Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In some systems, a modem of a user equipment (UE) and a data source, such as an application processor or a tethered client, may support for flow control enforcement per service flow. For example, the modem may transmit, to the application processor, a first flow control command for a first data traffic including non-prioritized data. The application processor, based on the first flow control command, may transmit, to the modem, the first data traffic including the non-prioritized data according to the first flow control command while also transmitting a second data traffic including prioritized data without flow control. The modem and the application processor may support such selective flow control enforcement based on a priority of a service flow based on maintaining multiple buffers at the modem or based on defining multiple thresholds of one buffer associated with triggering flow control.