diff --git a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting-ip-config.c b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting-ip-config.c
index 567cb73e52..83ef72a6de 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting-ip-config.c
+++ b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting-ip-config.c
@@ -5788,7 +5788,8 @@ _nm_sett_info_property_override_create_array_ip_config(int addr_family)
             .to_dbus_fcn   = _nm_setting_property_to_dbus_fcn_direct,
             .from_dbus_fcn = _nm_setting_property_from_dbus_fcn_direct_ip_config_gateway),
         .direct_offset = NM_STRUCT_OFFSET_ENSURE_TYPE(char *, NMSettingIPConfigPrivate, gateway),
-        .direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family = addr_family + 1);
+        .direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family                  = addr_family + 1,
+        .direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family_map_zero_to_null = TRUE);
 
     _nm_properties_override_gobj(
         properties_override,
@@ -5996,7 +5997,8 @@ set_property(GObject *object, guint prop_id, const GValue *value, GParamSpec *ps
         g_free(priv->gateway);
         priv->gateway =
             _nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(NM_SETTING_IP_CONFIG_GET_FAMILY(setting),
-                                                  g_value_get_string(value));
+                                                  g_value_get_string(value),
+                                                  TRUE);
         break;
     case PROP_ROUTES:
         g_ptr_array_unref(priv->routes);
diff --git a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting.c b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting.c
index 2ae854c9df..db12ac0fb8 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting.c
+++ b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-setting.c
@@ -669,9 +669,11 @@ _property_direct_set_string(const NMSettInfoProperty *property_info, char **dst,
     if (property_info->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family != 0) {
         s = _nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(
             property_info->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family - 1,
-            src);
+            src,
+            property_info->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family_map_zero_to_null);
         goto out_take;
-    }
+    } else
+        nm_assert(!property_info->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family_map_zero_to_null);
 
     if (NM_FLAGS_HAS(property_info->param_spec->flags, NM_SETTING_PARAM_SECRET))
         return nm_strdup_reset_secret(dst, src);
diff --git a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils-private.h b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils-private.h
index e0107cfa68..1a6f29ef9b 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils-private.h
+++ b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils-private.h
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ void _nm_utils_bytes_from_dbus(GVariant *dbus_value, GValue *prop_value);
 
 char *_nm_utils_hwaddr_canonical_or_invalid(const char *mac, gssize length);
 
-char *_nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(int addr_family, const char *ip);
+char *
+_nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(int addr_family, const char *ip, gboolean map_zero_to_null);
 
 gboolean _nm_utils_hwaddr_link_local_valid(const char *mac);
 
diff --git a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils.c b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils.c
index 451a8603c6..55b01c159b 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils.c
+++ b/src/libnm-core-impl/nm-utils.c
@@ -3911,7 +3911,7 @@ _nm_utils_hwaddr_canonical_or_invalid(const char *mac, gssize length)
 }
 
 char *
-_nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(int addr_family, const char *ip)
+_nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(int addr_family, const char *ip, gboolean map_zero_to_null)
 {
     NMIPAddr addr_bin;
 
@@ -3923,7 +3923,7 @@ _nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(int addr_family, const char *ip)
     if (!nm_utils_parse_inaddr_bin(addr_family, ip, &addr_family, &addr_bin))
         return g_strdup(ip);
 
-    if (nm_ip_addr_is_null(addr_family, &addr_bin))
+    if (map_zero_to_null && nm_ip_addr_is_null(addr_family, &addr_bin))
         return NULL;
 
     return nm_utils_inet_ntop_dup(addr_family, &addr_bin);
diff --git a/src/libnm-core-impl/tests/test-setting.c b/src/libnm-core-impl/tests/test-setting.c
index 8e804dadfa..8b3d7bd72a 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-impl/tests/test-setting.c
+++ b/src/libnm-core-impl/tests/test-setting.c
@@ -4592,6 +4592,9 @@ test_setting_metadata(void)
                                AF_INET + 1,
                                AF_INET6 + 1));
 
+            if (sip->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family == 0)
+                g_assert(!sip->direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family_map_zero_to_null);
+
             /* currently, we have no cases where special options are mixed. There is no problem to support
              * that, but as it's not needed, don't do it for now. */
             g_assert_cmpint(n_special_options, <=, 1);
diff --git a/src/libnm-core-intern/nm-core-internal.h b/src/libnm-core-intern/nm-core-internal.h
index 429dc2b84f..50590f12a3 100644
--- a/src/libnm-core-intern/nm-core-internal.h
+++ b/src/libnm-core-intern/nm-core-internal.h
@@ -768,11 +768,16 @@ struct _NMSettInfoProperty {
     guint8 direct_set_string_mac_address_len : 5;
 
     /* If non-zero, this is the addr-family (AF_UNSPEC/AF_INET/AF_INET6) for normalizing an IP
-     * address. Note that AF_UNSPEC is zero, so to differentiate between zero and AF_UNSPEC
+     * address with _nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid().
+     * Note that AF_UNSPEC is zero, so to differentiate between zero and AF_UNSPEC
      * this value is actually the address family + 1. So either zero or AF_UNSPEC+1, AF_INET+1,
      * or AF_INET6+1. */
     guint8 direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family : 5;
 
+    /* Only makes sense together with direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family. This flag
+     * is passed to _nm_utils_ipaddr_canonical_or_invalid(). */
+    bool direct_set_string_ip_address_addr_family_map_zero_to_null : 1;
+
     /* Usually, properties that are set to the default value for the GParamSpec
      * are not serialized to GVariant (and NULL is returned by to_dbus_data().
      * Set this flag to force always converting the property even if the value