void *queue = NULL;
        uint16_t *queue_old = NULL;
        uint32_t queue_size = action_conf->queue_num * sizeof(uint16_t);
+       bool dev_started = !!dev->data->dev_started;
 
        if (!shared_rss)
                return rte_flow_error_set(error, EINVAL,
        rte_spinlock_lock(&shared_rss->action_rss_sl);
        queue_old = shared_rss->ind_tbl->queues;
        ret = mlx5_ind_table_obj_modify(dev, shared_rss->ind_tbl,
-                                       queue, action_conf->queue_num, true);
+                                       queue, action_conf->queue_num,
+                                       true /* standalone */,
+                                       dev_started /* ref_new_qs */,
+                                       dev_started /* deref_old_qs */);
        if (ret) {
                mlx5_free(queue);
                ret = rte_flow_error_set(error, rte_errno,
 
 int mlx5_ind_table_obj_modify(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
                              struct mlx5_ind_table_obj *ind_tbl,
                              uint16_t *queues, const uint32_t queues_n,
-                             bool standalone);
+                             bool standalone,
+                             bool ref_new_qs, bool deref_old_qs);
 int mlx5_ind_table_obj_attach(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
                              struct mlx5_ind_table_obj *ind_tbl);
 int mlx5_ind_table_obj_detach(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
 
  *   Number of queues in the array.
  * @param standalone
  *   Indirection table for Standalone queue.
+ * @param ref_new_qs
+ *   Whether to increment new RxQ set reference counters.
+ * @param deref_old_qs
+ *   Whether to decrement old RxQ set reference counters.
  *
  * @return
  *   0 on success, a negative errno value otherwise and rte_errno is set.
 mlx5_ind_table_obj_modify(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
                          struct mlx5_ind_table_obj *ind_tbl,
                          uint16_t *queues, const uint32_t queues_n,
-                         bool standalone)
+                         bool standalone, bool ref_new_qs, bool deref_old_qs)
 {
        struct mlx5_priv *priv = dev->data->dev_private;
-       unsigned int i;
+       unsigned int i = 0, j;
        int ret = 0, err;
        const unsigned int n = rte_is_power_of_2(queues_n) ?
                               log2above(queues_n) :
        RTE_SET_USED(standalone);
        if (mlx5_ind_table_obj_check_standalone(dev, ind_tbl) < 0)
                return -rte_errno;
-       for (i = 0; i != queues_n; ++i) {
-               if (!mlx5_rxq_get(dev, queues[i])) {
-                       ret = -rte_errno;
-                       goto error;
+       if (ref_new_qs)
+               for (i = 0; i != queues_n; ++i) {
+                       if (!mlx5_rxq_ref(dev, queues[i])) {
+                               ret = -rte_errno;
+                               goto error;
+                       }
                }
-       }
        MLX5_ASSERT(priv->obj_ops.ind_table_modify);
        ret = priv->obj_ops.ind_table_modify(dev, n, queues, queues_n, ind_tbl);
        if (ret)
                goto error;
+       if (deref_old_qs)
+               for (i = 0; i < ind_tbl->queues_n; i++)
+                       claim_nonzero(mlx5_rxq_deref(dev, ind_tbl->queues[i]));
        ind_tbl->queues_n = queues_n;
        ind_tbl->queues = queues;
        return 0;
 error:
-       err = rte_errno;
-       rte_errno = err;
+       if (ref_new_qs) {
+               err = rte_errno;
+               for (j = 0; j < i; j++)
+                       mlx5_rxq_deref(dev, queues[j]);
+               rte_errno = err;
+       }
        DRV_LOG(DEBUG, "Port %u cannot setup indirection table.",
                dev->data->port_id);
        return ret;
 mlx5_ind_table_obj_attach(struct rte_eth_dev *dev,
                          struct mlx5_ind_table_obj *ind_tbl)
 {
-       unsigned int i;
        int ret;
 
        ret = mlx5_ind_table_obj_modify(dev, ind_tbl, ind_tbl->queues,
-                                       ind_tbl->queues_n, true);
-       if (ret != 0) {
+                                       ind_tbl->queues_n,
+                                       true /* standalone */,
+                                       true /* ref_new_qs */,
+                                       false /* deref_old_qs */);
+       if (ret != 0)
                DRV_LOG(ERR, "Port %u could not modify indirect table obj %p",
                        dev->data->port_id, (void *)ind_tbl);
-               return ret;
-       }
-       for (i = 0; i < ind_tbl->queues_n; i++)
-               mlx5_rxq_ref(dev, ind_tbl->queues[i]);
-       return 0;
+       return ret;
 }
 
 /**