diff --git a/include/json_print.h b/include/json_print.h
index 91b34571ceb0..4d165a91c23a 100644
--- a/include/json_print.h
+++ b/include/json_print.h
@@ -101,6 +101,15 @@ static inline int print_rate(bool use_iec, enum output_type t,
 	return print_color_rate(use_iec, t, COLOR_NONE, key, fmt, rate);
 }
 
+int print_color_bool_opt(enum output_type type, enum color_attr color,
+			 const char *key, bool value);
+
+static inline int print_bool_opt(enum output_type type,
+				 const char *key, bool value)
+{
+	return print_color_bool_opt(type, COLOR_NONE, key, value);
+}
+
 /* A backdoor to the size formatter. Please use print_size() instead. */
 char *sprint_size(__u32 sz, char *buf);
 
diff --git a/ip/iplink_vxlan.c b/ip/iplink_vxlan.c
index cb6745c74507..292e19cdb940 100644
--- a/ip/iplink_vxlan.c
+++ b/ip/iplink_vxlan.c
@@ -427,15 +427,13 @@ static void vxlan_print_opt(struct link_util *lu, FILE *f, struct rtattr *tb[])
 	if (!tb)
 		return;
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_COLLECT_METADATA] &&
-	    rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_COLLECT_METADATA])) {
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "external", "external ", true);
-	}
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_COLLECT_METADATA])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "external",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_COLLECT_METADATA]));
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_VNIFILTER] &&
-	    rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_VNIFILTER])) {
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "vnifilter", "vnifilter", true);
-	}
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_VNIFILTER])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "vnifilter",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_VNIFILTER]));
 
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_ID] &&
 	    RTA_PAYLOAD(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_ID]) >= sizeof(__u32)) {
@@ -532,22 +530,24 @@ static void vxlan_print_opt(struct link_util *lu, FILE *f, struct rtattr *tb[])
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_LEARNING]) {
 		__u8 learning = rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_LEARNING]);
 
-		print_bool(PRINT_JSON, "learning", NULL, learning);
-		if (!learning)
-			print_bool(PRINT_FP, NULL, "nolearning ", true);
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "learning", learning);
 	}
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_PROXY] && rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_PROXY]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "proxy", "proxy ", true);
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_PROXY])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "proxy",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_PROXY]));
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_RSC] && rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_RSC]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "rsc", "rsc ", true);
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_RSC])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "rsc",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_RSC]));
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L2MISS] && rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L2MISS]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "l2miss", "l2miss ", true);
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L2MISS])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "l2miss",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L2MISS]));
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L3MISS] && rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L3MISS]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "l3miss", "l3miss ", true);
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L3MISS])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "l3miss",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_L3MISS]));
 
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_TOS])
 		tos = rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_TOS]);
@@ -604,51 +604,27 @@ static void vxlan_print_opt(struct link_util *lu, FILE *f, struct rtattr *tb[])
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_CSUM]) {
 		__u8 udp_csum = rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_CSUM]);
 
-		if (is_json_context()) {
-			print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "udp_csum", NULL, udp_csum);
-		} else {
-			if (!udp_csum)
-				fputs("no", f);
-			fputs("udpcsum ", f);
-		}
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "udp_csum", udp_csum);
 	}
 
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_ZERO_CSUM6_TX]) {
 		__u8 csum6 = rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_ZERO_CSUM6_TX]);
 
-		if (is_json_context()) {
-			print_bool(PRINT_ANY,
-				   "udp_zero_csum6_tx", NULL, csum6);
-		} else {
-			if (!csum6)
-				fputs("no", f);
-			fputs("udp6zerocsumtx ", f);
-		}
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "udp_zero_csum6_tx",  csum6);
 	}
 
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_ZERO_CSUM6_RX]) {
 		__u8 csum6 = rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_UDP_ZERO_CSUM6_RX]);
 
-		if (is_json_context()) {
-			print_bool(PRINT_ANY,
-				   "udp_zero_csum6_rx",
-				   NULL,
-				   csum6);
-		} else {
-			if (!csum6)
-				fputs("no", f);
-			fputs("udp6zerocsumrx ", f);
-		}
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "udp_zero_csum6_rx",  csum6);
 	}
 
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_TX] &&
-	    rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_TX]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "remcsum_tx", "remcsumtx ", true);
-
-	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_RX] &&
-	    rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_RX]))
-		print_bool(PRINT_ANY, "remcsum_rx", "remcsumrx ", true);
-
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_TX])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "remcsum_tx",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_TX]));
+	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_RX])
+		print_bool_opt(PRINT_ANY, "remcsum_rx",
+			       rta_getattr_u8(tb[IFLA_VXLAN_REMCSUM_RX]));
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_GBP])
 		print_null(PRINT_ANY, "gbp", "gbp ", NULL);
 	if (tb[IFLA_VXLAN_GPE])
diff --git a/lib/json_print.c b/lib/json_print.c
index d7ee76b10de8..29959e7335c3 100644
--- a/lib/json_print.c
+++ b/lib/json_print.c
@@ -215,6 +215,24 @@ int print_color_bool(enum output_type type,
 				  value ? "true" : "false");
 }
 
+/* In JSON mode, acts like print_color_bool
+ * otherwise, prints key with no prefix if false
+ */
+int print_color_bool_opt(enum output_type type,
+			 enum color_attr color,
+			 const char *key,
+			 bool value)
+{
+	int ret = 0;
+
+	if (_IS_JSON_CONTEXT(type))
+		jsonw_bool_field(_jw, key, value);
+	else if (_IS_FP_CONTEXT(type))
+		ret = color_fprintf(stdout, color, "%s%s ",
+				    value ? "" : "no", key);
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int print_color_on_off(enum output_type type,
 		       enum color_attr color,
 		       const char *key,
