diff --git a/kernel/multikernel/instance_dt.c b/kernel/multikernel/instance_dt.c
index 8503733372da18..4607edc44a453d 100644
--- a/kernel/multikernel/instance_dt.c
+++ b/kernel/multikernel/instance_dt.c
@@ -319,14 +319,14 @@ static int __init mk_restore_host_instance(void)
 	phys_addr_t host_ipi_phys;
 	u32 host_ipi_pages;
 	size_t host_ipi_size;
-	u64 host_ipi_cpu;
+	u64 host_ipi_cpu = 0;
 
-	if (!mk_chosen_ring("host-ipi", &host_ipi_phys, &host_ipi_pages) ||
-	    of_property_read_u64(of_chosen, "multikernel,host-ipi-cpu",
-				 &host_ipi_cpu)) {
+	if (!mk_chosen_ring("host-ipi", &host_ipi_phys, &host_ipi_pages)) {
 		pr_warn("No host IPI buffer in the boot tree (spawn won't be able to send to host)\n");
 		return -ENOENT;
 	}
+	/* Older hosts ring physical CPU 0 and do not describe a target. */
+	of_property_read_u64(of_chosen, "multikernel,host-ipi-cpu", &host_ipi_cpu);
 	host_ipi_size = (size_t)host_ipi_pages << PAGE_SHIFT;
 
 	hi = mk_instance_alloc(0, "host");
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..7e0f047b1c3246
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.c
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+/* Actual host restore; OF, allocation and mapping boundaries controlled. */
+#include <assert.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+typedef uint64_t u64;
+typedef uint32_t u32;
+typedef u64 phys_addr_t;
+#define __init
+#define PAGE_SHIFT 12
+#define MEMREMAP_WB 1
+#define MK_STATE_ACTIVE 3
+#define pr_warn(...) do { } while (0)
+#define pr_err(...) do { } while (0)
+#define pr_info(...) do { } while (0)
+struct mk_instance {
+	u64 ipi_target, ipi_phys, pool_slot_phys;
+	u32 ipi_pages;
+	void *ipi_data;
+	int state;
+};
+static struct mk_instance record, *host_instance;
+static void *of_chosen = &record;
+static bool has_ring = true, has_cpu = true, fail_alloc, fail_map, fail_publish;
+static u64 target = UINT64_C(0x100000001);
+static unsigned int checks, failures, frees, unmaps;
+
+static bool mk_chosen_ring(const char *name, phys_addr_t *phys, u32 *pages)
+{
+	assert(!strcmp(name, "host-ipi"));
+	*phys = 0x90000000;
+	*pages = 2;
+	return has_ring;
+}
+static int of_property_read_u64(void *node, const char *name, u64 *value)
+{
+	assert(node == of_chosen);
+	if (strcmp(name, "multikernel,host-ipi-cpu") || !has_cpu)
+		return -EINVAL;
+	*value = target;
+	return 0;
+}
+static struct mk_instance *mk_instance_alloc(int id, const char *name)
+{
+	assert(id == 0 && !strcmp(name, "host"));
+	memset(&record, 0, sizeof(record));
+	return fail_alloc ? NULL : &record;
+}
+static void *memremap(phys_addr_t phys, size_t size, int mode)
+{
+	assert(phys == 0x90000000 && size == 8192 && mode == MEMREMAP_WB);
+	return fail_map ? NULL : &record;
+}
+static void memunmap(void *addr) { assert(addr == &record); unmaps++; }
+static int mk_instance_publish(struct mk_instance *p)
+{
+	assert(p == &record);
+	return fail_publish ? -ENOMEM : 0;
+}
+static void mk_instance_set_state(struct mk_instance *p, int state) { p->state = state; }
+static void mk_instance_free(struct mk_instance *p) { assert(p == &record); frees++; }
+#include "host-production.h"
+
+static void expect(const char *name, int got, int want)
+{
+	checks++;
+	if (got != want) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "FAIL %s: %d != %d\n", name, got, want);
+		failures++;
+	}
+}
+
+int main(void)
+{
+	expect("explicit sparse physical target restores", mk_restore_host_instance(), 0);
+	expect("64-bit physical target preserved", record.ipi_target == target, true);
+	has_cpu = false;
+	host_instance = NULL;
+	expect("old host ring without CPU property restores", mk_restore_host_instance(), 0);
+	expect("old host uses physical CPU zero", host_instance && !host_instance->ipi_target, true);
+	has_ring = false;
+	expect("missing ring still refuses restore", mk_restore_host_instance(), -ENOENT);
+	has_ring = true;
+	has_cpu = true;
+	fail_alloc = true;
+	expect("allocation failure", mk_restore_host_instance(), -ENOMEM);
+	fail_alloc = false;
+	fail_map = true;
+	expect("mapping failure", mk_restore_host_instance(), -ENOMEM);
+	expect("mapping failure drops allocation", frees, 1);
+	fail_map = false;
+	fail_publish = true;
+	expect("publication failure", mk_restore_host_instance(), -ENOMEM);
+	expect("publication failure unmaps", unmaps, 1);
+	expect("publication failure drops allocation", frees, 2);
+	printf("Host target: %u checks, %u failures\n", checks, failures);
+	return failures ? 1 : 0;
+}
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..102cc8f7c634be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/multikernel/host_target_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+set -eu
+test_dir=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")" && pwd)
+src=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$test_dir/../../../.." && pwd)
+build=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/mk-host-target.XXXXXX")
+trap 'rm -rf -- "$build"' EXIT HUP INT TERM
+awk '/^static int __init mk_restore_host_instance\(/ { copy = 1 }
+     copy { print }
+     copy && /^}/ { copy = 0 }' "$src/kernel/multikernel/instance_dt.c" > "$build/host-production.h"
+${CC:-cc} ${CFLAGS:-} -std=gnu11 -Wall -Wextra -Werror -I"$build" \
+    "$test_dir/host_target_test.c" -o "$build/host_target_test"
+"$build/host_target_test"