diff --git a/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.h b/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.h
--- a/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.h
+++ b/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.h
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@
 
   void addOrphanSections();
   void diagnoseOrphanHandling() const;
-  void adjustSectionsBeforeSorting();
+  void adjustOutputSections();
   void adjustSectionsAfterSorting();
 
   SmallVector<PhdrEntry *, 0> createPhdrs();
diff --git a/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.cpp b/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.cpp
--- a/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.cpp
+++ b/lld/ELF/LinkerScript.cpp
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@
   for (const InsertCommand &cmd : insertCommands) {
     for (StringRef name : cmd.names) {
       // If base is empty, it may have been discarded by
-      // adjustSectionsBeforeSorting(). We do not handle such output sections.
+      // adjustOutputSections(). We do not handle such output sections.
       auto from = llvm::find_if(sectionCommands, [&](SectionCommand *subCmd) {
         return isa<OutputSection>(subCmd) &&
                cast<OutputSection>(subCmd)->name == name;
@@ -1114,7 +1114,7 @@
   }
 }
 
-void LinkerScript::adjustSectionsBeforeSorting() {
+void LinkerScript::adjustOutputSections() {
   // If the output section contains only symbol assignments, create a
   // corresponding output section. The issue is what to do with linker script
   // like ".foo : { symbol = 42; }". One option would be to convert it to
diff --git a/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp b/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
--- a/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
+++ b/lld/ELF/Writer.cpp
@@ -1429,22 +1429,19 @@
 
 template <class ELFT> void Writer<ELFT>::sortSections() {
   llvm::TimeTraceScope timeScope("Sort sections");
-  script->adjustSectionsBeforeSorting();
 
   // Don't sort if using -r. It is not necessary and we want to preserve the
   // relative order for SHF_LINK_ORDER sections.
-  if (config->relocatable)
+  if (config->relocatable) {
+    script->adjustOutputSections();
     return;
+  }
 
   sortInputSections();
 
-  for (SectionCommand *cmd : script->sectionCommands) {
-    auto *os = dyn_cast<OutputSection>(cmd);
-    if (!os)
-      continue;
-    os->sortRank = getSectionRank(os);
-  }
-
+  for (SectionCommand *cmd : script->sectionCommands)
+    if (auto *osec = dyn_cast_or_null<OutputSection>(cmd))
+      osec->sortRank = getSectionRank(osec);
   if (!script->hasSectionsCommand) {
     // We know that all the OutputSections are contiguous in this case.
     auto isSection = [](SectionCommand *cmd) {
@@ -1454,14 +1451,15 @@
         llvm::find_if(script->sectionCommands, isSection),
         llvm::find_if(llvm::reverse(script->sectionCommands), isSection).base(),
         compareSections);
-
-    // Process INSERT commands. From this point onwards the order of
-    // script->sectionCommands is fixed.
-    script->processInsertCommands();
-    return;
   }
 
+  // Process INSERT commands and update output section attributes. From this
+  // point onwards the order of script->sectionCommands is fixed.
   script->processInsertCommands();
+  script->adjustOutputSections();
+
+  if (!script->hasSectionsCommand)
+    return;
 
   // Orphan sections are sections present in the input files which are
   // not explicitly placed into the output file by the linker script.
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-after.test b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-after.test
--- a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-after.test
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-after.test
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .foo.text PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  AX
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .data     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  WA
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .foo.data PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  WA
-# CHECK2-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000001 00     0
+# CHECK2-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000001 00  WA
 # CHECK2:      Type      {{.*}} Flg Align
 # CHECK2-NEXT: PHDR      {{.*}} R   0x8
 # CHECK2-NEXT: LOAD      {{.*}} R   0x1000
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-before.test b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-before.test
--- a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-before.test
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/insert-before.test
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 # CHECK-NEXT:           NULL
 # CHECK-NEXT: .foo.text PROGBITS 0000000000000000 001000 000008 00  AX
 # CHECK-NEXT: .text     PROGBITS 0000000000000008 001008 000008 00  AX
-# CHECK-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS 0000000000000010 001010 000001 00  WA
+# CHECK-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS 0000000000000010 001010 000001 00  AX
 # CHECK-NEXT: .foo.data PROGBITS 0000000000000011 001011 000008 00  WA
 # CHECK-NEXT: .data     PROGBITS 0000000000000019 001019 000008 00  WA
 # CHECK:      Type
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 # CHECK2-NEXT:           NULL
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .foo.text PROGBITS 000000000020{{.*}} [[#%x,]] 000008 00  AX
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .text     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  AX
-# CHECK2-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000001 00     0
+# CHECK2-NEXT: .byte     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000001 00  WA
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .foo.data PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  WA
 # CHECK2-NEXT: .data     PROGBITS [[#%x,]]           [[#%x,]] 000008 00  WA
 # CHECK2:      Type      {{.*}} Flg Align