diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf.c
index 985610c3f19335f48d35fd9e6a9c663a8f3f8a6d..62953bbf68b44afadbe55c7ec08465cf60b0e06d 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/btf.c
@@ -546,6 +546,7 @@ static int do_dump(int argc, char **argv)
 			NEXT_ARG();
 			if (argc < 1) {
 				p_err("expecting value for 'format' option\n");
+				err = -EINVAL;
 				goto done;
 			}
 			if (strcmp(*argv, "c") == 0) {
@@ -555,11 +556,13 @@ static int do_dump(int argc, char **argv)
 			} else {
 				p_err("unrecognized format specifier: '%s', possible values: raw, c",
 				      *argv);
+				err = -EINVAL;
 				goto done;
 			}
 			NEXT_ARG();
 		} else {
 			p_err("unrecognized option: '%s'", *argv);
+			err = -EINVAL;
 			goto done;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.c
index b86f450e6fce280effa3a3e818f47b7e8cd1ffb8..d9afb730136a4723d988cb36867c6cffdb462940 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/main.c
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ static int do_batch(int argc, char **argv)
 	int n_argc;
 	FILE *fp;
 	char *cp;
-	int err;
+	int err = 0;
 	int i;
 
 	if (argc < 2) {
@@ -370,7 +370,6 @@ static int do_batch(int argc, char **argv)
 	} else {
 		if (!json_output)
 			printf("processed %d commands\n", lines);
-		err = 0;
 	}
 err_close:
 	if (fp != stdin)
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
index b400364ee054e553efcb5af98b9a14a9f90d84c1..09ae0381205b69299bb852398b67597a3d113879 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ static int do_dump_btf(const struct btf_dumper *d,
 		       void *value)
 {
 	__u32 value_id;
-	int ret;
+	int ret = 0;
 
 	/* start of key-value pair */
 	jsonw_start_object(d->jw);