diff --git a/include/netlink-local.h b/include/netlink-local.h
index 01c611a..9544d29 100644
--- a/include/netlink-local.h
+++ b/include/netlink-local.h
@@ -194,8 +194,10 @@ static inline int wait_for_ack(struct nl_sock *sk)
 {
 	if (sk->s_flags & NL_NO_AUTO_ACK)
 		return 0;
-	else
-		return nl_wait_for_ack(sk);
+	else {
+		int err = nl_wait_for_ack(sk);
+		return (err < 0) ? err : 0;
+	}
 }
 
 static inline int build_sysconf_path(char **strp, const char *filename)