diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/bpftool-map.rst b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/bpftool-map.rst
index 1f1dfe06e66d95cc790a0a506551ff7c9b6063f0..f34cace771bd6725320b10a38fb0394660d1959d 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/bpftool-map.rst
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/bpftool-map.rst
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ MAP COMMANDS
 |		**entries** *MAX_ENTRIES* **name** *NAME* [**flags** *FLAGS*] [**dev** *NAME*]
 |	**bpftool** **map dump**       *MAP*
 |	**bpftool** **map update**     *MAP* [**key** *DATA*] [**value** *VALUE*] [*UPDATE_FLAGS*]
-|	**bpftool** **map lookup**     *MAP*  **key** *DATA*
+|	**bpftool** **map lookup**     *MAP* [**key** *DATA*]
 |	**bpftool** **map getnext**    *MAP* [**key** *DATA*]
 |	**bpftool** **map delete**     *MAP*  **key** *DATA*
 |	**bpftool** **map pin**        *MAP*  *FILE*
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ DESCRIPTION
 		  the bytes are parsed as decimal values, unless a "0x" prefix
 		  (for hexadecimal) or a "0" prefix (for octal) is provided.
 
-	**bpftool map lookup**  *MAP*  **key** *DATA*
+	**bpftool map lookup**  *MAP* [**key** *DATA*]
 		  Lookup **key** in the map.
 
 	**bpftool map getnext** *MAP* [**key** *DATA*]
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
index 61453a1ba6e162582ddec776046486f8f093d5bf..4256842f9664c1f97ebc06867439fd7b3f937107 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/map.c
@@ -865,13 +865,9 @@ static int do_lookup(int argc, char **argv)
 	if (fd < 0)
 		return -1;
 
-	key = malloc(info.key_size);
-	value = alloc_value(&info);
-	if (!key || !value) {
-		p_err("mem alloc failed");
-		err = -1;
+	err = alloc_key_value(&info, &key, &value);
+	if (err)
 		goto exit_free;
-	}
 
 	err = parse_elem(argv, &info, key, NULL, info.key_size, 0, NULL, NULL);
 	if (err)
@@ -1158,7 +1154,7 @@ static int do_help(int argc, char **argv)
 		"                              [dev NAME]\n"
 		"       %s %s dump       MAP\n"
 		"       %s %s update     MAP [key DATA] [value VALUE] [UPDATE_FLAGS]\n"
-		"       %s %s lookup     MAP  key DATA\n"
+		"       %s %s lookup     MAP [key DATA]\n"
 		"       %s %s getnext    MAP [key DATA]\n"
 		"       %s %s delete     MAP  key DATA\n"
 		"       %s %s pin        MAP  FILE\n"