diff --git a/src/nm-types.h b/src/nm-types.h
index 997723e60..db0b944e0 100644
--- a/src/nm-types.h
+++ b/src/nm-types.h
@@ -56,9 +56,6 @@ typedef enum {
 	/* In priority order; higher number == higher priority */
 	NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_UNKNOWN,
 
-	/* platform internal flag used to mark routes with RTM_F_CLONED. */
-	_NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTM_F_CLONED,
-
 	/* routes from platform with protocol RTPROT_KERNEL. */
 	NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTPROT_KERNEL,
 
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c b/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
index 5d32a95be..c50518c8a 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
+++ b/src/platform/nm-linux-platform.c
@@ -1882,9 +1882,10 @@ _new_from_nl_route (struct nlmsghdr *nlh, gboolean id_only)
 		 *
 		 * This happens, because this route is not nmp_object_is_alive().
 		 * */
-		obj->ip_route.rt_source = _NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTM_F_CLONED;
-	} else
-		obj->ip_route.rt_source = nmp_utils_ip_config_source_from_rtprot (rtm->rtm_protocol);
+		obj->ip_route.rt_cloned = TRUE;
+	}
+
+	obj->ip_route.rt_source = nmp_utils_ip_config_source_from_rtprot (rtm->rtm_protocol);
 
 	obj_result = obj;
 	obj = NULL;
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
index 7b7829539..36fe69938 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
+++ b/src/platform/nm-platform-utils.c
@@ -475,7 +475,6 @@ nmp_utils_ip_config_source_from_rtprot (guint rtprot)
 NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR_DEFINE (nmp_utils_ip_config_source_to_string, NMIPConfigSource,
 	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_UNKNOWN,       "unknown"),
 	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTPROT_KERNEL, "rtprot-kernel"),
-	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (_NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTM_F_CLONED, "rtm-f-cloned"),
 	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_KERNEL,        "kernel"),
 	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_SHARED,        "shared"),
 	NM_UTILS_ENUM2STR (NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_IP4LL,         "ipv4ll"),
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-platform.c b/src/platform/nm-platform.c
index abf1125d2..b6aae3495 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-platform.c
+++ b/src/platform/nm-platform.c
@@ -3642,6 +3642,7 @@ nm_platform_ip4_route_to_string (const NMPlatformIP4Route *route, char *buf, gsi
 	            " metric %"G_GUINT32_FORMAT
 	            " mss %"G_GUINT32_FORMAT
 	            " src %s" /* source */
+	            "%s" /* cloned */
 	            "%s%s" /* scope */
 	            "%s%s" /* pref-src */
 	            "",
@@ -3652,6 +3653,7 @@ nm_platform_ip4_route_to_string (const NMPlatformIP4Route *route, char *buf, gsi
 	            route->metric,
 	            route->mss,
 	            nmp_utils_ip_config_source_to_string (route->rt_source, s_source, sizeof (s_source)),
+	            route->rt_cloned ? " cloned" : "",
 	            route->scope_inv ? " scope " : "",
 	            route->scope_inv ? (nm_platform_route_scope2str (nm_platform_route_scope_inv (route->scope_inv), str_scope, sizeof (str_scope))) : "",
 	            route->pref_src ? " pref-src " : "",
@@ -3692,6 +3694,7 @@ nm_platform_ip6_route_to_string (const NMPlatformIP6Route *route, char *buf, gsi
 	            " metric %"G_GUINT32_FORMAT
 	            " mss %"G_GUINT32_FORMAT
 	            " src %s" /* source */
+	            "%s" /* cloned */
 	            "",
 	            s_network,
 	            route->plen,
@@ -3699,7 +3702,8 @@ nm_platform_ip6_route_to_string (const NMPlatformIP6Route *route, char *buf, gsi
 	            str_dev,
 	            route->metric,
 	            route->mss,
-	            nmp_utils_ip_config_source_to_string (route->rt_source, s_source, sizeof (s_source)));
+	            nmp_utils_ip_config_source_to_string (route->rt_source, s_source, sizeof (s_source)),
+	            route->rt_cloned ? " cloned" : "");
 	return buf;
 }
 
@@ -3968,6 +3972,7 @@ nm_platform_ip4_route_cmp (const NMPlatformIP4Route *a, const NMPlatformIP4Route
 	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, mss);
 	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, scope_inv);
 	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, pref_src);
+	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, rt_cloned);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -3982,6 +3987,7 @@ nm_platform_ip6_route_cmp (const NMPlatformIP6Route *a, const NMPlatformIP6Route
 	_CMP_FIELD_MEMCMP (a, b, gateway);
 	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, metric);
 	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, mss);
+	_CMP_FIELD (a, b, rt_cloned);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/platform/nm-platform.h b/src/platform/nm-platform.h
index 385aacf46..aad20b66d 100644
--- a/src/platform/nm-platform.h
+++ b/src/platform/nm-platform.h
@@ -305,6 +305,13 @@ typedef union {
 	__NMPlatformObject_COMMON; \
 	NMIPConfigSource rt_source; \
 	guint8 plen; \
+	\
+	/* the route has rtm_flags set to RTM_F_CLONED. Such a route
+	 * is hidden by platform and does not exist from the point-of-view
+	 * of platform users. This flag is internal to track those hidden
+	 * routes. Such a route is not alive, according to nmp_object_is_alive(). */ \
+	bool rt_cloned:1; \
+	\
 	guint32 metric; \
 	guint32 mss; \
 	;
diff --git a/src/platform/nmp-object.c b/src/platform/nmp-object.c
index e37ea33ec..55ffd7cff 100644
--- a/src/platform/nmp-object.c
+++ b/src/platform/nmp-object.c
@@ -915,12 +915,12 @@ _vt_cmd_obj_is_alive_ipx_route (const NMPObject *obj)
 	 *
 	 * If nmp_object_from_nl() would just return NULL, we couldn't look
 	 * into the cache to see if it contains a route that now disappears
-	 * (because it is cloned).
+	 * (because it changed to be cloned).
 	 *
 	 * Instead we create a dead object, and nmp_cache_update_netlink()
 	 * will remove the old version of the update.
 	 **/
-	return obj->object.ifindex > 0 && (obj->ip_route.rt_source != _NM_IP_CONFIG_SOURCE_RTM_F_CLONED);
+	return obj->object.ifindex > 0 && !obj->ip_route.rt_cloned;
 }
 
 gboolean