diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
index 894f9c12a7..22df5c86fd 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-internal.h
@@ -188,12 +188,10 @@ int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_rule(sd_netlink *nfnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
 int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_set(sd_netlink *nfnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
                                 int nfproto, const char *table, const char *set_name,
                                 uint32_t setid, uint32_t klen);
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(sd_netlink *nfnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
-                                           int nfproto, const char *table, const char *set_name);
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_del_setelems_begin(sd_netlink *nfnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
-                                           int nfproto, const char *table, const char *set_name);
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(sd_netlink_message *m,
-                                    uint32_t index,
-                                    const void *key, size_t key_len,
-                                    const void *data, size_t data_len);
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(sd_netlink_message *m);
+int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems(sd_netlink *nfnl, sd_netlink_message **ret,
+                                     int add, int nfproto, const char *table, const char *set_name);
+int sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(sd_netlink_message *m,
+                                       uint32_t index,
+                                       const void *key, size_t key_len,
+                                       const void *data, size_t data_len,
+                                       uint32_t flags);
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message-nfnl.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message-nfnl.c
index 0b370b30f4..28f6c7e330 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message-nfnl.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-message-nfnl.c
@@ -209,9 +209,10 @@ int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_set(
         return r;
 }
 
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(
+int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems(
                 sd_netlink *nfnl,
                 sd_netlink_message **ret,
+                int add, /* boolean */
                 int nfproto,
                 const char *table,
                 const char *set_name) {
@@ -219,7 +220,10 @@ int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(
         _cleanup_(sd_netlink_message_unrefp) sd_netlink_message *m = NULL;
         int r;
 
-        r = nft_message_new(nfnl, &m, nfproto, NFT_MSG_NEWSETELEM, NLM_F_CREATE);
+        if (add)
+                r = nft_message_new(nfnl, &m, nfproto, NFT_MSG_NEWSETELEM, NLM_F_CREATE);
+        else
+                r = nft_message_new(nfnl, &m, nfproto, NFT_MSG_DELSETELEM, 0);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -231,51 +235,18 @@ int sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
         *ret = TAKE_PTR(m);
         return r;
 }
 
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_del_setelems_begin(
-                sd_netlink *nfnl,
-                sd_netlink_message **ret,
-                int nfproto,
-                const char *table,
-                const char *set_name) {
-
-        _cleanup_(sd_netlink_message_unrefp) sd_netlink_message *m = NULL;
-        int r;
-
-        r = nft_message_new(nfnl, &m, nfproto, NFT_MSG_DELSETELEM, 0);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        r = sd_netlink_message_append_string(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_TABLE, table);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        r = sd_netlink_message_append_string(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_SET, set_name);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        *ret = TAKE_PTR(m);
-        return r;
-}
-
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(
+int sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(
                 sd_netlink_message *m,
                 uint32_t index,
                 const void *key,
                 size_t key_len,
                 const void *data,
-                size_t data_len) {
+                size_t data_len,
+                uint32_t flags) {
 
         int r;
 
@@ -293,17 +264,19 @@ int sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(
                         goto cancel;
         }
 
-        return 0;
+        if (flags != 0) {
+                r = sd_netlink_message_append_u32(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_FLAGS, htobe32(flags));
+                if (r < 0)
+                        goto cancel;
+        }
+
+        return sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* array */
 
 cancel:
-        sd_netlink_message_cancel_array(m);
+        (void) sd_netlink_message_cancel_array(m);
         return r;
 }
 
-int sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(sd_netlink_message *m) {
-        return sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS */
-}
-
 int sd_nfnl_socket_open(sd_netlink **ret) {
         return netlink_open_family(ret, NETLINK_NETFILTER);
 }
diff --git a/src/shared/firewall-util-nft.c b/src/shared/firewall-util-nft.c
index 66ea8ee0bd..f0cf50a2ae 100644
--- a/src/shared/firewall-util-nft.c
+++ b/src/shared/firewall-util-nft.c
@@ -705,16 +705,21 @@ static int nft_add_element(
          * This replicated here and each element gets added to the set
          * one-by-one.
          */
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(nfnl, &m, family, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, set_name);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems(nfnl, &m, /* add = */ true, family, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, set_name);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 0, key, klen, data, dlen);
+        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 0, key, klen, data, dlen, 0);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
         /* could theoretically append more set elements to add here */
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+
+        r = sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS */
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -742,15 +747,19 @@ static int nft_del_element(
         assert(key);
         assert(data);
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_del_setelems_begin(nfnl, &m, family, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, set_name);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems(nfnl, &m, /* add = */ false, family, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, set_name);
         if (r < 0)
                return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 0, key, klen, data, dlen);
+        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
+
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 0, key, klen, data, dlen, 0);
         if (r < 0)
                return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+        r = sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS */
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -898,7 +907,7 @@ void fw_nftables_exit(FirewallContext *ctx) {
         ctx->nfnl = sd_netlink_unref(ctx->nfnl);
 }
 
-static int nft_message_add_setelem_iprange(
+static int nft_message_append_setelem_iprange(
                 sd_netlink_message *m,
                 const union in_addr_union *source,
                 unsigned int prefixlen) {
@@ -917,11 +926,11 @@ static int nft_message_add_setelem_iprange(
         mask = htobe32(~mask);
         start = source->in.s_addr & mask;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 0, &start, sizeof(start), NULL, 0);
+        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 0, &start, sizeof(start), NULL, 0, 0);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
@@ -930,18 +939,14 @@ static int nft_message_add_setelem_iprange(
                 end = 0U;
         end = htobe32(end);
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 1, &end, sizeof(end), NULL, 0);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 1, &end, sizeof(end), NULL, 0, NFT_SET_ELEM_INTERVAL_END);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_netlink_message_append_u32(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_FLAGS, htobe32(NFT_SET_ELEM_INTERVAL_END));
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        return sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+        return sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS */
 }
 
-static int nft_message_add_setelem_ip6range(
+static int nft_message_append_setelem_ip6range(
                 sd_netlink_message *m,
                 const union in_addr_union *source,
                 unsigned int prefixlen) {
@@ -956,23 +961,19 @@ static int nft_message_add_setelem_ip6range(
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 0, &start.in6, sizeof(start.in6), NULL, 0);
+        r = sd_netlink_message_open_container(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 0, &start.in6, sizeof(start.in6), NULL, 0, 0);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem(m, 1, &end.in6, sizeof(end.in6), NULL, 0);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_append_setelem(m, 1, &end.in6, sizeof(end.in6), NULL, 0, NFT_SET_ELEM_INTERVAL_END);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        r = sd_netlink_message_append_u32(m, NFTA_SET_ELEM_FLAGS, htobe32(NFT_SET_ELEM_INTERVAL_END));
-        if (r < 0)
-                return r;
-
-        return sd_nfnl_nft_message_add_setelem_end(m);
+        return sd_netlink_message_close_container(m); /* NFTA_SET_ELEM_LIST_ELEMENTS */
 }
 
 static int fw_nftables_add_masquerade_internal(
@@ -1000,17 +1001,14 @@ static int fw_nftables_add_masquerade_internal(
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
-        if (add)
-                r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems_begin(nfnl, &messages[msgcnt++], af, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, NFT_SYSTEMD_MASQ_SET_NAME);
-        else
-                r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_del_setelems_begin(nfnl, &messages[msgcnt++], af, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, NFT_SYSTEMD_MASQ_SET_NAME);
+        r = sd_nfnl_nft_message_new_setelems(nfnl, &messages[msgcnt++], add, af, NFT_SYSTEMD_TABLE_NAME, NFT_SYSTEMD_MASQ_SET_NAME);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;
 
         if (af == AF_INET)
-                 r = nft_message_add_setelem_iprange(messages[msgcnt-1], source, source_prefixlen);
+                 r = nft_message_append_setelem_iprange(messages[msgcnt-1], source, source_prefixlen);
         else
-                 r = nft_message_add_setelem_ip6range(messages[msgcnt-1], source, source_prefixlen);
+                 r = nft_message_append_setelem_ip6range(messages[msgcnt-1], source, source_prefixlen);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;