diff --git a/fs/debugfs/file.c b/fs/debugfs/file.c
index 87b3753aa4b1..e00189aebbf4 100644
--- a/fs/debugfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/debugfs/file.c
@@ -84,6 +84,14 @@ int debugfs_file_get(struct dentry *dentry)
 	struct debugfs_fsdata *fsd;
 	void *d_fsd;
 
+	/*
+	 * This could only happen if some debugfs user erroneously calls
+	 * debugfs_file_get() on a dentry that isn't even a file, let
+	 * them know about it.
+	 */
+	if (WARN_ON(!d_is_reg(dentry)))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	d_fsd = READ_ONCE(dentry->d_fsdata);
 	if (!((unsigned long)d_fsd & DEBUGFS_FSDATA_IS_REAL_FOPS_BIT)) {
 		fsd = d_fsd;
diff --git a/fs/debugfs/inode.c b/fs/debugfs/inode.c
index 83e57e9f9fa0..dcde4199a625 100644
--- a/fs/debugfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/debugfs/inode.c
@@ -236,17 +236,19 @@ static const struct super_operations debugfs_super_operations = {
 
 static void debugfs_release_dentry(struct dentry *dentry)
 {
-	void *fsd = dentry->d_fsdata;
+	struct debugfs_fsdata *fsd = dentry->d_fsdata;
 
-	if (!((unsigned long)fsd & DEBUGFS_FSDATA_IS_REAL_FOPS_BIT))
-		kfree(dentry->d_fsdata);
+	if ((unsigned long)fsd & DEBUGFS_FSDATA_IS_REAL_FOPS_BIT)
+		return;
+
+	kfree(fsd);
 }
 
 static struct vfsmount *debugfs_automount(struct path *path)
 {
-	debugfs_automount_t f;
-	f = (debugfs_automount_t)path->dentry->d_fsdata;
-	return f(path->dentry, d_inode(path->dentry)->i_private);
+	struct debugfs_fsdata *fsd = path->dentry->d_fsdata;
+
+	return fsd->automount(path->dentry, d_inode(path->dentry)->i_private);
 }
 
 static const struct dentry_operations debugfs_dops = {
@@ -634,13 +636,23 @@ struct dentry *debugfs_create_automount(const char *name,
 					void *data)
 {
 	struct dentry *dentry = start_creating(name, parent);
+	struct debugfs_fsdata *fsd;
 	struct inode *inode;
 
 	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
 		return dentry;
 
+	fsd = kzalloc(sizeof(*fsd), GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!fsd) {
+		failed_creating(dentry);
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+	}
+
+	fsd->automount = f;
+
 	if (!(debugfs_allow & DEBUGFS_ALLOW_API)) {
 		failed_creating(dentry);
+		kfree(fsd);
 		return ERR_PTR(-EPERM);
 	}
 
@@ -648,13 +660,14 @@ struct dentry *debugfs_create_automount(const char *name,
 	if (unlikely(!inode)) {
 		pr_err("out of free dentries, can not create automount '%s'\n",
 		       name);
+		kfree(fsd);
 		return failed_creating(dentry);
 	}
 
 	make_empty_dir_inode(inode);
 	inode->i_flags |= S_AUTOMOUNT;
 	inode->i_private = data;
-	dentry->d_fsdata = (void *)f;
+	dentry->d_fsdata = fsd;
 	/* directory inodes start off with i_nlink == 2 (for "." entry) */
 	inc_nlink(inode);
 	d_instantiate(dentry, inode);
diff --git a/fs/debugfs/internal.h b/fs/debugfs/internal.h
index 92af8ae31313..f7c489b5a368 100644
--- a/fs/debugfs/internal.h
+++ b/fs/debugfs/internal.h
@@ -17,8 +17,14 @@ extern const struct file_operations debugfs_full_proxy_file_operations;
 
 struct debugfs_fsdata {
 	const struct file_operations *real_fops;
-	refcount_t active_users;
-	struct completion active_users_drained;
+	union {
+		/* automount_fn is used when real_fops is NULL */
+		debugfs_automount_t automount;
+		struct {
+			refcount_t active_users;
+			struct completion active_users_drained;
+		};
+	};
 };
 
 /*