diff --git a/bfd/elf32-arm.c b/bfd/elf32-arm.c
index bc245f89d9f41a2e8d263b4c76a0123afdf61325..967b3b231ac18cbd865a668b5333b9e08a8400f4 100644
--- a/bfd/elf32-arm.c
+++ b/bfd/elf32-arm.c
@@ -17509,6 +17509,7 @@ elf32_arm_filter_implib_symbols (bfd *abfd ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
 {
   struct elf32_arm_link_hash_table *globals = elf32_arm_hash_table (info);
 
+  BFD_ASSERT (!(bfd_get_file_flags (info->out_implib_bfd) & EXEC_P));
   if (globals->cmse_implib)
     return elf32_arm_filter_cmse_symbols (abfd, info, syms, symcount);
   else
diff --git a/bfd/elflink.c b/bfd/elflink.c
index 776357fe68521ba11a7f443f48e3b93409ae2dc4..2dd61d106c068cf49f5723bc6c690c647c8f57dd 100644
--- a/bfd/elflink.c
+++ b/bfd/elflink.c
@@ -11206,10 +11206,11 @@ elf_output_implib (bfd *abfd, struct bfd_link_info *info)
   if (!bfd_set_format (implib_bfd, bfd_object))
     return FALSE;
 
+  /* Use flag from executable but make it a relocatable object.  */
   flags = bfd_get_file_flags (abfd);
   flags &= ~HAS_RELOC;
   if (!bfd_set_start_address (implib_bfd, 0)
-      || !bfd_set_file_flags (implib_bfd, flags))
+      || !bfd_set_file_flags (implib_bfd, flags & ~EXEC_P))
     return FALSE;
 
   /* Copy architecture of output file to import library file.  */
diff --git a/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/arm-elf.exp b/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/arm-elf.exp
index 36b58591facabe839a4209aed65deee97e46c3ab..b15316c2176198c70cea9900fce5999f4ab23ea9 100644
--- a/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/arm-elf.exp
+++ b/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/arm-elf.exp
@@ -691,7 +691,8 @@ set armeabitests_nonacl {
      "--section-start .gnu.sgstubs=0x20000 --out-implib=tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib --cmse-implib" ""
      "-march=armv8-m.base -mthumb --defsym VER=1"
      {cmse-implib.s}
-     {{readelf {-s tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib} cmse-implib.rd}}
+     {{readelf {-s tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib} cmse-implib.rd}
+      {readelf {-h tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib} cmse-implib.type}}
      "cmse-implib"}
     {"Input secure gateway import library"
      "--section-start .gnu.sgstubs=0x20000 --out-implib=tmpdir/cmse-new-implib.lib --in-implib=tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib --cmse-implib" ""
diff --git a/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/cmse-implib.type b/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/cmse-implib.type
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7bb3bccc8e5d0ee99a0b9a2674296673b1c3c349
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ld/testsuite/ld-arm/cmse-implib.type
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#...
+File: tmpdir/cmse-implib.lib
+#...
+[[:space:]]+Type:[[:space:]]+REL \(Relocatable file\)
+#...
+File: tmpdir/cmse-implib
+#...
+[[:space:]]+Type:[[:space:]]+EXEC \(Executable file\)
+#...