diff --git a/fs/ceph/snap.c b/fs/ceph/snap.c
index 43bef8f40dee..e1b9b224fcb2 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/snap.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/snap.c
@@ -67,19 +67,19 @@ void ceph_get_snap_realm(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 {
 	lockdep_assert_held(&mdsc->snap_rwsem);
 
-	dout("get_realm %p %d -> %d\n", realm,
-	     atomic_read(&realm->nref), atomic_read(&realm->nref)+1);
 	/*
-	 * since we _only_ increment realm refs or empty the empty
-	 * list with snap_rwsem held, adjusting the empty list here is
-	 * safe.  we do need to protect against concurrent empty list
-	 * additions, however.
+	 * The 0->1 and 1->0 transitions must take the snap_empty_lock
+	 * atomically with the refcount change. Go ahead and bump the
+	 * nref here, unless it's 0, in which case we take the spinlock
+	 * and then do the increment and remove it from the list.
 	 */
-	if (atomic_inc_return(&realm->nref) == 1) {
-		spin_lock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
+	if (atomic_inc_not_zero(&realm->nref))
+		return;
+
+	spin_lock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
+	if (atomic_inc_return(&realm->nref) == 1)
 		list_del_init(&realm->empty_item);
-		spin_unlock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
-	}
+	spin_unlock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
 }
 
 static void __insert_snap_realm(struct rb_root *root,
@@ -208,28 +208,28 @@ static void __put_snap_realm(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 {
 	lockdep_assert_held_write(&mdsc->snap_rwsem);
 
-	dout("__put_snap_realm %llx %p %d -> %d\n", realm->ino, realm,
-	     atomic_read(&realm->nref), atomic_read(&realm->nref)-1);
+	/*
+	 * We do not require the snap_empty_lock here, as any caller that
+	 * increments the value must hold the snap_rwsem.
+	 */
 	if (atomic_dec_and_test(&realm->nref))
 		__destroy_snap_realm(mdsc, realm);
 }
 
 /*
- * caller needn't hold any locks
+ * See comments in ceph_get_snap_realm. Caller needn't hold any locks.
  */
 void ceph_put_snap_realm(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 			 struct ceph_snap_realm *realm)
 {
-	dout("put_snap_realm %llx %p %d -> %d\n", realm->ino, realm,
-	     atomic_read(&realm->nref), atomic_read(&realm->nref)-1);
-	if (!atomic_dec_and_test(&realm->nref))
+	if (!atomic_dec_and_lock(&realm->nref, &mdsc->snap_empty_lock))
 		return;
 
 	if (down_write_trylock(&mdsc->snap_rwsem)) {
+		spin_unlock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
 		__destroy_snap_realm(mdsc, realm);
 		up_write(&mdsc->snap_rwsem);
 	} else {
-		spin_lock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
 		list_add(&realm->empty_item, &mdsc->snap_empty);
 		spin_unlock(&mdsc->snap_empty_lock);
 	}