diff --git a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
index 54db55ff1f..458aed7054 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
+++ b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
@@ -3314,12 +3314,6 @@ static int parse_line(
                         *invalid_config = true;
                         return log_syntax(NULL, LOG_ERR, fname, line, SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EBADMSG), "base64 decoding not supported for symlink targets.");
                 }
-
-                if (!i.argument) {
-                        i.argument = path_join("/usr/share/factory", i.path);
-                        if (!i.argument)
-                                return log_oom();
-                }
                 break;
 
         case WRITE_FILE:
@@ -3428,6 +3422,14 @@ static int parse_line(
         }
 
         switch (i.type) {
+        case CREATE_SYMLINK:
+                if (!i.argument) {
+                        i.argument = path_join("/usr/share/factory", i.path);
+                        if (!i.argument)
+                                return log_oom();
+                }
+                break;
+
         case COPY_FILES:
                 if (!i.argument) {
                         i.argument = path_join("/usr/share/factory", i.path);
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-22.15.sh b/test/units/testsuite-22.15.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..6cbb498678
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-22.15.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later
+#
+# Check specifier expansion in L lines.
+#
+set -eux
+
+rm -fr /tmp/L
+mkdir  /tmp/L
+
+# Check that %h expands to $home.
+home='/somewhere'
+dst='/tmp/L/1'
+src="$home"
+HOME="$home" \
+systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
+L     $dst    - - - - %h
+EOF
+test "$(readlink "$dst")" = "$src"
+
+# Check that %h in the path is expanded, but
+# the result of this expansion is not expanded once again.
+root='/tmp/L/2'
+home='/%U'
+src="/usr/share/factory$home"
+mkdir -p "$root$src"
+dst="$root$home"
+HOME="$home" \
+systemd-tmpfiles --create --root="$root" - <<EOF
+L     %h    - - - -
+EOF
+test "$(readlink "$dst")" = "$src"