diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost.h b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost.h
index 16978e27ed..d8c59ab308 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost.h
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost.h
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ struct virtio_user_backend_ops {
 	int (*set_owner)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev);
 	int (*get_features)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t *features);
 	int (*set_features)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t features);
+	int (*get_protocol_features)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t *features);
+	int (*set_protocol_features)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t features);
 	int (*send_request)(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 			    enum vhost_user_request req,
 			    void *arg);
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
index d204fa1eb0..5e89b1d72d 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/vhost_user.c
@@ -199,6 +199,62 @@ vhost_user_set_features(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t features)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int
+vhost_user_get_protocol_features(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t *features)
+{
+	int ret;
+	struct vhost_user_msg msg = {
+		.request = VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
+		.flags = VHOST_USER_VERSION,
+	};
+
+	ret = vhost_user_write(dev->vhostfd, &msg, NULL, 0);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		goto err;
+
+	ret = vhost_user_read(dev->vhostfd, &msg);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		goto err;
+
+	if (msg.request != VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Unexpected request type (%d)", msg.request);
+		goto err;
+	}
+
+	if (msg.size != sizeof(*features)) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Unexpected payload size (%d)", msg.size);
+		goto err;
+	}
+
+	*features = msg.payload.u64;
+
+	return 0;
+err:
+	PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Failed to get backend protocol features");
+
+	return -1;
+}
+
+static int
+vhost_user_set_protocol_features(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, uint64_t features)
+{
+	int ret;
+	struct vhost_user_msg msg = {
+		.request = VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
+		.flags = VHOST_USER_VERSION,
+		.size = sizeof(features),
+		.payload.u64 = features,
+	};
+
+	ret = vhost_user_write(dev->vhostfd, &msg, NULL, 0);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Failed to set protocol features");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 struct walk_arg {
 	struct vhost_memory *vm;
 	int *fds;
@@ -313,8 +369,6 @@ const char * const vhost_msg_strings[] = {
 	[VHOST_USER_SET_VRING_KICK] = "VHOST_SET_VRING_KICK",
 	[VHOST_USER_SET_MEM_TABLE] = "VHOST_SET_MEM_TABLE",
 	[VHOST_USER_SET_VRING_ENABLE] = "VHOST_SET_VRING_ENABLE",
-	[VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES] = "VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES",
-	[VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES] = "VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES",
 	[VHOST_USER_SET_STATUS] = "VHOST_SET_STATUS",
 	[VHOST_USER_GET_STATUS] = "VHOST_GET_STATUS",
 };
@@ -352,8 +406,6 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 		    (!(dev->protocol_features &
 				(1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_STATUS))))
 			return -ENOTSUP;
-		/* Fallthrough */
-	case VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES:
 		need_reply = 1;
 		break;
 
@@ -366,7 +418,6 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 		if (has_reply_ack)
 			msg.flags |= VHOST_USER_NEED_REPLY_MASK;
 		/* Fallthrough */
-	case VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES:
 	case VHOST_USER_SET_LOG_BASE:
 		msg.payload.u64 = *((__u64 *)arg);
 		msg.size = sizeof(m.payload.u64);
@@ -446,7 +497,6 @@ vhost_user_sock(struct virtio_user_dev *dev,
 
 		switch (req) {
 		case VHOST_USER_GET_STATUS:
-		case VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES:
 			if (msg.size != sizeof(m.payload.u64)) {
 				PMD_DRV_LOG(ERR, "Received bad msg size");
 				return -1;
@@ -584,6 +634,8 @@ struct virtio_user_backend_ops virtio_ops_user = {
 	.set_owner = vhost_user_set_owner,
 	.get_features = vhost_user_get_features,
 	.set_features = vhost_user_set_features,
+	.get_protocol_features = vhost_user_get_protocol_features,
+	.set_protocol_features = vhost_user_set_protocol_features,
 	.send_request = vhost_user_sock,
 	.enable_qp = vhost_user_enable_queue_pair
 };
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
index 0a85d058a8..6bb61b3e89 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user/virtio_user_dev.c
@@ -495,24 +495,17 @@ virtio_user_dev_init(struct virtio_user_dev *dev, char *path, int queues,
 		}
 
 
-		if (dev->device_features &
-				(1ULL << VHOST_USER_F_PROTOCOL_FEATURES)) {
-			if (dev->ops->send_request(dev,
-					VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
-					&protocol_features))
+		if (dev->device_features & (1ULL << VHOST_USER_F_PROTOCOL_FEATURES)) {
+			if (dev->ops->get_protocol_features(dev, &protocol_features))
 				return -1;
 
 			dev->protocol_features &= protocol_features;
 
-			if (dev->ops->send_request(dev,
-					VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
-					&dev->protocol_features))
+			if (dev->ops->set_protocol_features(dev, dev->protocol_features))
 				return -1;
 
-			if (!(dev->protocol_features &
-					(1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_MQ)))
-				dev->unsupported_features |=
-					(1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MQ);
+			if (!(dev->protocol_features & (1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_MQ)))
+				dev->unsupported_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MQ);
 		}
 	} else {
 		/* We just pretend vhost-user can support all these features.
diff --git a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
index 4d2635c8aa..c63d010e16 100644
--- a/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
+++ b/drivers/net/virtio/virtio_user_ethdev.c
@@ -93,23 +93,17 @@ virtio_user_server_reconnect(struct virtio_user_dev *dev)
 
 	if (dev->device_features &
 			(1ULL << VHOST_USER_F_PROTOCOL_FEATURES)) {
-		if (dev->ops->send_request(dev,
-					VHOST_USER_GET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
-					&protocol_features))
+		if (dev->ops->get_protocol_features(dev, &protocol_features))
 			return -1;
 
 		/* Offer VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_STATUS */
-		dev->protocol_features |=
-			(1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_STATUS);
+		dev->protocol_features |= (1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_STATUS);
 		dev->protocol_features &= protocol_features;
 
-		if (dev->ops->send_request(dev,
-					VHOST_USER_SET_PROTOCOL_FEATURES,
-					&dev->protocol_features))
+		if (dev->ops->set_protocol_features(dev, dev->protocol_features))
 			return -1;
 
-		if (!(dev->protocol_features &
-				(1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_MQ)))
+		if (!(dev->protocol_features & (1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_MQ)))
 			dev->unsupported_features |= (1ull << VIRTIO_NET_F_MQ);
 	}
 
