diff --git a/fs/kernfs/file.c b/fs/kernfs/file.c
index bb933221b4ba..baff4b1d40c7 100644
--- a/fs/kernfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/kernfs/file.c
@@ -25,16 +25,18 @@ struct kernfs_open_node {
 	struct list_head	files; /* goes through kernfs_open_file.list */
 };
 
-/**
- * attribute_to_node - get kernfs_node object corresponding to a kernfs attribute
- * @ptr:	&struct kernfs_elem_attr
- * @type:	struct kernfs_node
- * @member:	name of member (i.e attr)
+/*
+ * kernfs_notify() may be called from any context and bounces notifications
+ * through a work item.  To minimize space overhead in kernfs_node, the
+ * pending queue is implemented as a singly linked list of kernfs_nodes.
+ * The list is terminated with the self pointer so that whether a
+ * kernfs_node is on the list or not can be determined by testing the next
+ * pointer for NULL.
  */
-#define attribute_to_node(ptr, type, member)	\
-	container_of(ptr, type, member)
+#define KERNFS_NOTIFY_EOL			((void *)&kernfs_notify_list)
 
-static LLIST_HEAD(kernfs_notify_list);
+static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(kernfs_notify_lock);
+static struct kernfs_node *kernfs_notify_list = KERNFS_NOTIFY_EOL;
 
 static inline struct mutex *kernfs_open_file_mutex_ptr(struct kernfs_node *kn)
 {
@@ -909,16 +911,18 @@ static void kernfs_notify_workfn(struct work_struct *work)
 	struct kernfs_node *kn;
 	struct kernfs_super_info *info;
 	struct kernfs_root *root;
-	struct llist_node *free;
-	struct kernfs_elem_attr *attr;
 repeat:
 	/* pop one off the notify_list */
-	free = llist_del_first(&kernfs_notify_list);
-	if (free == NULL)
+	spin_lock_irq(&kernfs_notify_lock);
+	kn = kernfs_notify_list;
+	if (kn == KERNFS_NOTIFY_EOL) {
+		spin_unlock_irq(&kernfs_notify_lock);
 		return;
+	}
+	kernfs_notify_list = kn->attr.notify_next;
+	kn->attr.notify_next = NULL;
+	spin_unlock_irq(&kernfs_notify_lock);
 
-	attr = llist_entry(free, struct kernfs_elem_attr, notify_next);
-	kn = attribute_to_node(attr, struct kernfs_node, attr);
 	root = kernfs_root(kn);
 	/* kick fsnotify */
 	down_write(&root->kernfs_rwsem);
@@ -974,14 +978,12 @@ repeat:
 void kernfs_notify(struct kernfs_node *kn)
 {
 	static DECLARE_WORK(kernfs_notify_work, kernfs_notify_workfn);
+	unsigned long flags;
 	struct kernfs_open_node *on;
 
 	if (WARN_ON(kernfs_type(kn) != KERNFS_FILE))
 		return;
 
-	/* Because we are using llist for kernfs_notify_list */
-	WARN_ON_ONCE(in_nmi());
-
 	/* kick poll immediately */
 	rcu_read_lock();
 	on = rcu_dereference(kn->attr.open);
@@ -992,9 +994,14 @@ void kernfs_notify(struct kernfs_node *kn)
 	rcu_read_unlock();
 
 	/* schedule work to kick fsnotify */
-	kernfs_get(kn);
-	llist_add(&kn->attr.notify_next, &kernfs_notify_list);
-	schedule_work(&kernfs_notify_work);
+	spin_lock_irqsave(&kernfs_notify_lock, flags);
+	if (!kn->attr.notify_next) {
+		kernfs_get(kn);
+		kn->attr.notify_next = kernfs_notify_list;
+		kernfs_notify_list = kn;
+		schedule_work(&kernfs_notify_work);
+	}
+	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&kernfs_notify_lock, flags);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(kernfs_notify);
 
diff --git a/include/linux/kernfs.h b/include/linux/kernfs.h
index 13e703f615f7..367044d7708c 100644
--- a/include/linux/kernfs.h
+++ b/include/linux/kernfs.h
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ struct kernfs_elem_attr {
 	const struct kernfs_ops	*ops;
 	struct kernfs_open_node __rcu	*open;
 	loff_t			size;
-	struct llist_node	notify_next;	/* for kernfs_notify() */
+	struct kernfs_node	*notify_next;	/* for kernfs_notify() */
 };
 
 /*