diff --git a/libnetwork/network.go b/libnetwork/network.go
index 6ea3e6acb0..466eccb21c 100644
--- a/libnetwork/network.go
+++ b/libnetwork/network.go
@@ -1577,16 +1577,18 @@ func (n *Network) ipamAllocateVersion(ipVer int, ipam ipamapi.Ipam) error {
 			}
 		}()
 
-		if gws, ok := d.Meta[netlabel.Gateway]; ok {
-			if d.Gateway, err = types.ParseCIDR(gws); err != nil {
-				return types.InvalidParameterErrorf("failed to parse gateway address (%v) returned by ipam driver: %v", gws, err)
+		// If there's no user-configured gateway address but the IPAM driver returned a gw when it
+		// set up the pool, use it. (It doesn't need to be requested/reserved in IPAM.)
+		if cfg.Gateway == "" {
+			if gws, ok := d.Meta[netlabel.Gateway]; ok {
+				if d.Gateway, err = types.ParseCIDR(gws); err != nil {
+					return types.InvalidParameterErrorf("failed to parse gateway address (%v) returned by ipam driver: %v", gws, err)
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
-		// If user requested a specific gateway, libnetwork will allocate it
-		// irrespective of whether ipam driver returned a gateway already.
-		// If none of the above is true, libnetwork will allocate one.
-		if cfg.Gateway != "" || d.Gateway == nil {
+		// If there's still no gateway, reserve cfg.Gateway or let the IPAM driver select an address.
+		if d.Gateway == nil {
 			gatewayOpts := map[string]string{
 				ipamapi.RequestAddressType: netlabel.Gateway,
 			}