diff --git a/drivers/clk/clk.c b/drivers/clk/clk.c
index bb01ed6cc63e..cd8382c83f48 100644
--- a/drivers/clk/clk.c
+++ b/drivers/clk/clk.c
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ static unsigned long clk_core_get_rate_nolock(struct clk_core *core)
 
 	ret = core->rate;
 
-	if (core->flags & CLK_IS_ROOT)
+	if (!core->num_parents)
 		goto out;
 
 	if (!core->parent)
@@ -2351,7 +2351,7 @@ static int __clk_core_init(struct clk_core *core)
 	/*
 	 * Populate core->parent if parent has already been __clk_init'd.  If
 	 * parent has not yet been __clk_init'd then place clk in the orphan
-	 * list.  If clk has set the CLK_IS_ROOT flag then place it in the root
+	 * list.  If clk doesn't have any parents then place it in the root
 	 * clk list.
 	 *
 	 * Every time a new clk is clk_init'd then we walk the list of orphan
@@ -2362,7 +2362,7 @@ static int __clk_core_init(struct clk_core *core)
 		hlist_add_head(&core->child_node,
 				&core->parent->children);
 		core->orphan = core->parent->orphan;
-	} else if (core->flags & CLK_IS_ROOT) {
+	} else if (!core->num_parents) {
 		hlist_add_head(&core->child_node, &clk_root_list);
 		core->orphan = false;
 	} else {
diff --git a/include/linux/clk-provider.h b/include/linux/clk-provider.h
index fabe5bedbba6..9c3a18c1a984 100644
--- a/include/linux/clk-provider.h
+++ b/include/linux/clk-provider.h
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #define CLK_SET_PARENT_GATE	BIT(1) /* must be gated across re-parent */
 #define CLK_SET_RATE_PARENT	BIT(2) /* propagate rate change up one level */
 #define CLK_IGNORE_UNUSED	BIT(3) /* do not gate even if unused */
-#define CLK_IS_ROOT		BIT(4) /* root clk, has no parent */
+#define CLK_IS_ROOT		BIT(4) /* Deprecated: Don't use */
 #define CLK_IS_BASIC		BIT(5) /* Basic clk, can't do a to_clk_foo() */
 #define CLK_GET_RATE_NOCACHE	BIT(6) /* do not use the cached clk rate */
 #define CLK_SET_RATE_NO_REPARENT BIT(7) /* don't re-parent on rate change */