diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
index 94b15bb28e11..d205828d7575 100755
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/net/mptcp/mptcp_join.sh
@@ -130,6 +130,22 @@ do_ping()
 	fi
 }
 
+# $1: ns ; $2: counter
+get_counter()
+{
+	local ns="${1}"
+	local counter="${2}"
+	local count
+
+	count=$(ip netns exec ${ns} nstat -asz "${counter}" | awk 'NR==1 {next} {print $2}')
+	if [ -z "${count}" ]; then
+		mptcp_lib_fail_if_expected_feature "${counter} counter"
+		return 1
+	fi
+
+	echo "${count}"
+}
+
 do_transfer()
 {
 	listener_ns="$1"
@@ -291,9 +307,10 @@ chk_join_nr()
 	local dump_stats
 
 	printf "%02u %-36s %s" "$TEST_COUNT" "$msg" "syn"
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns1 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtMPJoinSynRx | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$syn_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns1} "MPTcpExtMPJoinSynRx")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo -n "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$syn_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count JOIN[s] syn expected $syn_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -302,9 +319,10 @@ chk_join_nr()
 	fi
 
 	echo -n " - synack"
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns2 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtMPJoinSynAckRx | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$syn_ack_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns2} "MPTcpExtMPJoinSynAckRx")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo -n "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$syn_ack_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count JOIN[s] synack expected $syn_ack_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -313,9 +331,10 @@ chk_join_nr()
 	fi
 
 	echo -n " - ack"
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns1 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtMPJoinAckRx | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$ack_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns1} "MPTcpExtMPJoinAckRx")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$ack_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count JOIN[s] ack expected $ack_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -338,9 +357,10 @@ chk_add_nr()
 	local dump_stats
 
 	printf "%-39s %s" " " "add"
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns2 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtAddAddr | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$add_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns2} "MPTcpExtAddAddr")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo -n "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$add_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count ADD_ADDR[s] expected $add_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -349,9 +369,10 @@ chk_add_nr()
 	fi
 
 	echo -n " - echo  "
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns1 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtEchoAdd | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$echo_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns1} "MPTcpExtEchoAdd")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$echo_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count ADD_ADDR echo[s] expected $echo_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -375,9 +396,10 @@ chk_rm_nr()
 	local dump_stats
 
 	printf "%-39s %s" " " "rm "
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns1 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtRmAddr | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$rm_addr_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns1} "MPTcpExtRmAddr")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo -n "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$rm_addr_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count RM_ADDR[s] expected $rm_addr_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1
@@ -386,9 +408,10 @@ chk_rm_nr()
 	fi
 
 	echo -n " - sf    "
-	count=`ip netns exec $ns2 nstat -as | grep MPTcpExtRmSubflow | awk '{print $2}'`
-	[ -z "$count" ] && count=0
-	if [ "$count" != "$rm_subflow_nr" ]; then
+	count=$(get_counter ${ns2} "MPTcpExtRmSubflow")
+	if [ -z "$count" ]; then
+		echo "[skip]"
+	elif [ "$count" != "$rm_subflow_nr" ]; then
 		echo "[fail] got $count RM_SUBFLOW[s] expected $rm_subflow_nr"
 		ret=1
 		dump_stats=1