diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
index d69f81052c2f6f0b16df85d51da777d6ec4de363..64e7dc7c51981c1443d3ec6c9f72176a2346679b 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.c
@@ -6588,8 +6588,6 @@ int bpf_program__load(struct bpf_program *prog, char *license, __u32 kern_ver)
 out:
 	if (err)
 		pr_warn("failed to load program '%s'\n", prog->name);
-	zfree(&prog->insns);
-	prog->insns_cnt = 0;
 	return libbpf_err(err);
 }
 
@@ -8060,6 +8058,16 @@ size_t bpf_program__size(const struct bpf_program *prog)
 	return prog->insns_cnt * BPF_INSN_SZ;
 }
 
+const struct bpf_insn *bpf_program__insns(const struct bpf_program *prog)
+{
+	return prog->insns;
+}
+
+size_t bpf_program__insn_cnt(const struct bpf_program *prog)
+{
+	return prog->insns_cnt;
+}
+
 int bpf_program__set_prep(struct bpf_program *prog, int nr_instances,
 			  bpf_program_prep_t prep)
 {
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
index d9815eee26ac8291f6bb1a59e504a14fbcb4941e..0940ffbef461f25c599233d36c6128fd80c634a3 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.h
@@ -219,6 +219,40 @@ LIBBPF_API int bpf_program__set_autoload(struct bpf_program *prog, bool autoload
 /* returns program size in bytes */
 LIBBPF_API size_t bpf_program__size(const struct bpf_program *prog);
 
+struct bpf_insn;
+
+/**
+ * @brief **bpf_program__insns()** gives read-only access to BPF program's
+ * underlying BPF instructions.
+ * @param prog BPF program for which to return instructions
+ * @return a pointer to an array of BPF instructions that belong to the
+ * specified BPF program
+ *
+ * Returned pointer is always valid and not NULL. Number of `struct bpf_insn`
+ * pointed to can be fetched using **bpf_program__insn_cnt()** API.
+ *
+ * Keep in mind, libbpf can modify and append/delete BPF program's
+ * instructions as it processes BPF object file and prepares everything for
+ * uploading into the kernel. So depending on the point in BPF object
+ * lifetime, **bpf_program__insns()** can return different sets of
+ * instructions. As an example, during BPF object load phase BPF program
+ * instructions will be CO-RE-relocated, BPF subprograms instructions will be
+ * appended, ldimm64 instructions will have FDs embedded, etc. So instructions
+ * returned before **bpf_object__load()** and after it might be quite
+ * different.
+ */
+LIBBPF_API const struct bpf_insn *bpf_program__insns(const struct bpf_program *prog);
+/**
+ * @brief **bpf_program__insn_cnt()** returns number of `struct bpf_insn`'s
+ * that form specified BPF program.
+ * @param prog BPF program for which to return number of BPF instructions
+ *
+ * See **bpf_program__insns()** documentation for notes on how libbpf can
+ * change instructions and their count during different phases of
+ * **bpf_object** lifetime.
+ */
+LIBBPF_API size_t bpf_program__insn_cnt(const struct bpf_program *prog);
+
 LIBBPF_API int bpf_program__load(struct bpf_program *prog, char *license,
 				 __u32 kern_version);
 LIBBPF_API int bpf_program__fd(const struct bpf_program *prog);
@@ -294,8 +328,6 @@ LIBBPF_API struct bpf_link *
 bpf_program__attach_iter(const struct bpf_program *prog,
 			 const struct bpf_iter_attach_opts *opts);
 
-struct bpf_insn;
-
 /*
  * Libbpf allows callers to adjust BPF programs before being loaded
  * into kernel. One program in an object file can be transformed into
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
index 6b9da58d46d891935e3733032102174be744e00a..29585c8155457977581fd3662f6a5648b39c4741 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
@@ -384,6 +384,8 @@ LIBBPF_0.5.0 {
 
 LIBBPF_0.6.0 {
 	global:
+		bpf_program__insn_cnt;
+		bpf_program__insns;
 		btf__add_btf;
 		btf__add_decl_tag;
 } LIBBPF_0.5.0;