diff --git a/src/core/emergency-action.c b/src/core/emergency-action.c
index 9731aef5c4..09f8d74092 100644
--- a/src/core/emergency-action.c
+++ b/src/core/emergency-action.c
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ void emergency_action(
         case EMERGENCY_ACTION_REBOOT:
                 log_and_status(m, warn, "Rebooting", reason);
 
-                (void) update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(reboot_arg);
+                (void) update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(reboot_arg, true);
                 (void) manager_add_job_by_name_and_warn(m, JOB_START, SPECIAL_REBOOT_TARGET, JOB_REPLACE_IRREVERSIBLY, NULL);
 
                 break;
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ void emergency_action(
         case EMERGENCY_ACTION_REBOOT_FORCE:
                 log_and_status(m, warn, "Forcibly rebooting", reason);
 
-                (void) update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(reboot_arg);
+                (void) update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(reboot_arg, true);
                 m->objective = MANAGER_REBOOT;
 
                 break;
diff --git a/src/shared/reboot-util.c b/src/shared/reboot-util.c
index ca40159b96..6d5eee0317 100644
--- a/src/shared/reboot-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/reboot-util.c
@@ -12,10 +12,13 @@
 #include "umask-util.h"
 #include "virt.h"
 
-int update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(const char *parameter) {
+int update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(const char *parameter, bool keep) {
         int r;
 
         if (isempty(parameter)) {
+                if (keep)
+                        return 0;
+
                 if (unlink("/run/systemd/reboot-param") < 0) {
                         if (errno == ENOENT)
                                 return 0;
diff --git a/src/shared/reboot-util.h b/src/shared/reboot-util.h
index d459333efc..ac59b7d79c 100644
--- a/src/shared/reboot-util.h
+++ b/src/shared/reboot-util.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1+ */
 #pragma once
 
-int update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(const char *parameter);
+int update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(const char *parameter, bool keep);
 
 typedef enum RebootFlags {
         REBOOT_LOG      = 1 << 0, /* log about what we are going to do and all errors */
diff --git a/src/systemctl/systemctl.c b/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
index afe6f84f77..d49d3878a9 100644
--- a/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
+++ b/src/systemctl/systemctl.c
@@ -3735,7 +3735,7 @@ static int start_special(int argc, char *argv[], void *userdata) {
                 return r;
 
         if (a == ACTION_REBOOT && argc > 1) {
-                r = update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(argv[1]);
+                r = update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(argv[1], false);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return r;
 
@@ -8444,7 +8444,7 @@ static int halt_parse_argv(int argc, char *argv[]) {
                 }
 
         if (arg_action == ACTION_REBOOT && (argc == optind || argc == optind + 1)) {
-                r = update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(argc == optind + 1 ? argv[optind] : NULL);
+                r = update_reboot_parameter_and_warn(argc == optind + 1 ? argv[optind] : NULL, false);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return r;
         } else if (optind < argc)