diff --git a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
index 0842d67d85..94973c2aa5 100644
--- a/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
+++ b/src/tmpfiles/tmpfiles.c
@@ -2657,7 +2657,7 @@ static int item_compare(const Item *a, const Item *b) {
         return CMP(a->type, b->type);
 }
 
-static bool item_compatible(Item *a, Item *b) {
+static bool item_compatible(const Item *a, const Item *b) {
         assert(a);
         assert(b);
         assert(streq(a->path, b->path));
@@ -2896,6 +2896,26 @@ static int parse_age_by_from_arg(const char *age_by_str, Item *item) {
         return 0;
 }
 
+static bool is_duplicated_item(ItemArray *existing, const Item *i) {
+
+        assert(existing);
+        assert(i);
+
+        for (size_t n = 0; n < existing->n_items; n++) {
+                const Item *e = existing->items + n;
+
+                if (item_compatible(e, i))
+                        continue;
+
+                /* Only multiple 'w+' lines for the same path are allowed. */
+                if (e->type != WRITE_FILE || !e->append_or_force ||
+                    i->type != WRITE_FILE || !i->append_or_force)
+                        return true;
+        }
+
+        return false;
+}
+
 static int parse_line(
                 const char *fname,
                 unsigned line,
@@ -3247,13 +3267,10 @@ static int parse_line(
 
         existing = ordered_hashmap_get(h, i.path);
         if (existing) {
-                size_t n;
-
-                for (n = 0; n < existing->n_items; n++) {
-                        if (!item_compatible(existing->items + n, &i) && !i.append_or_force) {
-                                log_syntax(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, fname, line, 0, "Duplicate line for path \"%s\", ignoring.", i.path);
-                                return 0;
-                        }
+                if (is_duplicated_item(existing, &i)) {
+                        log_syntax(NULL, LOG_NOTICE, fname, line, 0,
+                                   "Duplicate line for path \"%s\", ignoring.", i.path);
+                        return 0;
                 }
         } else {
                 existing = new0(ItemArray, 1);
diff --git a/test/test-functions b/test/test-functions
index b5a618c741..7155e99c0e 100644
--- a/test/test-functions
+++ b/test/test-functions
@@ -1869,7 +1869,7 @@ install_pam() {
         paths+=(/lib*/security)
     fi
 
-    for d in /etc/pam.d /etc/security /usr/{etc,lib}/pam.d; do
+    for d in /etc/pam.d /{usr/,}etc/security /usr/{etc,lib}/pam.d; do
         [ -d "$d" ] && paths+=("$d")
     done
 
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-22.03.sh b/test/units/testsuite-22.03.sh
index 404e33e2fa..a9df3d6bdd 100755
--- a/test/units/testsuite-22.03.sh
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-22.03.sh
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ test ! -e /tmp/F/daemon/unsafe-symlink/exploit
 # 'w'
 #
 touch /tmp/w/overwritten
+touch /tmp/w/appended
 
 ### nop if the target does not exist.
 systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
@@ -205,13 +206,22 @@ EOF
 test -f /tmp/w/overwritten
 test "$(< /tmp/w/overwritten)" = "old content"
 
-### new content is overwritten
+### old content is overwritten
 systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
 w     /tmp/w/overwritten    0644 - - - new content
 EOF
 test -f /tmp/w/overwritten
 test "$(< /tmp/w/overwritten)" = "new content"
 
+### append lines
+systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
+w+    /tmp/w/appended    0644 - - - 1
+w+    /tmp/w/appended    0644 - - - 2\n
+w+    /tmp/w/appended    0644 - - - 3
+EOF
+test -f /tmp/w/appended
+test "$(< /tmp/w/appended)" = "$(echo -ne '12\n3')"
+
 ### writing into an 'exotic' file should be allowed.
 systemd-tmpfiles --create - <<EOF
 w     /dev/null    - - - - new content
diff --git a/test/units/testsuite-22.13.sh b/test/units/testsuite-22.13.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..33ef451f2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/units/testsuite-22.13.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later
+#
+# Tests for configuration directory and file precedences
+#
+set -eux
+
+rm -f  /{usr/lib,etc}/tmpfiles.d/{L,w}-*.conf
+rm -fr /tmp/precedence/{L,w}
+
+mkdir -p /{usr/lib,etc}/tmpfiles.d
+mkdir -p /tmp/precedence/{L,w}
+
+#
+# 'L'
+#
+ln -s /dev/null /tmp/precedence/L
+
+# Overwrite the existing symlink
+cat >/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf<<EOF
+L+ /tmp/precedence/L - - - - /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf
+EOF
+
+systemd-tmpfiles --create
+test "$(readlink /tmp/precedence/L)" = "/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf"
+
+# Files in /etc should override those in /usr
+cat >/etc/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf<<EOF
+L+ /tmp/precedence/L - - - - /etc/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf
+EOF
+
+systemd-tmpfiles --create
+test "$(readlink /tmp/precedence/L)" = "/etc/tmpfiles.d/L-z.conf"
+
+# /usr/…/L-a.conf has higher prio than /etc/…/L-z.conf
+cat >/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf<<EOF
+L+ /tmp/precedence/L - - - - /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf
+EOF
+
+systemd-tmpfiles --create
+test "$(readlink /tmp/precedence/L)" = "/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf"
+
+# Files in /etc should override those in /usr
+cat >/etc/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf<<EOF
+L+ /tmp/precedence/L - - - - /etc/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf
+EOF
+
+systemd-tmpfiles --create
+test "$(readlink /tmp/precedence/L)" = "/etc/tmpfiles.d/L-a.conf"
+
+#
+# 'w'
+#
+touch /tmp/precedence/w/f
+
+# Multiple configuration files specifying 'w+' for the same path is allowed.
+for i in a c; do
+    cat >/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/w-$i.conf<<EOF
+w+ /tmp/precedence/w/f - - - - /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/w-$i.conf\n
+EOF
+    cat >/etc/tmpfiles.d/w-$i.conf<<EOF
+w+ /tmp/precedence/w/f - - - - /etc/tmpfiles.d/w-$i.conf\n
+EOF
+done
+
+cat >/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/w-b.conf<<EOF
+w+ /tmp/precedence/w/f - - - - /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/w-b.conf\n
+EOF
+
+systemd-tmpfiles --create
+cmp /tmp/precedence/w/f <<EOF
+/etc/tmpfiles.d/w-a.conf
+/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/w-b.conf
+/etc/tmpfiles.d/w-c.conf
+EOF