diff --git a/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c b/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
index cd52d28b20..bc69b67de9 100644
--- a/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
+++ b/bgpd/bgp_zebra.c
@@ -956,7 +956,7 @@ void bgp_zebra_announce(struct bgp_node *rn, struct prefix *p,
 	struct zapi_route api;
 	struct zapi_nexthop *api_nh;
 	int nh_family;
-	int valid_nh_count = 0;
+	unsigned int valid_nh_count = 0;
 	int has_valid_label = 0;
 	u_char distance;
 	struct peer *peer;
@@ -1010,6 +1010,9 @@ void bgp_zebra_announce(struct bgp_node *rn, struct prefix *p,
 	/* Metric is currently based on the best-path only */
 	metric = info->attr->med;
 	for (mpinfo = info; mpinfo; mpinfo = bgp_info_mpath_next(mpinfo)) {
+		if (valid_nh_count >= multipath_num)
+			break;
+
 		*mpinfo_cp = *mpinfo;
 
 		/* Get nexthop address-family */
diff --git a/bgpd/rfapi/vnc_zebra.c b/bgpd/rfapi/vnc_zebra.c
index d472e06fa5..3fc6ddfe35 100644
--- a/bgpd/rfapi/vnc_zebra.c
+++ b/bgpd/rfapi/vnc_zebra.c
@@ -368,8 +368,8 @@ static int vnc_zebra_read_route(int command, struct zclient *zclient,
 /*
  * low-level message builder
  */
-static void vnc_zebra_route_msg(struct prefix *p, int nhp_count, void *nhp_ary,
-				int add) /* 1 = add, 0 = del */
+static void vnc_zebra_route_msg(struct prefix *p, unsigned int nhp_count,
+				void *nhp_ary, int add) /* 1 = add, 0 = del */
 {
 	struct zapi_route api;
 	struct zapi_nexthop *api_nh;
@@ -389,8 +389,8 @@ static void vnc_zebra_route_msg(struct prefix *p, int nhp_count, void *nhp_ary,
 
 	/* Nexthops */
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
-	api.nexthop_num = nhp_count;
-	for (i = 0; i < nhp_count; i++) {
+	api.nexthop_num = MIN(nhp_count, multipath_num);
+	for (i = 0; i < api.nexthop_num; i++) {
 		struct in_addr *nhp_ary4;
 		struct in6_addr *nhp_ary6;
 
@@ -426,7 +426,8 @@ static void vnc_zebra_route_msg(struct prefix *p, int nhp_count, void *nhp_ary,
 
 
 static void
-nve_list_to_nh_array(u_char family, struct list *nve_list, int *nh_count_ret,
+nve_list_to_nh_array(u_char family, struct list *nve_list,
+		     unsigned int *nh_count_ret,
 		     void **nh_ary_ret,  /* returned address array */
 		     void **nhp_ary_ret) /* returned pointer array */
 {
@@ -549,7 +550,7 @@ static void vnc_zebra_add_del_prefix(struct bgp *bgp,
 {
 	struct list *nves;
 
-	int nexthop_count = 0;
+	unsigned int nexthop_count = 0;
 	void *nh_ary = NULL;
 	void *nhp_ary = NULL;
 
@@ -713,7 +714,7 @@ static void vnc_zebra_add_del_group_afi(struct bgp *bgp,
 	uint8_t family = afi2family(afi);
 
 	struct list *nves = NULL;
-	int nexthop_count = 0;
+	unsigned int nexthop_count = 0;
 	void *nh_ary = NULL;
 	void *nhp_ary = NULL;
 
diff --git a/eigrpd/eigrp_zebra.c b/eigrpd/eigrp_zebra.c
index e61b3d748c..95d97cf97f 100644
--- a/eigrpd/eigrp_zebra.c
+++ b/eigrpd/eigrp_zebra.c
@@ -379,10 +379,11 @@ void eigrp_zebra_route_add(struct prefix *p, struct list *successors)
 	memcpy(&api.prefix, p, sizeof(*p));
 
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
-	api.nexthop_num = successors->count;
 
 	/* Nexthop, ifindex, distance and metric information. */
 	for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(successors, node, te)) {
+		if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+			break;
 		api_nh = &api.nexthops[count];
 		if (te->adv_router->src.s_addr) {
 			api_nh->gate.ipv4 = te->adv_router->src;
@@ -393,6 +394,7 @@ void eigrp_zebra_route_add(struct prefix *p, struct list *successors)
 
 		count++;
 	}
+	api.nexthop_num = count;
 
 	if (IS_DEBUG_EIGRP(zebra, ZEBRA_REDISTRIBUTE)) {
 		char buf[2][PREFIX_STRLEN];
diff --git a/isisd/isis_zebra.c b/isisd/isis_zebra.c
index 99eb698b75..bc81314097 100644
--- a/isisd/isis_zebra.c
+++ b/isisd/isis_zebra.c
@@ -277,6 +277,8 @@ static void isis_zebra_route_add_route(struct prefix *prefix,
 	case AF_INET:
 		for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(route_info->nexthops, node,
 					  nexthop)) {
+			if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+				break;
 			api_nh = &api.nexthops[count];
 			/* FIXME: can it be ? */
 			if (nexthop->ip.s_addr != INADDR_ANY) {
@@ -292,6 +294,8 @@ static void isis_zebra_route_add_route(struct prefix *prefix,
 	case AF_INET6:
 		for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(route_info->nexthops6, node,
 					  nexthop6)) {
+			if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+				break;
 			if (!IN6_IS_ADDR_LINKLOCAL(&nexthop6->ip6)
 			    && !IN6_IS_ADDR_UNSPECIFIED(&nexthop6->ip6)) {
 				continue;
diff --git a/lib/zclient.c b/lib/zclient.c
index 910e05cb47..e30f166dde 100644
--- a/lib/zclient.c
+++ b/lib/zclient.c
@@ -915,9 +915,10 @@ int zapi_route_encode(u_char cmd, struct stream *s, struct zapi_route *api)
 
 			prefix2str(&api->prefix, buf, sizeof(buf));
 			zlog_warn(
-				"%s: prefix %s: encoding %u nexthops out of %u",
-				__func__, buf, MULTIPATH_NUM, api->nexthop_num);
-			api->nexthop_num = MULTIPATH_NUM;
+				"%s: prefix %s: can't encode %u nexthops "
+				"(maximum is %u)",
+				__func__, buf, api->nexthop_num, MULTIPATH_NUM);
+			return -1;
 		}
 
 		stream_putw(s, api->nexthop_num);
diff --git a/ospf6d/ospf6_zebra.c b/ospf6d/ospf6_zebra.c
index 2372bc54b7..30bb4393c7 100644
--- a/ospf6d/ospf6_zebra.c
+++ b/ospf6d/ospf6_zebra.c
@@ -341,8 +341,8 @@ static void ospf6_zebra_route_update(int type, struct ospf6_route *request)
 	api.safi = SAFI_UNICAST;
 	api.prefix = *dest;
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
-	api.nexthop_num = nhcount;
-	ospf6_route_zebra_copy_nexthops(request, api.nexthops, nhcount);
+	api.nexthop_num = MIN(nhcount, MULTIPATH_NUM);
+	ospf6_route_zebra_copy_nexthops(request, api.nexthops, api.nexthop_num);
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_METRIC);
 	api.metric = (request->path.metric_type == 2 ? request->path.u.cost_e2
 						     : request->path.cost);
diff --git a/ospfd/ospf_zebra.c b/ospfd/ospf_zebra.c
index e26a33c35f..9bba2c9806 100644
--- a/ospfd/ospf_zebra.c
+++ b/ospfd/ospf_zebra.c
@@ -349,7 +349,6 @@ void ospf_zebra_add(struct prefix_ipv4 *p, struct ospf_route * or)
 
 	memcpy(&api.prefix, p, sizeof(*p));
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
-	api.nexthop_num = or->paths->count;
 
 	/* Metric value. */
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_METRIC);
@@ -377,6 +376,8 @@ void ospf_zebra_add(struct prefix_ipv4 *p, struct ospf_route * or)
 
 	/* Nexthop, ifindex, distance and metric information. */
 	for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(or->paths, node, path)) {
+		if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+			break;
 		api_nh = &api.nexthops[count];
 #ifdef HAVE_NETLINK
 		if (path->unnumbered || (path->nexthop.s_addr != INADDR_ANY
@@ -407,6 +408,7 @@ void ospf_zebra_add(struct prefix_ipv4 *p, struct ospf_route * or)
 				path->ifindex);
 		}
 	}
+	api.nexthop_num = count;
 
 	zclient_route_send(ZEBRA_ROUTE_ADD, zclient, &api);
 }
diff --git a/ripd/rip_zebra.c b/ripd/rip_zebra.c
index 2140e8b110..28144a2435 100644
--- a/ripd/rip_zebra.c
+++ b/ripd/rip_zebra.c
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ static void rip_zebra_ipv4_send(struct route_node *rp, u_char cmd)
 
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
 	for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(list, listnode, rinfo)) {
+		if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+			break;
 		api_nh = &api.nexthops[count];
 		api_nh->gate.ipv4 = rinfo->nexthop;
 		api_nh->type = NEXTHOP_TYPE_IPV4;
diff --git a/ripngd/ripng_zebra.c b/ripngd/ripng_zebra.c
index 283d8691a3..7edaaa5dff 100644
--- a/ripngd/ripng_zebra.c
+++ b/ripngd/ripng_zebra.c
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ static void ripng_zebra_ipv6_send(struct route_node *rp, u_char cmd)
 
 	SET_FLAG(api.message, ZAPI_MESSAGE_NEXTHOP);
 	for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(list, listnode, rinfo)) {
+		if (count >= MULTIPATH_NUM)
+			break;
 		api_nh = &api.nexthops[count];
 		api_nh->gate.ipv6 = rinfo->nexthop;
 		api_nh->ifindex = rinfo->ifindex;