diff --git a/arch/arm/Kconfig b/arch/arm/Kconfig
index 24626b0419ee..30e7840498ce 100644
--- a/arch/arm/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/arm/Kconfig
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ config ARM
 	select HAVE_HW_BREAKPOINT if (PERF_EVENTS && (CPU_V6 || CPU_V6K || CPU_V7))
 	select HAVE_C_RECORDMCOUNT
 	select HAVE_GENERIC_HARDIRQS
-	select HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
 	select GENERIC_IRQ_SHOW
 	select CPU_PM if (SUSPEND || CPU_IDLE)
 	select GENERIC_PCI_IOMAP
diff --git a/arch/c6x/Kconfig b/arch/c6x/Kconfig
index 26e67f0f0051..2f58c61e2812 100644
--- a/arch/c6x/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/c6x/Kconfig
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ config TMS320C6X
 	select HAVE_DMA_API_DEBUG
 	select HAVE_GENERIC_HARDIRQS
 	select HAVE_MEMBLOCK
-	select HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
+	select SPARSE_IRQ
 	select OF
 	select OF_EARLY_FLATTREE
 
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/Kconfig b/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
index 1919634a9b32..06c1cf0f24a6 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/powerpc/Kconfig
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ config PPC
 	select HAVE_REGS_AND_STACK_ACCESS_API
 	select HAVE_HW_BREAKPOINT if PERF_EVENTS && PPC_BOOK3S_64
 	select HAVE_GENERIC_HARDIRQS
-	select HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
+	select MAY_HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
 	select IRQ_PER_CPU
 	select GENERIC_IRQ_SHOW
 	select GENERIC_IRQ_SHOW_LEVEL
diff --git a/arch/sh/Kconfig b/arch/sh/Kconfig
index 3c8db65c89e5..21b82a8cca21 100644
--- a/arch/sh/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/sh/Kconfig
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ config SUPERH
 	select HAVE_SYSCALL_TRACEPOINTS
 	select HAVE_REGS_AND_STACK_ACCESS_API
 	select HAVE_GENERIC_HARDIRQS
-	select HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
+	select MAY_HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
 	select IRQ_FORCED_THREADING
 	select RTC_LIB
 	select GENERIC_ATOMIC64
diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index 864cc6e6ac8e..fb2da445945f 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ config X86
 	select HAVE_ARCH_JUMP_LABEL
 	select HAVE_TEXT_POKE_SMP
 	select HAVE_GENERIC_HARDIRQS
-	select HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
 	select SPARSE_IRQ
 	select GENERIC_FIND_FIRST_BIT
 	select GENERIC_IRQ_PROBE
diff --git a/kernel/irq/Kconfig b/kernel/irq/Kconfig
index 5a38bf4de641..1f2dece9ad4c 100644
--- a/kernel/irq/Kconfig
+++ b/kernel/irq/Kconfig
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ config GENERIC_HARDIRQS
 # Options selectable by the architecture code
 
 # Make sparse irq Kconfig switch below available
-config HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
+config MAY_HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
        bool
 
 # Enable the generic irq autoprobe mechanism
@@ -61,8 +61,7 @@ config IRQ_FORCED_THREADING
        bool
 
 config SPARSE_IRQ
-	bool "Support sparse irq numbering"
-	depends on HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
+	bool "Support sparse irq numbering" if MAY_HAVE_SPARSE_IRQ
 	---help---
 
 	  Sparse irq numbering is useful for distro kernels that want