diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.c b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.c
index e6f3679cdcc0..b4d7027a44c3 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.c
@@ -528,6 +528,18 @@ int set_oom_adj_score(int pid, int score)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int proc_mount_contains(const char *option)
+{
+	char buf[4 * PAGE_SIZE];
+	ssize_t read;
+
+	read = read_text("/proc/mounts", buf, sizeof(buf));
+	if (read < 0)
+		return read;
+
+	return strstr(buf, option) != NULL;
+}
+
 ssize_t proc_read_text(int pid, bool thread, const char *item, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
 	char path[PATH_MAX];
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.h b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.h
index 628738532ac9..756f76052b44 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.h
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/cgroup_util.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ extern int is_swap_enabled(void);
 extern int set_oom_adj_score(int pid, int score);
 extern int cg_wait_for_proc_count(const char *cgroup, int count);
 extern int cg_killall(const char *cgroup);
+int proc_mount_contains(const char *option);
 extern ssize_t proc_read_text(int pid, bool thread, const char *item, char *buf, size_t size);
 extern int proc_read_strstr(int pid, bool thread, const char *item, const char *needle);
 extern pid_t clone_into_cgroup(int cgroup_fd);
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/test_memcontrol.c b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/test_memcontrol.c
index d240a391f99e..4da138d05acb 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/test_memcontrol.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/cgroup/test_memcontrol.c
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 #include "../kselftest.h"
 #include "cgroup_util.h"
 
+static bool has_recursiveprot;
+
 /*
  * This test creates two nested cgroups with and without enabling
  * the memory controller.
@@ -525,15 +527,18 @@ static int test_memcg_low(const char *root)
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(children); i++) {
+		int no_low_events_index = has_recursiveprot ? 2 : 1;
+
 		oom = cg_read_key_long(children[i], "memory.events", "oom ");
 		low = cg_read_key_long(children[i], "memory.events", "low ");
 
 		if (oom)
 			goto cleanup;
-		if (i < 2 && low <= 0)
+		if (i <= no_low_events_index && low <= 0)
 			goto cleanup;
-		if (i >= 2 && low)
+		if (i > no_low_events_index && low)
 			goto cleanup;
+
 	}
 
 	ret = KSFT_PASS;
@@ -1382,7 +1387,7 @@ struct memcg_test {
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	char root[PATH_MAX];
-	int i, ret = EXIT_SUCCESS;
+	int i, proc_status, ret = EXIT_SUCCESS;
 
 	if (cg_find_unified_root(root, sizeof(root)))
 		ksft_exit_skip("cgroup v2 isn't mounted\n");
@@ -1398,6 +1403,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		if (cg_write(root, "cgroup.subtree_control", "+memory"))
 			ksft_exit_skip("Failed to set memory controller\n");
 
+	proc_status = proc_mount_contains("memory_recursiveprot");
+	if (proc_status < 0)
+		ksft_exit_skip("Failed to query cgroup mount option\n");
+	has_recursiveprot = proc_status;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(tests); i++) {
 		switch (tests[i].fn(root)) {
 		case KSFT_PASS: