func__, param);
+	strreplace(path, '.', '/');
+
+	file = file_open_root((*proc_mnt)->mnt_root, *proc_mnt, path, O_WRONLY, 0);
+	if (IS_ERR(file)) {
+		err = PTR_ERR(file);
+		if (err == -ENOENT)
+			pr_err("Failed to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s': parameter not found\n",
+				param, val);
+		else if (err == -EACCES)
+			pr_err("Failed to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s': permission denied (read-only?)\n",
+				param, val);
+		else
+			pr_err("Error %pe opening proc file to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s'\n",
+				file, param, val);
+		goto out;
+	}
+	len = strlen(val);
+	wret = kernel_write(file, val, len, &pos);
+	if (wret < 0) {
+		err = wret;
+		if (err == -EINVAL)
+			pr_err("Failed to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s': invalid value\n",
+				param, val);
+		else
+			pr_err("Error %pe writing to proc file to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s'\n",
+				ERR_PTR(err), param, val);
+	} else if (wret != len) {
+		pr_err("Wrote only %zd bytes of %d writing to proc file %s to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s\n",
+			wret, len, path, param, val);
+	}
+
+	err = filp_close(file, NULL);
+	if (err)
+		pr_err("Error %pe closing proc file to set sysctl parameter '%s=%s\n",
+			ERR_PTR(err), param, val);
+out:
+	kfree(path);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void do_sysctl_args(void)
+{
+	char *command_line;
+	struct vfsmount *proc_mnt = NULL;
+
+	command_line = kstrdup(saved_command_line, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!command_line)
+		panic("%s: Failed to allocate copy of command line\n", __func__);
+
+	parse_args("Setting sysctl args", command_line,
+		   NULL, 0, -1, -1, &proc_mnt, process_sysctl_arg);
+
+	if (proc_mnt)
+		kern_unmount(proc_mnt);
+
+	kfree(command_line);
+}
diff --git a/include/linux/sysctl.h b/include/linux/sysctl.h
index 02fa84493f23..bee62d30ebdb 100644
--- a/include/linux/sysctl.h
+++ b/include/linux/sysctl.h
@@ -206,6 +206,7 @@ struct ctl_table_header *register_sysctl_paths(const struct ctl_path *path,
 void unregister_sysctl_table(struct ctl_table_header * table);
 
 extern int sysctl_init(void);
+void do_sysctl_args(void);
 
 extern struct ctl_table sysctl_mount_point[];
 
@@ -236,6 +237,9 @@ static inline void setup_sysctl_set(struct ctl_table_set *p,
 {
 }
 
+static inline void do_sysctl_args(void)
+{
+}
 #endif /* CONFIG_SYSCTL */
 
 int sysctl_max_threads(struct ctl_table *table, int write,
diff --git a/init/main.c b/init/main.c
index a48617f2e5e5..7b43118215d6 100644
--- a/init/main.c
+++ b/init/main.c
@@ -1372,6 +1372,8 @@ static int __ref kernel_init(void *unused)
 
 	rcu_end_inkernel_boot();
 
+	do_sysctl_args();
+
 	if (ramdisk_execute_command) {
 		ret = run_init_process(ramdisk_execute_command);
 		if (!ret)
