diff --git a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/mediactl/media-types.rst b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/mediactl/media-types.rst
index 6332e8395263..200c37a1da26 100644
--- a/Documentation/userspace-api/media/mediactl/media-types.rst
+++ b/Documentation/userspace-api/media/mediactl/media-types.rst
@@ -361,6 +361,7 @@ Types and flags used to represent the media graph elements
 .. _MEDIA-PAD-FL-SINK:
 .. _MEDIA-PAD-FL-SOURCE:
 .. _MEDIA-PAD-FL-MUST-CONNECT:
+.. _MEDIA-PAD-FL-INTERNAL:
 
 .. flat-table:: Media pad flags
     :header-rows:  0
@@ -381,6 +382,14 @@ Types and flags used to represent the media graph elements
 	  enabled links even when this flag isn't set; the absence of the flag
 	  doesn't imply there is none.
 
+    *  -  ``MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL``
+       -  The internal flag indicates an internal pad that has no external
+	  connections. As they are internal to entities, internal pads shall not
+	  be connected with links.
+
+	  The internal flag may currently be present only in a sink pad where it
+	  indicates that the :ref:``stream <media-glossary-stream>`` originates
+	  from within the entity.
 
 One and only one of ``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK`` and ``MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE``
 must be set for every pad.
diff --git a/drivers/media/mc/mc-entity.c b/drivers/media/mc/mc-entity.c
index 3fa0bc687851..7938f785e2e3 100644
--- a/drivers/media/mc/mc-entity.c
+++ b/drivers/media/mc/mc-entity.c
@@ -209,11 +209,16 @@ int media_entity_pads_init(struct media_entity *entity, u16 num_pads,
 		mutex_lock(&mdev->graph_mutex);
 
 	media_entity_for_each_pad(entity, iter) {
+		const u32 pad_flags = iter->flags & (MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK |
+						     MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE |
+						     MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL);
+
 		iter->entity = entity;
 		iter->index = i++;
 
-		if (hweight32(iter->flags & (MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK |
-					     MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE)) != 1) {
+		if (pad_flags != MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK &&
+		    pad_flags != (MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK | MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL) &&
+		    pad_flags != MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE) {
 			ret = -EINVAL;
 			break;
 		}
@@ -1118,7 +1123,8 @@ int media_get_pad_index(struct media_entity *entity, u32 pad_type,
 
 	for (i = 0; i < entity->num_pads; i++) {
 		if ((entity->pads[i].flags &
-		     (MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK | MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE)) != pad_type)
+		     (MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK | MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE |
+		      MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL)) != pad_type)
 			continue;
 
 		if (entity->pads[i].sig_type == sig_type)
@@ -1148,6 +1154,9 @@ media_create_pad_link(struct media_entity *source, u16 source_pad,
 		return -EINVAL;
 	if (WARN_ON(!(sink->pads[sink_pad].flags & MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK)))
 		return -EINVAL;
+	if (WARN_ON(source->pads[source_pad].flags & MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL) ||
+	    WARN_ON(sink->pads[sink_pad].flags & MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL))
+		return -EINVAL;
 
 	link = media_add_link(&source->links);
 	if (link == NULL)
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/media.h b/include/uapi/linux/media.h
index 1c80b1d6bbaf..80cfd12a43fc 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/media.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/media.h
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ struct media_entity_desc {
 #define MEDIA_PAD_FL_SINK			(1U << 0)
 #define MEDIA_PAD_FL_SOURCE			(1U << 1)
 #define MEDIA_PAD_FL_MUST_CONNECT		(1U << 2)
+#define MEDIA_PAD_FL_INTERNAL			(1U << 3)
 
 struct media_pad_desc {
 	__u32 entity;		/* entity ID */