diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
index c0237c602f11..755ee8164880 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
@@ -2835,6 +2835,27 @@ corrupt_out:
 	return XFS_ERROR(EFSCORRUPTED);
 }
 
+void
+xfs_promote_inode(
+	struct xfs_inode	*ip)
+{
+	struct xfs_buf		*bp;
+
+	ASSERT(xfs_isilocked(ip, XFS_ILOCK_EXCL|XFS_ILOCK_SHARED));
+
+	bp = xfs_incore(ip->i_mount->m_ddev_targp, ip->i_imap.im_blkno,
+			ip->i_imap.im_len, XBF_TRYLOCK);
+	if (!bp)
+		return;
+
+	if (XFS_BUF_ISDELAYWRITE(bp)) {
+		xfs_buf_delwri_promote(bp);
+		wake_up_process(ip->i_mount->m_ddev_targp->bt_task);
+	}
+
+	xfs_buf_relse(bp);
+}
+
 /*
  * Return a pointer to the extent record at file index idx.
  */
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
index 760140d1dd66..b4cd4739f98e 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
@@ -498,6 +498,7 @@ int		xfs_iunlink(struct xfs_trans *, xfs_inode_t *);
 void		xfs_iext_realloc(xfs_inode_t *, int, int);
 void		xfs_iunpin_wait(xfs_inode_t *);
 int		xfs_iflush(xfs_inode_t *, uint);
+void		xfs_promote_inode(struct xfs_inode *);
 void		xfs_lock_inodes(xfs_inode_t **, int, uint);
 void		xfs_lock_two_inodes(xfs_inode_t *, xfs_inode_t *, uint);
 
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_sync.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_sync.c
index aa3dc1a4d53d..be5c51d8f757 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_sync.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_sync.c
@@ -770,6 +770,17 @@ restart:
 	if (!xfs_iflock_nowait(ip)) {
 		if (!(sync_mode & SYNC_WAIT))
 			goto out;
+
+		/*
+		 * If we only have a single dirty inode in a cluster there is
+		 * a fair chance that the AIL push may have pushed it into
+		 * the buffer, but xfsbufd won't touch it until 30 seconds
+		 * from now, and thus we will lock up here.
+		 *
+		 * Promote the inode buffer to the front of the delwri list
+		 * and wake up xfsbufd now.
+		 */
+		xfs_promote_inode(ip);
 		xfs_iflock(ip);
 	}