diff --git a/cmake/llext-edk.cmake b/cmake/llext-edk.cmake
index 1475931968dd2..3a694f715575b 100644
--- a/cmake/llext-edk.cmake
+++ b/cmake/llext-edk.cmake
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ endfunction()
 # read in computed build configuration
 import_kconfig(CONFIG ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/.config)
 
-if (CONFIG_LLEXT_EXPORT_BUILTINS_BY_SLID)
+if(CONFIG_LLEXT_EXPORT_BUILTINS_BY_SLID)
   message(FATAL_ERROR
     "The LLEXT EDK is not compatible with CONFIG_LLEXT_EXPORT_BUILTINS_BY_SLID.")
 endif()
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ list(APPEND base_flags ${llext_edk_cflags} ${imacros})
 
 file(MAKE_DIRECTORY ${llext_edk_inc})
 foreach(dir ${INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES})
-    if (NOT EXISTS ${dir})
+    if(NOT EXISTS ${dir})
         continue()
     endif()
 
@@ -281,4 +281,6 @@ file(ARCHIVE_CREATE
     ${llext_edk_format}
 )
 
-file(REMOVE_RECURSE ${llext_edk})
+if(NOT CONFIG_LLEXT_EDK_PRESERVE_INPUT_FOLDER)
+    file(REMOVE_RECURSE ${llext_edk})
+endif()
diff --git a/subsys/llext/Kconfig b/subsys/llext/Kconfig
index 875b18b35a03f..1fe4de67f95fe 100644
--- a/subsys/llext/Kconfig
+++ b/subsys/llext/Kconfig
@@ -182,8 +182,9 @@ config LLEXT_EDK_NAME
 	  instance, the default name, "llext-edk", becomes LLEXT_EDK_INSTALL_DIR.
 
 choice LLEXT_EDK_FORMAT
-prompt "EDK compression and output format"
-default LLEXT_EDK_FORMAT_TAR_XZ
+	prompt "EDK compression and output format"
+	default LLEXT_EDK_FORMAT_TAR_ZSTD if LLEXT_EDK_PRESERVE_INPUT_FOLDER
+	default LLEXT_EDK_FORMAT_TAR_XZ
 
 config LLEXT_EDK_FORMAT_TAR_XZ
 	bool ".tar.xz"
@@ -213,4 +214,7 @@ config LLEXT_EDK_USERSPACE_ONLY
 	  to be used by userspace only extensions, this option will make EDK stubs
 	  not contain the routing code, and only generate the userspace one.
 
+config LLEXT_EDK_PRESERVE_INPUT_FOLDER
+	bool "Don't delete the EDK source folder"
+
 endif