diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
index a64cfef1a0..d682e7168a 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
@@ -3570,7 +3570,7 @@ lxcDomainAttachDeviceNetLive(virLXCDriver *driver,
     actualBandwidth = virDomainNetGetActualBandwidth(net);
     if (actualBandwidth) {
         if (virNetDevSupportsBandwidth(actualType)) {
-            unsigned int flags = 0;
+            unsigned int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
             if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net))
                 flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_process.c b/src/lxc/lxc_process.c
index 7eba7a2c46..cd8bcfc282 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_process.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_process.c
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ virLXCProcessSetupInterfaces(virLXCDriver *driver,
         actualBandwidth = virDomainNetGetActualBandwidth(net);
         if (actualBandwidth) {
             if (virNetDevSupportsBandwidth(type)) {
-                unsigned int flags = 0;
+                unsigned int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
                 if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net))
                     flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index 07fffaf852..dcb9c4934e 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -8695,7 +8695,7 @@ qemuBuildInterfaceCommandLine(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                                                         !virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net)) < 0)
                     goto cleanup;
             } else {
-                unsigned int flags = 0;
+                unsigned int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
                 if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net))
                     flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index 425d583e99..d1b32de56a 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -9939,7 +9939,7 @@ qemuDomainSetInterfaceParameters(virDomainPtr dom,
                 goto endjob;
             }
         } else {
-            unsigned int bwflags = 0;
+            unsigned int bwflags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
             if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net))
                 bwflags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
index b06ae61a44..3c18af6b0c 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_hotplug.c
@@ -1332,7 +1332,7 @@ qemuDomainAttachNetDevice(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                                                         !virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net)) < 0)
                     goto cleanup;
             } else {
-                int flags = 0;
+                int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
                 if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(net))
                     flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
@@ -4187,7 +4187,7 @@ qemuDomainChangeNet(virQEMUDriver *driver,
                                                         !virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(newdev)) < 0)
                     goto cleanup;
             } else {
-                int flags = 0;
+                int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
                 if (!virDomainNetTypeSharesHostView(newdev))
                     flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.c b/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.c
index 1baad849c6..9c48844c5d 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.c
+++ b/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.c
@@ -196,6 +196,21 @@ virNetDevBandwidthManipulateFilter(const char *ifname,
  *     interface (so domain's RX/TX is host's RX/TX), and for some
  *     it's swapped (domain's RX/TX is hosts's TX/RX).
  *
+ *   VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL
+ *     If VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL is set, then the root
+ *     qdisc is deleted before adding any new qdisc/class/filter,
+ *     which causes any pre-existing filters to also be deleted. If
+ *     not set, then it's assumed that there are no existing rules (or
+ *     that those already there need to be kept). The caller should
+ *     set this flag for an existing interface that is having its
+ *     bandwidth settings modified, but can leave it unset if the
+ *     interface was newly created and this is the first time
+ *     bandwidth has been set, but someone else might have already
+ *     added the qdisc (e.g. this is the case when the network driver
+ *     is setting bandwidth for a virtual network bridge device - the
+ *     nftables backend may have already added qdisc handle 1:0 and a
+ *     filter, and we don't want to delete them)
+ *
  * Return 0 on success, -1 otherwise.
  */
 int
@@ -238,7 +253,11 @@ virNetDevBandwidthSet(const char *ifname,
         tx = bandwidth->out;
     }
 
-    virNetDevBandwidthClear(ifname);
+    /* Only if the caller requests, clear everything including root
+     * qdisc and all filters before adding everything.
+     */
+    if (flags & VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL)
+        virNetDevBandwidthClear(ifname);
 
     if (tx && tx->average) {
         average = g_strdup_printf("%llukbps", tx->average);
diff --git a/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.h b/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.h
index 80dc654486..744aa4c826 100644
--- a/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.h
+++ b/src/util/virnetdevbandwidth.h
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ G_DEFINE_AUTOPTR_CLEANUP_FUNC(virNetDevBandwidth, virNetDevBandwidthFree);
 typedef enum {
     VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_HIERARCHICAL_CLASS = (1 << 0),
     VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED = (1 << 1),
+    VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL = (1 << 2),
 } virNetDevBandwidthSetFlags;
 
 int virNetDevBandwidthSet(const char *ifname,
diff --git a/tests/virnetdevbandwidthtest.c b/tests/virnetdevbandwidthtest.c
index 6529ff4026..6d5c847ad7 100644
--- a/tests/virnetdevbandwidthtest.c
+++ b/tests/virnetdevbandwidthtest.c
@@ -82,7 +82,8 @@ testVirNetDevBandwidthSet(const void *data)
         if (virNetDevOpenvswitchInterfaceSetQos(iface, band, info->uuid, true) < 0)
             return -1;
     } else {
-        unsigned int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED;
+        unsigned int flags = VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_DIR_SWAPPED |
+                             VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_CLEAR_ALL;
 
         if (info->hierarchical_class)
             flags |= VIR_NETDEV_BANDWIDTH_SET_HIERARCHICAL_CLASS;