diff --git a/include/zephyr/llext/llext.h b/include/zephyr/llext/llext.h
index 19fbe7a0b55dabf..0341d78d20bf05c 100644
--- a/include/zephyr/llext/llext.h
+++ b/include/zephyr/llext/llext.h
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ enum llext_mem {
 struct llext_loader;
 /** @endcond */
 
+/* Maximim number of dependency LLEXTs */
+#define LLEXT_MAX_DEPENDENCIES 8
+
 /**
  * @brief Structure describing a linkable loadable extension
  *
@@ -111,6 +114,8 @@ struct llext {
 
 	/** Extension use counter, prevents unloading while in use */
 	unsigned int use_count;
+
+	struct llext *dependency[LLEXT_MAX_DEPENDENCIES];
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/subsys/llext/llext.c b/subsys/llext/llext.c
index c61b5006947baca..8469e316b5c3440 100644
--- a/subsys/llext/llext.c
+++ b/subsys/llext/llext.c
@@ -197,6 +197,8 @@ int llext_unload(struct llext **ext)
 	/* FIXME: protect the global list */
 	sys_slist_find_and_remove(&_llext_list, &tmp->_llext_list);
 
+	llext_dependency_remove_all(tmp);
+
 	*ext = NULL;
 	k_mutex_unlock(&llext_lock);
 
diff --git a/subsys/llext/llext_link.c b/subsys/llext/llext_link.c
index 6c5373d4916753a..9351e4f868f242f 100644
--- a/subsys/llext/llext_link.c
+++ b/subsys/llext/llext_link.c
@@ -52,7 +52,55 @@ static size_t llext_file_offset(struct llext_loader *ldr, size_t offset)
 	return offset;
 }
 
+/*
+ * We increment use-cound every time a new dependent is added, and have to
+ * decrement it again, when one is removed. Ideally we should be able to add
+ * arbitrary numbers of dependencies, but using lists for this doesn't work,
+ * because multiple extensions can have common dependencies. Dynamically
+ * allocating dependency entries would be too wasteful. In this initial
+ * implementation we use an array of dependencies, if at some point we run out
+ * of array entries, we'll implement re-allocation.
+ * We add dependencies incrementally as we discover them, but we only ever
+ * expect them to be removed all at once, when their user is removed. So the
+ * dependency array is always "dense" - it cannot have NULL entries between
+ * valid ones.
+ */
+static int llext_dependency_add(struct llext *ext, struct llext *dependency)
+{
+	unsigned int i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(ext->dependency); i++) {
+		if (ext->dependency[i] == dependency)
+			return 0;
+
+		if (!ext->dependency[i]) {
+			ext->dependency[i] = dependency;
+			dependency->use_count++;
+
+			return 0;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return -ENOENT;
+}
+
+void llext_dependency_remove_all(struct llext *ext)
+{
+	unsigned int i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(ext->dependency) && ext->dependency[i]; i++) {
+		/*
+		 * The use-count of dependencies is tightly bound to dependent's
+		 * life cycle, so it shouldn't underrun.
+		 */
+		ext->dependency[i]->use_count--;
+		__ASSERT(ext->dependency[i]->use_count, "LLEXT dependency use-count underrun!");
+		/* No need to NULL-ify the pointer - ext is freed after this */
+	}
+}
+
 struct llext_extension_sym {
+	struct llext *ext;
 	const char *sym;
 	const void *addr;
 };
@@ -64,17 +112,21 @@ static int llext_find_extension_sym_iterate(struct llext *ext, void *arg)
 
 	if (addr) {
 		se->addr = addr;
+		se->ext = ext;
 		return 1;
 	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static const void *llext_find_extension_sym(const char *sym_name)
+static const void *llext_find_extension_sym(const char *sym_name, struct llext **ext)
 {
 	struct llext_extension_sym se = {.sym = sym_name};
 
 	llext_iterate(llext_find_extension_sym_iterate, &se);
+	if (ext) {
+		*ext = se.ext;
+	}
 
 	return se.addr;
 }
@@ -168,15 +220,22 @@ static void llext_link_plt(struct llext_loader *ldr, struct llext *ext,
 
 		switch (stb) {
 		case STB_GLOBAL:
+			/* First try the global symbol table */
 			link_addr = llext_find_sym(NULL,
 				SYM_NAME_OR_SLID(name, sym_tbl.st_value));
 
 			if (!link_addr) {
+				/* Next try internal tables */
 				link_addr = llext_find_sym(&ext->sym_tab, name);
 			}
 
 			if (!link_addr) {
-				link_addr = llext_find_extension_sym(name);
+				/* Finally try any loaded tables */
+				struct llext *dep;
+
+				link_addr = llext_find_extension_sym(name, &dep);
+				if (link_addr)
+					llext_dependency_add(ext, dep);
 			}
 
 			if (!link_addr) {
diff --git a/subsys/llext/llext_priv.h b/subsys/llext/llext_priv.h
index be11877395709ad..da2484dc3fe211a 100644
--- a/subsys/llext/llext_priv.h
+++ b/subsys/llext/llext_priv.h
@@ -74,5 +74,6 @@ static inline const void *llext_loaded_sect_ptr(struct llext_loader *ldr, struct
  */
 
 int llext_link(struct llext_loader *ldr, struct llext *ext, bool do_local);
+void llext_dependency_remove_all(struct llext *ext);
 
 #endif /* ZEPHYR_SUBSYS_LLEXT_PRIV_H_ */