diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/debug.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/debug.h
index c57d8ea0716c..59a7889e15db 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/debug.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/debug.h
@@ -60,17 +60,17 @@ struct rpc_xprt;
 #if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SUNRPC_DEBUG)
 void		rpc_register_sysctl(void);
 void		rpc_unregister_sysctl(void);
-int		sunrpc_debugfs_init(void);
+void		sunrpc_debugfs_init(void);
 void		sunrpc_debugfs_exit(void);
-int		rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_clnt *);
+void		rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_clnt *);
 void		rpc_clnt_debugfs_unregister(struct rpc_clnt *);
-int		rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_xprt *);
+void		rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_xprt *);
 void		rpc_xprt_debugfs_unregister(struct rpc_xprt *);
 #else
-static inline int
+static inline void
 sunrpc_debugfs_init(void)
 {
-	return 0;
+	return;
 }
 
 static inline void
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ sunrpc_debugfs_exit(void)
 	return;
 }
 
-static inline int
+static inline void
 rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_clnt *clnt)
 {
-	return 0;
+	return;
 }
 
 static inline void
@@ -91,10 +91,10 @@ rpc_clnt_debugfs_unregister(struct rpc_clnt *clnt)
 	return;
 }
 
-static inline int
+static inline void
 rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_xprt *xprt)
 {
-	return 0;
+	return;
 }
 
 static inline void
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
index 612aa73bbc60..e6ce1517367f 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
@@ -303,9 +303,7 @@ static int rpc_client_register(struct rpc_clnt *clnt,
 	struct super_block *pipefs_sb;
 	int err;
 
-	err = rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(clnt);
-	if (err)
-		return err;
+	rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(clnt);
 
 	pipefs_sb = rpc_get_sb_net(net);
 	if (pipefs_sb) {
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/debugfs.c b/net/sunrpc/debugfs.c
index e811f390f9f6..82962f7e6e88 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/debugfs.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/debugfs.c
@@ -129,48 +129,52 @@ static const struct file_operations tasks_fops = {
 	.release	= tasks_release,
 };
 
-int
+void
 rpc_clnt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_clnt *clnt)
 {
-	int len, err;
+	int len;
 	char name[24]; /* enough for "../../rpc_xprt/ + 8 hex digits + NULL */
+	struct rpc_xprt *xprt;
 
 	/* Already registered? */
-	if (clnt->cl_debugfs)
-		return 0;
+	if (clnt->cl_debugfs || !rpc_clnt_dir)
+		return;
 
 	len = snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "%x", clnt->cl_clid);
 	if (len >= sizeof(name))
-		return -EINVAL;
+		return;
 
 	/* make the per-client dir */
 	clnt->cl_debugfs = debugfs_create_dir(name, rpc_clnt_dir);
 	if (!clnt->cl_debugfs)
-		return -ENOMEM;
+		return;
 
 	/* make tasks file */
-	err = -ENOMEM;
 	if (!debugfs_create_file("tasks", S_IFREG | S_IRUSR, clnt->cl_debugfs,
 				 clnt, &tasks_fops))
 		goto out_err;
 
-	err = -EINVAL;
 	rcu_read_lock();
+	xprt = rcu_dereference(clnt->cl_xprt);
+	/* no "debugfs" dentry? Don't bother with the symlink. */
+	if (!xprt->debugfs) {
+		rcu_read_unlock();
+		return;
+	}
 	len = snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "../../rpc_xprt/%s",
-			rcu_dereference(clnt->cl_xprt)->debugfs->d_name.name);
+			xprt->debugfs->d_name.name);
 	rcu_read_unlock();
+
 	if (len >= sizeof(name))
 		goto out_err;
 
-	err = -ENOMEM;
 	if (!debugfs_create_symlink("xprt", clnt->cl_debugfs, name))
 		goto out_err;
 
-	return 0;
+	return;
 out_err:
 	debugfs_remove_recursive(clnt->cl_debugfs);
 	clnt->cl_debugfs = NULL;
-	return err;
 }
 
 void
@@ -226,33 +230,33 @@ static const struct file_operations xprt_info_fops = {
 	.release	= xprt_info_release,
 };
 
-int
+void
 rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(struct rpc_xprt *xprt)
 {
 	int len, id;
 	static atomic_t	cur_id;
 	char		name[9]; /* 8 hex digits + NULL term */
 
+	if (!rpc_xprt_dir)
+		return;
+
 	id = (unsigned int)atomic_inc_return(&cur_id);
 
 	len = snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "%x", id);
 	if (len >= sizeof(name))
-		return -EINVAL;
+		return;
 
 	/* make the per-client dir */
 	xprt->debugfs = debugfs_create_dir(name, rpc_xprt_dir);
 	if (!xprt->debugfs)
-		return -ENOMEM;
+		return;
 
 	/* make tasks file */
 	if (!debugfs_create_file("info", S_IFREG | S_IRUSR, xprt->debugfs,
 				 xprt, &xprt_info_fops)) {
 		debugfs_remove_recursive(xprt->debugfs);
 		xprt->debugfs = NULL;
-		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
-
-	return 0;
 }
 
 void
@@ -266,14 +270,17 @@ void __exit
 sunrpc_debugfs_exit(void)
 {
 	debugfs_remove_recursive(topdir);
+	topdir = NULL;
+	rpc_clnt_dir = NULL;
+	rpc_xprt_dir = NULL;
 }
 
-int __init
+void __init
 sunrpc_debugfs_init(void)
 {
 	topdir = debugfs_create_dir("sunrpc", NULL);
 	if (!topdir)
-		goto out;
+		return;
 
 	rpc_clnt_dir = debugfs_create_dir("rpc_clnt", topdir);
 	if (!rpc_clnt_dir)
@@ -283,10 +290,9 @@ sunrpc_debugfs_init(void)
 	if (!rpc_xprt_dir)
 		goto out_remove;
 
-	return 0;
+	return;
 out_remove:
 	debugfs_remove_recursive(topdir);
 	topdir = NULL;
-out:
-	return -ENOMEM;
+	rpc_clnt_dir = NULL;
 }
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/sunrpc_syms.c b/net/sunrpc/sunrpc_syms.c
index e37fbed87956..ee5d3d253102 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/sunrpc_syms.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/sunrpc_syms.c
@@ -98,10 +98,7 @@ init_sunrpc(void)
 	if (err)
 		goto out4;
 
-	err = sunrpc_debugfs_init();
-	if (err)
-		goto out5;
-
+	sunrpc_debugfs_init();
 #if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SUNRPC_DEBUG)
 	rpc_register_sysctl();
 #endif
@@ -109,8 +106,6 @@ init_sunrpc(void)
 	init_socket_xprt();	/* clnt sock transport */
 	return 0;
 
-out5:
-	unregister_rpc_pipefs();
 out4:
 	unregister_pernet_subsys(&sunrpc_net_ops);
 out3:
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprt.c b/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
index e3015aede0d9..9949722d99ce 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprt.c
@@ -1331,7 +1331,6 @@ static void xprt_init(struct rpc_xprt *xprt, struct net *net)
  */
 struct rpc_xprt *xprt_create_transport(struct xprt_create *args)
 {
-	int err;
 	struct rpc_xprt	*xprt;
 	struct xprt_class *t;
 
@@ -1372,11 +1371,7 @@ found:
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 	}
 
-	err = rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(xprt);
-	if (err) {
-		xprt_destroy(xprt);
-		return ERR_PTR(err);
-	}
+	rpc_xprt_debugfs_register(xprt);
 
 	dprintk("RPC:       created transport %p with %u slots\n", xprt,
 			xprt->max_reqs);