diff --git a/lib/mgmt_fe_client.c b/lib/mgmt_fe_client.c
index 1c0e25f92c5f..c9f70d0c15a1 100644
--- a/lib/mgmt_fe_client.c
+++ b/lib/mgmt_fe_client.c
@@ -308,10 +308,9 @@ int mgmt_fe_send_regnotify_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
 /*
  * Send get-data request.
  */
-int mgmt_fe_send_get_data_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
-			      uint64_t session_id, uint64_t req_id,
-			      uint8_t datastore, LYD_FORMAT result_type,
-			      uint8_t flags, const char *xpath)
+int mgmt_fe_send_get_data_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client, uint64_t session_id,
+			      uint64_t req_id, uint8_t datastore,
+			      uint8_t format, uint8_t flags, const char *xpath)
 {
 	struct mgmt_msg_get_data *msg;
 	size_t xplen = strlen(xpath);
@@ -322,7 +321,7 @@ int mgmt_fe_send_get_data_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
 	msg->refer_id = session_id;
 	msg->req_id = req_id;
 	msg->code = MGMT_MSG_CODE_GET_DATA;
-	msg->result_type = result_type;
+	msg->format = format;
 	msg->flags = flags;
 	msg->datastore = datastore;
 	strlcpy(msg->xpath, xpath, xplen + 1);
diff --git a/lib/mgmt_fe_client.h b/lib/mgmt_fe_client.h
index 9930912326ad..5c26a468ca71 100644
--- a/lib/mgmt_fe_client.h
+++ b/lib/mgmt_fe_client.h
@@ -382,8 +382,8 @@ extern int mgmt_fe_send_regnotify_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
  * datastore
  *    Datastore for getting data.
  *
- * result_type
- *    The LYD_FORMAT of the result.
+ * format
+ *    The format of the result.
  *
  * flags
  *    Flags to control the behavior of the request.
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ extern int mgmt_fe_send_regnotify_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
  */
 extern int mgmt_fe_send_get_data_req(struct mgmt_fe_client *client,
 				     uint64_t session_id, uint64_t req_id,
-				     uint8_t datastore, LYD_FORMAT result_type,
+				     uint8_t datastore, uint8_t format,
 				     uint8_t flags, const char *xpath);
 
 /*
diff --git a/lib/mgmt_msg_native.h b/lib/mgmt_msg_native.h
index 75f9a7118691..6e84c094fd2a 100644
--- a/lib/mgmt_msg_native.h
+++ b/lib/mgmt_msg_native.h
@@ -160,6 +160,13 @@ DECLARE_MTYPE(MSG_NATIVE_GET_DATA);
 #define MGMT_MSG_DATASTORE_RUNNING     2
 #define MGMT_MSG_DATASTORE_OPERATIONAL 3
 
+/*
+ * Formats
+ */
+#define MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_XML    0
+#define MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_JSON   1
+#define MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_BINARY 2 /* non-standard libyang internal format */
+
 /**
  * struct mgmt_msg_header - Header common to all native messages.
  *
@@ -223,7 +230,7 @@ _Static_assert(sizeof(struct mgmt_msg_get_tree) ==
  * struct mgmt_msg_tree_data - Message carrying tree data.
  *
  * @partial_error: If the full result could not be returned do to this error.
- * @result_type: ``LYD_FORMAT`` for format of the @result value.
+ * @result_type: ``LYD_FORMAT`` for format of the @result value. Not used on frontend.
  * @more: if this is a partial return and there will be more coming.
  * @result: The tree data in @result_type format.
  *
@@ -262,13 +269,13 @@ _Static_assert(sizeof(struct mgmt_msg_tree_data) ==
 /**
  * struct mgmt_msg_get_data - frontend get-data request.
  *
- * @result_type: ``LYD_FORMAT`` for the returned result.
+ * @format: format of the returned result.
  * @flags: combination of ``GET_DATA_FLAG_*`` flags.
  * @xpath: the query for the data to return.
  */
 struct mgmt_msg_get_data {
 	struct mgmt_msg_header;
-	uint8_t result_type;
+	uint8_t format;
 	uint8_t flags;
 	uint8_t datastore;
 	uint8_t resv2[5];
diff --git a/lib/vty.c b/lib/vty.c
index 8769a4edd687..1a86fbfe189f 100644
--- a/lib/vty.c
+++ b/lib/vty.c
@@ -3673,6 +3673,7 @@ static int vty_mgmt_get_data_result_notified(
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
 static ssize_t vty_mgmt_libyang_print(void *user_data, const void *buf,
 				      size_t count)
 {
@@ -3785,7 +3786,7 @@ static uint vty_out_yang_errors(struct vty *vty, LYD_FORMAT format)
 
 	return count;
 }
-
+*/
 
 static int vty_mgmt_get_tree_result_notified(
 	struct mgmt_fe_client *client, uintptr_t user_data, uint64_t client_id,
@@ -3794,9 +3795,6 @@ static int vty_mgmt_get_tree_result_notified(
 	size_t len, int partial_error)
 {
 	struct vty *vty;
-	struct lyd_node *dnode;
-	int ret = CMD_SUCCESS;
-	LY_ERR err;
 
 	vty = (struct vty *)session_ctx;
 
@@ -3805,37 +3803,13 @@ static int vty_mgmt_get_tree_result_notified(
 			    partial_error ? "partially " : "", client_id,
 			    req_id);
 
-	assert(result_type == LYD_LYB ||
-	       result_type == vty->mgmt_req_pending_data);
-
-	if (vty->mgmt_req_pending_data == LYD_XML && partial_error)
+	if (vty->mgmt_req_pending_data == MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_XML && partial_error)
 		vty_out(vty,
 			"<!-- some errors occurred gathering results -->\n");
 
-	if (result_type == LYD_LYB) {
-		/*
-		 * parse binary into tree and print in the specified format
-		 */
-		result_type = vty->mgmt_req_pending_data;
-
-		err = lyd_parse_data_mem(ly_native_ctx, result, LYD_LYB, 0, 0,
-					 &dnode);
-		if (!err)
-			err = lyd_print_clb(vty_mgmt_libyang_print, vty, dnode,
-					    result_type, LYD_PRINT_WITHSIBLINGS);
-		lyd_free_all(dnode);
+	vty_out(vty, "%.*s\n", (int)len - 1, (const char *)result);
 
-		if (vty_out_yang_errors(vty, result_type) || err)
-			ret = CMD_WARNING;
-	} else {
-		/*
-		 * Print the in-format result
-		 */
-		assert(result_type == LYD_XML || result_type == LYD_JSON);
-		vty_out(vty, "%.*s\n", (int)len - 1, (const char *)result);
-	}
-
-	vty_mgmt_resume_response(vty, ret);
+	vty_mgmt_resume_response(vty, CMD_SUCCESS);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -4114,16 +4088,13 @@ int vty_mgmt_send_get_req(struct vty *vty, bool is_config,
 }
 
 int vty_mgmt_send_get_data_req(struct vty *vty, uint8_t datastore,
-			       LYD_FORMAT result_type, uint8_t flags,
-			       const char *xpath)
+			       uint8_t format, uint8_t flags, const char *xpath)
 {
-	LYD_FORMAT intern_format = result_type;
-
 	vty->mgmt_req_id++;
 
 	if (mgmt_fe_send_get_data_req(mgmt_fe_client, vty->mgmt_session_id,
-				      vty->mgmt_req_id, datastore,
-				      intern_format, flags, xpath)) {
+				      vty->mgmt_req_id, datastore, format,
+				      flags, xpath)) {
 		zlog_err("Failed to send GET-DATA to MGMTD session-id: %" PRIu64
 			 " req-id %" PRIu64 ".",
 			 vty->mgmt_session_id, vty->mgmt_req_id);
@@ -4132,7 +4103,7 @@ int vty_mgmt_send_get_data_req(struct vty *vty, uint8_t datastore,
 	}
 
 	vty->mgmt_req_pending_cmd = "MESSAGE_GET_DATA_REQ";
-	vty->mgmt_req_pending_data = result_type;
+	vty->mgmt_req_pending_data = format;
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/vty.h b/lib/vty.h
index 0be532f91619..57ce35f5df5a 100644
--- a/lib/vty.h
+++ b/lib/vty.h
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ extern int vty_mgmt_send_get_req(struct vty *vty, bool is_config,
 				 Mgmtd__DatastoreId datastore,
 				 const char **xpath_list, int num_req);
 extern int vty_mgmt_send_get_data_req(struct vty *vty, uint8_t datastore,
-				      LYD_FORMAT result_type, uint8_t flags,
+				      uint8_t format, uint8_t flags,
 				      const char *xpath);
 extern int vty_mgmt_send_lockds_req(struct vty *vty, Mgmtd__DatastoreId ds_id,
 				    bool lock, bool scok);
diff --git a/mgmtd/mgmt_fe_adapter.c b/mgmtd/mgmt_fe_adapter.c
index 5f552708266a..fe39e4b50df9 100644
--- a/mgmtd/mgmt_fe_adapter.c
+++ b/mgmtd/mgmt_fe_adapter.c
@@ -1095,7 +1095,6 @@ static int fe_adapter_send_tree_data(struct mgmt_fe_session_ctx *session,
 	msg->req_id = req_id;
 	msg->code = MGMT_MSG_CODE_TREE_DATA;
 	msg->partial_error = partial_error;
-	msg->result_type = result_type;
 
 	ret = yang_print_tree_append(&buf, tree, result_type,
 				     (wd_options | LYD_PRINT_WITHSIBLINGS));
@@ -1139,6 +1138,7 @@ static void fe_adapter_handle_get_data(struct mgmt_fe_session_ctx *session,
 	char *xpath_resolved = NULL;
 	uint64_t req_id = msg->req_id;
 	Mgmtd__DatastoreId ds_id;
+	uint8_t result_type;
 	uint64_t clients;
 	bool simple_xpath;
 	LY_ERR err;
@@ -1182,6 +1182,24 @@ static void fe_adapter_handle_get_data(struct mgmt_fe_session_ctx *session,
 		goto done;
 	}
 
+	switch (msg->format) {
+	case MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_XML:
+		result_type = LYD_XML;
+		break;
+	case MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_JSON:
+		result_type = LYD_JSON;
+		break;
+	case MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_BINARY:
+		result_type = LYD_LYB;
+		break;
+	default:
+		fe_adapter_send_error(session, req_id, false, -EINVAL,
+				      "Unsupported format %" PRIu8
+				      " requested from session-id: %" PRIu64,
+				      msg->format, session->session_id);
+		goto done;
+	}
+
 	err = yang_resolve_snode_xpath(ly_native_ctx, msg->xpath, &snodes,
 				       &simple_xpath);
 	if (err) {
@@ -1199,8 +1217,8 @@ static void fe_adapter_handle_get_data(struct mgmt_fe_session_ctx *session,
 				     msg->xpath, session->txn_id,
 				     session->session_id);
 
-		fe_adapter_send_tree_data(session, req_id, false,
-					  msg->result_type, 0, NULL, 0);
+		fe_adapter_send_tree_data(session, req_id, false, result_type,
+					  0, NULL, 0);
 		goto done;
 	}
 
@@ -1219,7 +1237,7 @@ static void fe_adapter_handle_get_data(struct mgmt_fe_session_ctx *session,
 
 	/* Create a GET-TREE request under the transaction */
 	ret = mgmt_txn_send_get_tree_oper(session->txn_id, req_id, clients,
-					  ds_id, msg->result_type, msg->flags,
+					  ds_id, result_type, msg->flags,
 					  simple_xpath, msg->xpath);
 	if (ret) {
 		/* destroy the just created txn */
diff --git a/mgmtd/mgmt_vty.c b/mgmtd/mgmt_vty.c
index 394b34de45d7..835efc6f6011 100644
--- a/mgmtd/mgmt_vty.c
+++ b/mgmtd/mgmt_vty.c
@@ -275,7 +275,8 @@ DEFPY(show_mgmt_get_data, show_mgmt_get_data_cmd,
       "JSON output format\n"
       "XML output format\n")
 {
-	LYD_FORMAT format = (fmt && fmt[0] == 'x') ? LYD_XML : LYD_JSON;
+	uint8_t format = (fmt && fmt[0] == 'x') ? MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_XML
+						: MGMT_MSG_FORMAT_JSON;
 	int plen = strlen(path);
 	char *xpath = NULL;
 	uint8_t flags = content ? GET_DATA_FLAG_CONFIG : GET_DATA_FLAG_STATE;