diff --git a/net/sched/act_ife.c b/net/sched/act_ife.c
index 291e9ae40ae613..880c5ecb85a656 100644
--- a/net/sched/act_ife.c
+++ b/net/sched/act_ife.c
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <net/net_namespace.h>
 #include <net/netlink.h>
 #include <net/pkt_sched.h>
+#include <net/pkt_cls.h>
 #include <uapi/linux/tc_act/tc_ife.h>
 #include <net/tc_act/tc_ife.h>
 #include <linux/etherdevice.h>
@@ -474,6 +475,7 @@ static int tcf_ife_init(struct net *net, struct nlattr *nla,
 	struct tc_action_net *tn = net_generic(net, ife_net_id);
 	struct nlattr *tb[TCA_IFE_MAX + 1];
 	struct nlattr *tb2[IFE_META_MAX + 1];
+	struct tcf_chain *goto_ch = NULL;
 	struct tcf_ife_params *p;
 	struct tcf_ife_info *ife;
 	u16 ife_type = ETH_P_IFE;
@@ -531,6 +533,10 @@ static int tcf_ife_init(struct net *net, struct nlattr *nla,
 	}
 
 	ife = to_ife(*a);
+	err = tcf_action_check_ctrlact(parm->action, tp, &goto_ch, extack);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto release_idr;
+
 	p->flags = parm->flags;
 
 	if (parm->flags & IFE_ENCODE) {
@@ -563,13 +569,8 @@ static int tcf_ife_init(struct net *net, struct nlattr *nla,
 	if (tb[TCA_IFE_METALST]) {
 		err = nla_parse_nested(tb2, IFE_META_MAX, tb[TCA_IFE_METALST],
 				       NULL, NULL);
-		if (err) {
-metadata_parse_err:
-			tcf_idr_release(*a, bind);
-			kfree(p);
-			return err;
-		}
-
+		if (err)
+			goto metadata_parse_err;
 		err = populate_metalist(ife, tb2, exists, rtnl_held);
 		if (err)
 			goto metadata_parse_err;
@@ -581,21 +582,20 @@ static int tcf_ife_init(struct net *net, struct nlattr *nla,
 		 * going to bail out
 		 */
 		err = use_all_metadata(ife, exists);
-		if (err) {
-			tcf_idr_release(*a, bind);
-			kfree(p);
-			return err;
-		}
+		if (err)
+			goto metadata_parse_err;
 	}
 
 	if (exists)
 		spin_lock_bh(&ife->tcf_lock);
-	ife->tcf_action = parm->action;
 	/* protected by tcf_lock when modifying existing action */
+	goto_ch = tcf_action_set_ctrlact(*a, parm->action, goto_ch);
 	rcu_swap_protected(ife->params, p, 1);
 
 	if (exists)
 		spin_unlock_bh(&ife->tcf_lock);
+	if (goto_ch)
+		tcf_chain_put_by_act(goto_ch);
 	if (p)
 		kfree_rcu(p, rcu);
 
@@ -603,6 +603,13 @@ static int tcf_ife_init(struct net *net, struct nlattr *nla,
 		tcf_idr_insert(tn, *a);
 
 	return ret;
+metadata_parse_err:
+	if (goto_ch)
+		tcf_chain_put_by_act(goto_ch);
+release_idr:
+	kfree(p);
+	tcf_idr_release(*a, bind);
+	return err;
 }
 
 static int tcf_ife_dump(struct sk_buff *skb, struct tc_action *a, int bind,
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/tc-testing/tc-tests/actions/ife.json b/tools/testing/selftests/tc-testing/tc-tests/actions/ife.json
index 0da3545cabdb62..c13a68b98fc775 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/tc-testing/tc-tests/actions/ife.json
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/tc-testing/tc-tests/actions/ife.json
@@ -1060,5 +1060,30 @@
         "matchPattern": "action order [0-9]*: ife encode action pipe.*allow prio.*index 4",
         "matchCount": "0",
         "teardown": []
+    },
+    {
+        "id": "a0e2",
+        "name": "Replace ife encode action with invalid goto chain control",
+        "category": [
+            "actions",
+            "ife"
+        ],
+        "setup": [
+            [
+                "$TC actions flush action ife",
+                0,
+                1,
+                255
+            ],
+            "$TC actions add action ife encode allow mark pass index 90"
+        ],
+        "cmdUnderTest": "$TC actions replace action ife encode allow mark goto chain 42 index 90 cookie c1a0c1a0",
+        "expExitCode": "255",
+        "verifyCmd": "$TC actions get action ife index 90",
+        "matchPattern": "action order [0-9]*: ife encode action pass.*type 0[xX]ED3E .*allow mark.*index 90 ref",
+        "matchCount": "1",
+        "teardown": [
+            "$TC actions flush action ife"
+        ]
     }
 ]