diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/file.c b/fs/overlayfs/file.c
index 9242713596f4a1..45f83d9cac409e 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/file.c
@@ -252,6 +252,9 @@ static void ovl_aio_cleanup_handler(struct ovl_aio_req *aio_req)
 	if (iocb->ki_flags & IOCB_WRITE) {
 		struct inode *inode = file_inode(orig_iocb->ki_filp);
 
+		/* Actually acquired in ovl_write_iter() */
+		__sb_writers_acquired(file_inode(iocb->ki_filp)->i_sb,
+				      SB_FREEZE_WRITE);
 		file_end_write(iocb->ki_filp);
 		ovl_copyattr(ovl_inode_real(inode), inode);
 	}
@@ -342,8 +345,8 @@ static ssize_t ovl_write_iter(struct kiocb *iocb, struct iov_iter *iter)
 		ifl &= ~(IOCB_DSYNC | IOCB_SYNC);
 
 	old_cred = ovl_override_creds(file_inode(file)->i_sb);
-	file_start_write(real.file);
 	if (is_sync_kiocb(iocb)) {
+		file_start_write(real.file);
 		ret = vfs_iter_write(real.file, iter, &iocb->ki_pos,
 				     ovl_iocb_to_rwf(ifl));
 		file_end_write(real.file);
@@ -355,11 +358,14 @@ static ssize_t ovl_write_iter(struct kiocb *iocb, struct iov_iter *iter)
 							       GFP_NOFS);
 		if (!aio_req) {
 			ret = -ENOMEM;
-			file_end_write(real.file);
 			fdput(real);
 			goto out_revert;
 		}
 
+		file_start_write(real.file);
+		/* Pacify lockdep, same trick as done in aio_write() */
+		__sb_writers_release(file_inode(real.file)->i_sb,
+				     SB_FREEZE_WRITE);
 		aio_req->fd = real;
 		aio_req->orig_iocb = iocb;
 		kiocb_clone(&aio_req->iocb, iocb, real.file);