diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf_dumper.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf_dumper.c
index e4075824343f..3267163119dc 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf_dumper.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf_dumper.c
@@ -524,6 +524,15 @@ static int btf_dumper_var(const struct btf_dumper *d, __u32 type_id,
 	return ret;
 }
 
+/*
+ * The compiler splits a variable into pieces. Every piece is a VAR with the
+ * type of the whole variable, so there is less data than the type takes.
+ */
+bool btf_var_is_piece(const struct btf *btf, const struct btf_var_secinfo *vsi)
+{
+	return btf__resolve_size(btf, vsi->type) > vsi->size;
+}
+
 static int btf_dumper_datasec(const struct btf_dumper *d, __u32 type_id,
 			      const void *data)
 {
@@ -542,6 +551,8 @@ static int btf_dumper_datasec(const struct btf_dumper *d, __u32 type_id,
 	jsonw_name(d->jw, btf__name_by_offset(d->btf, t->name_off));
 	jsonw_start_array(d->jw);
 	for (i = 0; i < vlen; i++) {
+		if (btf_var_is_piece(d->btf, &vsi[i]))
+			continue;
 		ret = btf_dumper_do_type(d, vsi[i].type, 0, data + vsi[i].offset);
 		if (ret)
 			break;
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.h b/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.h
index fa2c877a3cbf..6851346a6030 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.h
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.h
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ struct obj_refs {
 };
 
 struct btf;
+struct btf_var_secinfo;
 struct bpf_line_info;
 
 int build_pinned_obj_table(struct hashmap *table,
@@ -239,6 +240,7 @@ int btf_dumper_type(const struct btf_dumper *d, __u32 type_id,
 		    const void *data);
 void btf_dumper_type_only(const struct btf *btf, __u32 func_type_id,
 			  char *func_only, int size);
+bool btf_var_is_piece(const struct btf *btf, const struct btf_var_secinfo *vsi);
 
 void btf_dump_linfo_plain(const struct btf *btf,
 			  const struct bpf_line_info *linfo,
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
index a60414aaa494..eb077236d2ea 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ static void show_prog_metadata(int fd, __u32 num_maps)
 			t_var = btf__type_by_id(btf, vsi->type);
 			name = btf__name_by_offset(btf, t_var->name_off);
 
-			if (!has_metadata_prefix(name))
+			if (!has_metadata_prefix(name) || btf_var_is_piece(btf, vsi))
 				continue;
 
 			if (!printed_header) {
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ static void show_prog_metadata(int fd, __u32 num_maps)
 			t_var = btf__type_by_id(btf, vsi->type);
 			name = btf__name_by_offset(btf, t_var->name_off);
 
-			if (!has_metadata_prefix(name))
+			if (!has_metadata_prefix(name) || btf_var_is_piece(btf, vsi))
 				continue;
 
 			if (!printed_header) {