diff --git a/src/btf.c b/src/btf.c
index 83fe79f..40becc9 100644
--- a/src/btf.c
+++ b/src/btf.c
@@ -2004,12 +2004,18 @@ int btf__add_btf(struct btf *btf, const struct btf *src_btf)
 {
 	struct btf_pipe p = { .src = src_btf, .dst = btf };
 	int data_sz, sz, cnt, i, err, old_strs_len;
+	__u32 src_start_id;
 	__u32 *off;
 	void *t;
 
-	/* appending split BTF isn't supported yet */
-	if (src_btf->base_btf)
-		return libbpf_err(-ENOTSUP);
+	/*
+	 * When appending split BTF, the destination must share the same base
+	 * BTF so that base type ID references remain valid.
+	 */
+	if (src_btf->base_btf && src_btf->base_btf != btf->base_btf)
+		return libbpf_err(-EOPNOTSUPP);
+
+	src_start_id = src_btf->base_btf ? btf__type_cnt(src_btf->base_btf) : 1;
 
 	/* deconstruct BTF, if necessary, and invalidate raw_data */
 	if (btf_ensure_modifiable(btf))
@@ -2021,7 +2027,7 @@ int btf__add_btf(struct btf *btf, const struct btf *src_btf)
 	old_strs_len = btf->hdr->str_len;
 
 	data_sz = src_btf->hdr->type_len;
-	cnt = btf__type_cnt(src_btf) - 1;
+	cnt = src_btf->nr_types;
 
 	/* pre-allocate enough memory for new types */
 	t = btf_add_type_mem(btf, data_sz);
@@ -2060,6 +2066,9 @@ int btf__add_btf(struct btf *btf, const struct btf *src_btf)
 		if (err)
 			goto err_out;
 		while ((str_off = btf_field_iter_next(&it))) {
+			/* don't remap strings from shared base BTF */
+			if (*str_off < src_btf->start_str_off)
+				continue;
 			err = btf_rewrite_str(&p, str_off);
 			if (err)
 				goto err_out;
@@ -2074,11 +2083,11 @@ int btf__add_btf(struct btf *btf, const struct btf *src_btf)
 			if (!*type_id) /* nothing to do for VOID references */
 				continue;
 
-			/* we haven't updated btf's type count yet, so
-			 * btf->start_id + btf->nr_types - 1 is the type ID offset we should
-			 * add to all newly added BTF types
-			 */
-			*type_id += btf->start_id + btf->nr_types - 1;
+			/* don't remap types from shared base BTF */
+			if (*type_id < src_start_id)
+				continue;
+
+			*type_id += btf->start_id + btf->nr_types - src_start_id;
 		}
 
 		/* go to next type data and type offset index entry */