diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
index 4ee0e6148e..c4573b6090 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.c
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ struct NLTypeSystem {
 
 static const NLTypeSystem rtnl_link_type_system;
 
+static const NLType empty_types[1] = {
+        /* fake array to avoid .types==NULL, which denotes invalid type-systems */
+};
+
+static const NLTypeSystem empty_type_system = {
+        .count = 0,
+        .types = empty_types,
+};
+
 static const NLType rtnl_link_info_data_veth_types[VETH_INFO_MAX + 1] = {
         [VETH_INFO_PEER]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &rtnl_link_type_system, .size = sizeof(struct ifinfomsg) },
 };
@@ -450,8 +459,8 @@ static const NLTypeSystem rtnl_neigh_type_system = {
 };
 
 static const NLType rtnl_types[RTM_MAX + 1] = {
-        [NLMSG_DONE]   = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_META, .size = 0 },
-        [NLMSG_ERROR]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_META, .size = sizeof(struct nlmsgerr) },
+        [NLMSG_DONE]   = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &empty_type_system, .size = 0 },
+        [NLMSG_ERROR]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &empty_type_system, .size = sizeof(struct nlmsgerr) },
         [RTM_NEWLINK]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &rtnl_link_type_system, .size = sizeof(struct ifinfomsg) },
         [RTM_DELLINK]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &rtnl_link_type_system, .size = sizeof(struct ifinfomsg) },
         [RTM_GETLINK]  = { .type = NETLINK_TYPE_NESTED, .type_system = &rtnl_link_type_system, .size = sizeof(struct ifinfomsg) },
diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.h b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.h
index 91f6a1d1c2..d642295464 100644
--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.h
+++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-netlink/netlink-types.h
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
 
 enum {
         NETLINK_TYPE_UNSPEC,
-        NETLINK_TYPE_META,
         NETLINK_TYPE_U8,                        /* NLA_U8 */
         NETLINK_TYPE_U16,                       /* NLA_U16 */
         NETLINK_TYPE_U32,                       /* NLA_U32 */