diff --git a/sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c b/sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c
--- a/sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c
+++ b/sys/kern/vfs_syscalls.c
@@ -1185,7 +1185,7 @@
 	 * except O_EXEC is ignored.
 	 */
 	if ((flags & O_PATH) != 0) {
-		flags &= ~(O_CREAT | O_ACCMODE);
+		flags &= ~O_ACCMODE;
 	} else if ((flags & O_EXEC) != 0) {
 		if (flags & O_ACCMODE)
 			return (EINVAL);
diff --git a/tests/sys/file/path_test.c b/tests/sys/file/path_test.c
--- a/tests/sys/file/path_test.c
+++ b/tests/sys/file/path_test.c
@@ -684,10 +684,14 @@
 	size_t page_size;
 	int error, fd, pathfd, sd[2];
 
-	/* It shouldn't be possible to create new files with O_PATH. */
+	/* It is allowed to create new files with O_PATH. */
 	snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "path_io.XXXXXX");
 	ATF_REQUIRE_MSG(mktemp(path) == path, FMT_ERR("mktemp"));
-	ATF_REQUIRE_ERRNO(ENOENT, open(path, O_PATH | O_CREAT, 0600) < 0);
+	pathfd = open(path, O_PATH | O_CREAT, 0600);
+	ATF_REQUIRE_MSG(pathfd >= 0, FMT_ERR("open(O_PATH|O_CREAT)"));
+	/* Ensure that this is indeed O_PATH fd */
+	ATF_REQUIRE_ERRNO(EBADF, write(pathfd, path, strlen(path)) == -1);
+	CHECKED_CLOSE(pathfd);
 
 	/* Create a non-empty file for use in the rest of the tests. */
 	mktfile(path, "path_io.XXXXXX");