diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_trans_inode.c b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_trans_inode.c
index b5dfb6654842..4504d215cd59 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_trans_inode.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_trans_inode.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ xfs_trans_ijoin(
 
 	ASSERT(iip->ili_lock_flags == 0);
 	iip->ili_lock_flags = lock_flags;
+	ASSERT(!xfs_iflags_test(ip, XFS_ISTALE));
 
 	/*
 	 * Get a log_item_desc to point at the new item.
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ xfs_trans_log_inode(
 
 	ASSERT(ip->i_itemp != NULL);
 	ASSERT(xfs_isilocked(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL));
+	ASSERT(!xfs_iflags_test(ip, XFS_ISTALE));
 
 	/*
 	 * Don't bother with i_lock for the I_DIRTY_TIME check here, as races
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
index 5daef654956c..59dea8178ae3 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
@@ -1141,7 +1141,7 @@ restart:
 			goto out_ifunlock;
 		xfs_iunpin_wait(ip);
 	}
-	if (xfs_iflags_test(ip, XFS_ISTALE) || xfs_inode_clean(ip)) {
+	if (xfs_inode_clean(ip)) {
 		xfs_ifunlock(ip);
 		goto reclaim;
 	}
@@ -1228,6 +1228,7 @@ reclaim:
 	xfs_ilock(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
 	xfs_qm_dqdetach(ip);
 	xfs_iunlock(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
+	ASSERT(xfs_inode_clean(ip));
 
 	__xfs_inode_free(ip);
 	return error;
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
index 24edec472a7c..917998801a99 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
@@ -1740,10 +1740,31 @@ xfs_inactive_ifree(
 		return error;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * We do not hold the inode locked across the entire rolling transaction
+	 * here. We only need to hold it for the first transaction that
+	 * xfs_ifree() builds, which may mark the inode XFS_ISTALE if the
+	 * underlying cluster buffer is freed. Relogging an XFS_ISTALE inode
+	 * here breaks the relationship between cluster buffer invalidation and
+	 * stale inode invalidation on cluster buffer item journal commit
+	 * completion, and can result in leaving dirty stale inodes hanging
+	 * around in memory.
+	 *
+	 * We have no need for serialising this inode operation against other
+	 * operations - we freed the inode and hence reallocation is required
+	 * and that will serialise on reallocating the space the deferops need
+	 * to free. Hence we can unlock the inode on the first commit of
+	 * the transaction rather than roll it right through the deferops. This
+	 * avoids relogging the XFS_ISTALE inode.
+	 *
+	 * We check that xfs_ifree() hasn't grown an internal transaction roll
+	 * by asserting that the inode is still locked when it returns.
+	 */
 	xfs_ilock(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
-	xfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, 0);
+	xfs_trans_ijoin(tp, ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
 
 	error = xfs_ifree(tp, ip);
+	ASSERT(xfs_isilocked(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL));
 	if (error) {
 		/*
 		 * If we fail to free the inode, shut down.  The cancel
@@ -1756,7 +1777,6 @@ xfs_inactive_ifree(
 			xfs_force_shutdown(mp, SHUTDOWN_META_IO_ERROR);
 		}
 		xfs_trans_cancel(tp);
-		xfs_iunlock(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
 		return error;
 	}
 
@@ -1774,7 +1794,6 @@ xfs_inactive_ifree(
 		xfs_notice(mp, "%s: xfs_trans_commit returned error %d",
 			__func__, error);
 
-	xfs_iunlock(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL);
 	return 0;
 }