diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile.skel b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile.skel
index 3d92cdca62ed..2e22bb901bf3 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile.skel
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/Makefile.skel
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ BPF_OBJS := $(patsubst %.c,$(RDIR)/%.bpf.o,$(BPF_SRCS))
 SKEL_BLACKLIST := btf__% test_pinning_invalid.c test_sk_assign.c
 
 LINKED_SKELS := test_static_linked.skel.h linked_funcs.skel.h		\
-		linked_vars.skel.h linked_maps.skel.h 			\
+		linked_vars.skel.h linked_maps.skel.h linked_arena.skel.h \
 		test_subskeleton.skel.h test_subskeleton_lib.skel.h	\
 		test_usdt.skel.h tracing_multi.skel.h			\
 		tracing_multi_module.skel.h				\
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ test_static_linked.skel.h-deps := test_static_linked1.bpf.o test_static_linked2.
 linked_funcs.skel.h-deps := linked_funcs1.bpf.o linked_funcs2.bpf.o
 linked_vars.skel.h-deps := linked_vars1.bpf.o linked_vars2.bpf.o
 linked_maps.skel.h-deps := linked_maps1.bpf.o linked_maps2.bpf.o
+linked_arena.skel.h-deps := linked_arena1.bpf.o linked_arena2.bpf.o
 # In the subskeleton case, we want the test_subskeleton_lib.subskel.h file
 # but that's created as a side-effect of the skel.h generation.
 test_subskeleton.skel.h-deps := test_subskeleton_lib2.bpf.o test_subskeleton_lib.bpf.o test_subskeleton.bpf.o
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/linked_externs.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/linked_externs.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..29358c82dc35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/linked_externs.c
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/* Copyright (c) 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates. */
+#include <test_progs.h>
+#include <bpf/btf.h>
+#include "linked_arena.skel.h"
+
+static void test_skel(void)
+{
+	LIBBPF_OPTS(bpf_test_run_opts, opts);
+	struct linked_arena *skel;
+	int err;
+
+	skel = linked_arena__open_and_load();
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(skel, "skel_open_and_load"))
+		return;
+
+	ASSERT_EQ(skel->arena->a_val, 1, "a_val_init");
+	ASSERT_EQ(skel->arena->b_val, 2, "b_val_init");
+
+	err = bpf_prog_test_run_opts(bpf_program__fd(skel->progs.sum1), &opts);
+	ASSERT_OK(err, "sum1_run");
+	ASSERT_EQ(opts.retval, 1 + 2, "sum1_retval");
+
+	err = bpf_prog_test_run_opts(bpf_program__fd(skel->progs.bump2), &opts);
+	ASSERT_OK(err, "bump2_run");
+	ASSERT_EQ(opts.retval, 11 + 22, "bump2_retval");
+
+	ASSERT_EQ(skel->arena->a_val, 11, "a_val");
+	ASSERT_EQ(skel->arena->b_val, 22, "b_val");
+
+	linked_arena__destroy(skel);
+}
+
+static int link_objs(const char *out, const char *in1, const char *in2)
+{
+	struct bpf_linker *linker;
+	int err;
+
+	linker = bpf_linker__new(out, NULL);
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(linker, "linker_new"))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	err = bpf_linker__add_file(linker, in1, NULL);
+	if (!ASSERT_OK(err, in1))
+		goto cleanup;
+	if (in2) {
+		err = bpf_linker__add_file(linker, in2, NULL);
+		if (!ASSERT_OK(err, in2))
+			goto cleanup;
+	}
+	err = bpf_linker__finalize(linker);
+	ASSERT_OK(err, "finalize");
+
+cleanup:
+	bpf_linker__free(linker);
+	return err;
+}
+
+/* link in1 on its own first, then link the result with in2 */
+static void test_relink(const char *in1, const char *in2, const char *sec_name)
+{
+	char out1[] = "/tmp/linked_externs.XXXXXX", out2[] = "/tmp/linked_externs.XXXXXX";
+	const struct btf_var_secinfo *vi;
+	struct bpf_object *obj = NULL;
+	const struct btf_type *t;
+	struct btf *btf;
+	int i, id, n;
+
+	close(mkstemp(out1));
+	close(mkstemp(out2));
+
+	if (!ASSERT_OK(link_objs(out1, in1, NULL), "link_stage1") ||
+	    !ASSERT_OK(link_objs(out2, out1, in2), "link_stage2"))
+		goto cleanup;
+
+	obj = bpf_object__open_file(out2, NULL);
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(obj, "obj_open"))
+		goto cleanup;
+
+	btf = bpf_object__btf(obj);
+	id = btf__find_by_name_kind(btf, sec_name, BTF_KIND_DATASEC);
+	if (!ASSERT_GT(id, 0, "find_datasec"))
+		goto cleanup;
+
+	t = btf__type_by_id(btf, id);
+	vi = btf_var_secinfos(t);
+	n = btf_vlen(t);
+	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+		t = btf__type_by_id(btf, vi[i].type);
+		ASSERT_NEQ(btf_var(t)->linkage, BTF_VAR_GLOBAL_EXTERN, "var_resolved");
+	}
+
+	ASSERT_OK(bpf_object__load(obj), "obj_load");
+
+cleanup:
+	bpf_object__close(obj);
+	unlink(out1);
+	unlink(out2);
+}
+
+void test_linked_externs(void)
+{
+	if (test__start_subtest("skel_arena"))
+		test_skel();
+	if (test__start_subtest("relink_arena"))
+		test_relink("linked_arena1.bpf.o", "linked_arena2.bpf.o", ".addr_space.1");
+	if (test__start_subtest("relink_maps"))
+		test_relink("linked_maps1.bpf.o", "linked_maps2.bpf.o", ".maps");
+}
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena1.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena1.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3e8788dec1d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena1.c
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/* Copyright (c) 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates. */
+#include <vmlinux.h>
+#include <bpf/bpf_helpers.h>
+#include "bpf_arena_common.h"
+
+struct {
+	__uint(type, BPF_MAP_TYPE_ARENA);
+	__uint(map_flags, BPF_F_MMAPABLE);
+	__uint(max_entries, 1); /* number of pages */
+} arena SEC(".maps");
+
+long __arena a_val = 1;
+extern long __arena b_val; /* defined in linked_arena2.c */
+
+SEC("syscall")
+int sum1(void *ctx)
+{
+	return a_val + b_val;
+}
+
+char _license[] SEC("license") = "GPL";
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena2.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena2.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d0bcdf18a4b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/progs/linked_arena2.c
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/* Copyright (c) 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc. and affiliates. */
+#include <vmlinux.h>
+#include <bpf/bpf_helpers.h>
+#include "bpf_arena_common.h"
+
+long __arena b_val = 2;
+extern long __arena a_val; /* defined in linked_arena1.c */
+
+SEC("syscall")
+int bump2(void *ctx)
+{
+	a_val += 10;
+	b_val += 20;
+	return a_val + b_val;
+}
+
+char _license[] SEC("license") = "GPL";