diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst
index a3dfc2c66e019..1609e7479249f 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/serial-console.rst
@@ -78,7 +78,9 @@ If no console device is specified, the first device found capable of
 acting as a system console will be used. At this time, the system
 first looks for a VGA card and then for a serial port. So if you don't
 have a VGA card in your system the first serial port will automatically
-become the console.
+become the console, unless the kernel is configured with the
+CONFIG_NULL_TTY_DEFAULT_CONSOLE option, then it will default to using the
+ttynull device.
 
 You will need to create a new device to use ``/dev/console``. The official
 ``/dev/console`` is now character device 5,1.
diff --git a/drivers/tty/Kconfig b/drivers/tty/Kconfig
index 63a494d36a1fd..7fb81bbaee60b 100644
--- a/drivers/tty/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/tty/Kconfig
@@ -383,7 +383,24 @@ config NULL_TTY
 	  available or desired.
 
 	  In order to use this driver, you should redirect the console to this
-	  TTY, or boot the kernel with console=ttynull.
+	  TTY, boot the kernel with console=ttynull, or enable
+	  NULL_TTY_DEFAULT_CONSOLE.
+
+	  If unsure, say N.
+
+config NULL_TTY_DEFAULT_CONSOLE
+	bool "Support for console on ttynull"
+	depends on NULL_TTY=y && !VT_CONSOLE
+	help
+	  Say Y here if you want the NULL TTY to be used as a /dev/console
+	  device by default.
+
+	  For example, it might be useful to prevent a VT-less kernel from
+	  writing the system log to a random device connected to the serial
+	  port.
+
+	  Another console driver still might get preferred via the command
+	  line, SPCR, or the device tree.
 
 	  If unsure, say N.
 
diff --git a/kernel/printk/printk.c b/kernel/printk/printk.c
index 07668433644b8..2590498d8353a 100644
--- a/kernel/printk/printk.c
+++ b/kernel/printk/printk.c
@@ -4277,6 +4277,11 @@ void __init console_init(void)
 	initcall_t call;
 	initcall_entry_t *ce;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_NULL_TTY_DEFAULT_CONSOLE
+	if (!console_set_on_cmdline)
+		add_preferred_console("ttynull", 0, NULL);
+#endif
+
 	/* Setup the default TTY line discipline. */
 	n_tty_init();