diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/functions.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/functions.sh
index 12810229fddc..436b1542cf27 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/functions.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/functions.sh
@@ -215,9 +215,6 @@ identify_qemu_args () {
 		then
 			echo -device spapr-vlan,netdev=net0,mac=$TORTURE_QEMU_MAC
 			echo -netdev bridge,br=br0,id=net0
-		elif test -n "$TORTURE_QEMU_INTERACTIVE"
-		then
-			echo -net nic -net user
 		fi
 		;;
 	esac
@@ -275,3 +272,21 @@ specify_qemu_cpus () {
 		esac
 	fi
 }
+
+# specify_qemu_net qemu-args
+#
+# Appends a string containing "-net none" to qemu-args, unless the incoming
+# qemu-args already contains "-smp" or unless the TORTURE_QEMU_INTERACTIVE
+# environment variable is set, in which case the string that is be added is
+# instead "-net nic -net user".
+specify_qemu_net () {
+	if echo $1 | grep -q -e -net
+	then
+		echo $1
+	elif test -n "$TORTURE_QEMU_INTERACTIVE"
+	then
+		echo $1 -net nic -net user
+	else
+		echo $1 -net none
+	fi
+}
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/kvm-test-1-run.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/kvm-test-1-run.sh
index 6ff611c630d1..1b9aebd54cc9 100755
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/kvm-test-1-run.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/rcutorture/bin/kvm-test-1-run.sh
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ then
 	cpu_count=$TORTURE_ALLOTED_CPUS
 fi
 qemu_args="`specify_qemu_cpus "$QEMU" "$qemu_args" "$cpu_count"`"
+qemu_args="`specify_qemu_net "$qemu_args"`"
 
 # Generate architecture-specific and interaction-specific qemu arguments
 qemu_args="$qemu_args `identify_qemu_args "$QEMU" "$resdir/console.log"`"