diff --git a/src/shared/cpu-set-util.h b/src/shared/cpu-set-util.h
index a74e264e12..751e9add27 100644
--- a/src/shared/cpu-set-util.h
+++ b/src/shared/cpu-set-util.h
@@ -38,3 +38,11 @@ int cpu_set_to_dbus(const CPUSet *c, uint8_t **ret, size_t *ret_size);
 int cpu_set_from_dbus(const uint8_t *bits, size_t size, CPUSet *ret);
 
 int cpus_in_affinity_mask(void);
+
+static inline size_t cpu_set_count(const CPUSet *c) {
+        if (!c)
+                return 0;
+        if (c->allocated <= 0)
+                return 0;
+        return CPU_COUNT_S(c->allocated, c->set);
+}
diff --git a/src/shared/numa-util.c b/src/shared/numa-util.c
index c011c4381d..228ea7ad2d 100644
--- a/src/shared/numa-util.c
+++ b/src/shared/numa-util.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ bool numa_policy_is_valid(const NUMAPolicy *policy) {
 
         if (policy->nodes.set &&
             numa_policy_get_type(policy) == MPOL_PREFERRED &&
-            CPU_COUNT_S(policy->nodes.allocated, policy->nodes.set) != 1)
+            cpu_set_count(&policy->nodes) != 1)
                 return false;
 
         return true;
diff --git a/src/test/test-cpu-set-util.c b/src/test/test-cpu-set-util.c
index bd22e4ddb2..672451ff35 100644
--- a/src/test/test-cpu-set-util.c
+++ b/src/test/test-cpu-set-util.c
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@
 #define ASSERT_CPUSET_COUNT(c, n)                                       \
         ASSERT_NOT_NULL(c.set);                                         \
         ASSERT_GE(c.allocated, CPU_ALLOC_SIZE(n));                      \
-        ASSERT_EQ(CPU_COUNT_S(c.allocated, c.set), (n))
+        ASSERT_EQ(CPU_COUNT_S(c.allocated, c.set), (n));                \
+        ASSERT_EQ(cpu_set_count(&c), (size_t) (n))
 
 #define ASSERT_CPUSET_ISSET(c, i)                               \
         ASSERT_TRUE(CPU_ISSET_S(i, c.allocated, c.set));