diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-device/device-private.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-device/device-private.c
index 1ad7713ec7..aa1ac3905a 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-device/device-private.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-device/device-private.c
@@ -316,34 +316,33 @@ static int device_amend(sd_device *device, const char *key, const char *value) {
                 if (r < 0)
                         return log_device_debug_errno(device, r, "sd-device: Failed to set SEQNUM to '%s': %m", value);
         } else if (streq(key, "DEVLINKS")) {
-                const char *word, *state;
-                size_t l;
+                for (const char *p = value;;) {
+                        _cleanup_free_ char *word = NULL;
 
-                FOREACH_WORD(word, l, value, state) {
-                        char devlink[l + 1];
-
-                        strncpy(devlink, word, l);
-                        devlink[l] = '\0';
-
-                        r = device_add_devlink(device, devlink);
+                        r = extract_first_word(&p, &word, NULL, 0);
                         if (r < 0)
-                                return log_device_debug_errno(device, r, "sd-device: Failed to add devlink '%s': %m", devlink);
+                                return r;
+                        if (r == 0)
+                                break;
+
+                        r = device_add_devlink(device, word);
+                        if (r < 0)
+                                return log_device_debug_errno(device, r, "sd-device: Failed to add devlink '%s': %m", word);
                 }
         } else if (STR_IN_SET(key, "TAGS", "CURRENT_TAGS")) {
-                const char *word, *state;
-                size_t l;
+                for (const char *p = value;;) {
+                        _cleanup_free_ char *word = NULL;
 
-                FOREACH_WORD_SEPARATOR(word, l, value, ":", state) {
-                        char tag[l + 1];
-
-                        (void) strncpy(tag, word, l);
-                        tag[l] = '\0';
-
-                        r = device_add_tag(device, tag, streq(key, "CURRENT_TAGS"));
+                        r = extract_first_word(&p, &word, ":", EXTRACT_DONT_COALESCE_SEPARATORS);
                         if (r < 0)
-                                return log_device_debug_errno(device, r, "sd-device: Failed to add tag '%s': %m", tag);
-                }
+                                return r;
+                        if (r == 0)
+                                break;
 
+                        r = device_add_tag(device, word, streq(key, "CURRENT_TAGS"));
+                        if (r < 0)
+                                return log_device_debug_errno(device, r, "sd-device: Failed to add tag '%s': %m", word);
+                }
         } else {
                 r = device_add_property_internal(device, key, value);
                 if (r < 0)