}
 
 static int validate_tmpl(int nr, struct xfrm_user_tmpl *ut, u16 family,
-                        struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
+                        int dir, struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
 {
        u16 prev_family;
        int i;
                switch (ut[i].mode) {
                case XFRM_MODE_TUNNEL:
                case XFRM_MODE_BEET:
+                       if (ut[i].optional && dir == XFRM_POLICY_OUT) {
+                               NL_SET_ERR_MSG(extack, "Mode in optional template not allowed in outbound policy");
+                               return -EINVAL;
+                       }
                        break;
                default:
                        if (ut[i].family != prev_family) {
 }
 
 static int copy_from_user_tmpl(struct xfrm_policy *pol, struct nlattr **attrs,
-                              struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
+                              int dir, struct netlink_ext_ack *extack)
 {
        struct nlattr *rt = attrs[XFRMA_TMPL];
 
                int nr = nla_len(rt) / sizeof(*utmpl);
                int err;
 
-               err = validate_tmpl(nr, utmpl, pol->family, extack);
+               err = validate_tmpl(nr, utmpl, pol->family, dir, extack);
                if (err)
                        return err;
 
        if (err)
                goto error;
 
-       if (!(err = copy_from_user_tmpl(xp, attrs, extack)))
+       if (!(err = copy_from_user_tmpl(xp, attrs, p->dir, extack)))
                err = copy_from_user_sec_ctx(xp, attrs);
        if (err)
                goto error;
                return NULL;
 
        nr = ((len - sizeof(*p)) / sizeof(*ut));
-       if (validate_tmpl(nr, ut, p->sel.family, NULL))
+       if (validate_tmpl(nr, ut, p->sel.family, p->dir, NULL))
                return NULL;
 
        if (p->dir > XFRM_POLICY_OUT)