diff --git a/gcc/doc/invoke.texi b/gcc/doc/invoke.texi
index d8a207976035..da9ad1068fbf 100644
--- a/gcc/doc/invoke.texi
+++ b/gcc/doc/invoke.texi
@@ -13719,9 +13719,12 @@ compiled.  All public functions and variables with the exception of @code{main}
 and those merged by attribute @code{externally_visible} become static functions
 and in effect are optimized more aggressively by interprocedural optimizers.
 
-This option should not be used in combination with @option{-flto}.
-Instead relying on a linker plugin should provide safer and more precise
-information.
+With @option{-flto} this option has a limited use.  In most cases the
+precise list of symbols used or exported from the binary is known the
+resolution info passed to the link-time optimizer by the linker plugin.  It is
+still useful if no linker plugin is used or during incremental link step when
+final code is produced (with @option{-flto}
+@option{-flinker-output=nolto-rel}).
 
 @item -flto[=@var{n}]
 @opindex flto
diff --git a/gcc/lto/lto-common.cc b/gcc/lto/lto-common.cc
index f64309731fa8..125064ba47ec 100644
--- a/gcc/lto/lto-common.cc
+++ b/gcc/lto/lto-common.cc
@@ -2118,6 +2118,17 @@ lto_resolution_read (splay_tree file_ids, FILE *resolution, lto_file *file)
 	  if (strcmp (lto_resolution_str[j], r_str) == 0)
 	    {
 	      r = (enum ld_plugin_symbol_resolution) j;
+	      /* Incremental linking together with -fwhole-program may seem
+		 somewhat contradictionary (as the point of incremental linking
+		 is to allow re-linking with more symbols later) but it is
+		 used to build LTO kernel.  We want to hide all symbols that
+		 are not explicitely marked as exported and thus turn
+		 LDPR_PREVAILING_DEF_IRONLY_EXP
+		 to LDPR_PREVAILING_DEF_IRONLY.  */
+	      if (flag_whole_program
+		  && flag_incremental_link == INCREMENTAL_LINK_NOLTO
+		  && r == LDPR_PREVAILING_DEF_IRONLY_EXP)
+		r = LDPR_PREVAILING_DEF_IRONLY;
 	      break;
 	    }
 	}
diff --git a/gcc/lto/lto-lang.cc b/gcc/lto/lto-lang.cc
index d36453ba25df..7018dfae4a50 100644
--- a/gcc/lto/lto-lang.cc
+++ b/gcc/lto/lto-lang.cc
@@ -901,7 +901,6 @@ lto_post_options (const char **pfilename ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
       break;
 
     case LTO_LINKER_OUTPUT_NOLTOREL: /* .o: incremental link producing asm  */
-      flag_whole_program = 0;
       flag_incremental_link = INCREMENTAL_LINK_NOLTO;
       break;