diff --git a/docs/system/riscv/microchip-icicle-kit.rst b/docs/system/riscv/microchip-icicle-kit.rst
index e803131763..54ced661e3 100644
--- a/docs/system/riscv/microchip-icicle-kit.rst
+++ b/docs/system/riscv/microchip-icicle-kit.rst
@@ -31,17 +31,37 @@ Boot options
 
 The ``microchip-icicle-kit`` machine can start using the standard -bios
 functionality for loading its BIOS image, aka Hart Software Services (HSS_).
-HSS loads the second stage bootloader U-Boot from an SD card. It does not
-support direct kernel loading via the -kernel option. One has to load kernel
-from U-Boot.
+HSS loads the second stage bootloader U-Boot from an SD card. Then a kernel
+can be loaded from U-Boot. It also supports direct kernel booting via the
+-kernel option along with the device tree blob via -dtb. When direct kernel
+boot is used, the OpenSBI fw_dynamic BIOS image is used to boot a payload
+like U-Boot or OS kernel directly.
+
+The user provided DTB should have the following requirements:
+
+* The /cpus node should contain at least one subnode for E51 and the number
+  of subnodes should match QEMU's ``-smp`` option
+* The /memory reg size should match QEMU’s selected ram_size via ``-m``
+* Should contain a node for the CLINT device with a compatible string
+  "riscv,clint0"
+
+QEMU follows below truth table to select which payload to execute:
+
+=====  ========== =======
+-bios     -kernel payload
+=====  ========== =======
+    N           N     HSS
+    Y  don't care     HSS
+    N           Y  kernel
+=====  ========== =======
 
 The memory is set to 1537 MiB by default which is the minimum required high
 memory size by HSS. A sanity check on ram size is performed in the machine
 init routine to prompt user to increase the RAM size to > 1537 MiB when less
 than 1537 MiB ram is detected.
 
-Boot the machine
-----------------
+Running HSS
+-----------
 
 HSS 2020.12 release is tested at the time of writing. To build an HSS image
 that can be booted by the ``microchip-icicle-kit`` machine, type the following
diff --git a/hw/riscv/microchip_pfsoc.c b/hw/riscv/microchip_pfsoc.c
index c4146b7a6b..1919c09f2f 100644
--- a/hw/riscv/microchip_pfsoc.c
+++ b/hw/riscv/microchip_pfsoc.c
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 #include "hw/riscv/microchip_pfsoc.h"
 #include "hw/intc/sifive_clint.h"
 #include "hw/intc/sifive_plic.h"
+#include "sysemu/device_tree.h"
 #include "sysemu/sysemu.h"
 
 /*
@@ -462,6 +463,12 @@ static void microchip_icicle_kit_machine_init(MachineState *machine)
     MemoryRegion *mem_high = g_new(MemoryRegion, 1);
     MemoryRegion *mem_high_alias = g_new(MemoryRegion, 1);
     uint64_t mem_high_size;
+    hwaddr firmware_load_addr;
+    const char *firmware_name;
+    bool kernel_as_payload = false;
+    target_ulong firmware_end_addr, kernel_start_addr;
+    uint64_t kernel_entry;
+    uint32_t fdt_load_addr;
     DriveInfo *dinfo = drive_get_next(IF_SD);
 
     /* Sanity check on RAM size */
@@ -506,9 +513,6 @@ static void microchip_icicle_kit_machine_init(MachineState *machine)
                                 memmap[MICROCHIP_PFSOC_DRAM_HI_ALIAS].base,
                                 mem_high_alias);
 
-    /* Load the firmware */
-    riscv_find_and_load_firmware(machine, BIOS_FILENAME, RESET_VECTOR, NULL);
-
     /* Attach an SD card */
     if (dinfo) {
         CadenceSDHCIState *sdhci = &(s->soc.sdhci);
@@ -518,6 +522,77 @@ static void microchip_icicle_kit_machine_init(MachineState *machine)
                                 &error_fatal);
         qdev_realize_and_unref(card, sdhci->bus, &error_fatal);
     }
+
+    /*
+     * We follow the following table to select which payload we execute.
+     *
+     *  -bios |    -kernel | payload
+     * -------+------------+--------
+     *      N |          N | HSS
+     *      Y | don't care | HSS
+     *      N |          Y | kernel
+     *
+     * This ensures backwards compatibility with how we used to expose -bios
+     * to users but allows them to run through direct kernel booting as well.
+     *
+     * When -kernel is used for direct boot, -dtb must be present to provide
+     * a valid device tree for the board, as we don't generate device tree.
+     */
+
+    if (machine->kernel_filename && machine->dtb) {
+        int fdt_size;
+        machine->fdt = load_device_tree(machine->dtb, &fdt_size);
+        if (!machine->fdt) {
+            error_report("load_device_tree() failed");
+            exit(1);
+        }
+
+        firmware_name = RISCV64_BIOS_BIN;
+        firmware_load_addr = memmap[MICROCHIP_PFSOC_DRAM_LO].base;
+        kernel_as_payload = true;
+    }
+
+    if (!kernel_as_payload) {
+        firmware_name = BIOS_FILENAME;
+        firmware_load_addr = RESET_VECTOR;
+    }
+
+    /* Load the firmware */
+    firmware_end_addr = riscv_find_and_load_firmware(machine, firmware_name,
+                                                     firmware_load_addr, NULL);
+
+    if (kernel_as_payload) {
+        kernel_start_addr = riscv_calc_kernel_start_addr(&s->soc.u_cpus,
+                                                         firmware_end_addr);
+
+        kernel_entry = riscv_load_kernel(machine->kernel_filename,
+                                         kernel_start_addr, NULL);
+
+        if (machine->initrd_filename) {
+            hwaddr start;
+            hwaddr end = riscv_load_initrd(machine->initrd_filename,
+                                           machine->ram_size, kernel_entry,
+                                           &start);
+            qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(machine->fdt, "/chosen",
+                                  "linux,initrd-start", start);
+            qemu_fdt_setprop_cell(machine->fdt, "/chosen",
+                                  "linux,initrd-end", end);
+        }
+
+        if (machine->kernel_cmdline) {
+            qemu_fdt_setprop_string(machine->fdt, "/chosen",
+                                    "bootargs", machine->kernel_cmdline);
+        }
+
+        /* Compute the fdt load address in dram */
+        fdt_load_addr = riscv_load_fdt(memmap[MICROCHIP_PFSOC_DRAM_LO].base,
+                                       machine->ram_size, machine->fdt);
+        /* Load the reset vector */
+        riscv_setup_rom_reset_vec(machine, &s->soc.u_cpus, firmware_load_addr,
+                                  memmap[MICROCHIP_PFSOC_ENVM_DATA].base,
+                                  memmap[MICROCHIP_PFSOC_ENVM_DATA].size,
+                                  kernel_entry, fdt_load_addr, machine->fdt);
+    }
 }
 
 static void microchip_icicle_kit_machine_class_init(ObjectClass *oc, void *data)
