diff --git a/drivers/ata/libata-core.c b/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
index d19c37a7abc9..677c0c1b03bd 100644
--- a/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
+++ b/drivers/ata/libata-core.c
@@ -4798,9 +4798,8 @@ void swap_buf_le16(u16 *buf, unsigned int buf_words)
 static struct ata_queued_cmd *ata_qc_new(struct ata_port *ap)
 {
 	struct ata_queued_cmd *qc = NULL;
-	unsigned int i, tag, max_queue;
-
-	max_queue = ap->scsi_host->can_queue;
+	unsigned int max_queue = ap->host->n_tags;
+	unsigned int i, tag;
 
 	/* no command while frozen */
 	if (unlikely(ap->pflags & ATA_PFLAG_FROZEN))
@@ -6094,6 +6093,7 @@ void ata_host_init(struct ata_host *host, struct device *dev,
 {
 	spin_lock_init(&host->lock);
 	mutex_init(&host->eh_mutex);
+	host->n_tags = ATA_MAX_QUEUE - 1;
 	host->dev = dev;
 	host->ops = ops;
 }
@@ -6175,15 +6175,7 @@ int ata_host_register(struct ata_host *host, struct scsi_host_template *sht)
 {
 	int i, rc;
 
-	/*
-	 * The max queue supported by hardware must not be greater than
-	 * ATA_MAX_QUEUE.
-	 */
-	if (sht->can_queue > ATA_MAX_QUEUE) {
-		dev_err(host->dev, "BUG: the hardware max queue is too large\n");
-		WARN_ON(1);
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
+	host->n_tags = clamp(sht->can_queue, 1, ATA_MAX_QUEUE - 1);
 
 	/* host must have been started */
 	if (!(host->flags & ATA_HOST_STARTED)) {
diff --git a/include/linux/libata.h b/include/linux/libata.h
index 5ab4e3a76721..92abb497ab14 100644
--- a/include/linux/libata.h
+++ b/include/linux/libata.h
@@ -593,6 +593,7 @@ struct ata_host {
 	struct device 		*dev;
 	void __iomem * const	*iomap;
 	unsigned int		n_ports;
+	unsigned int		n_tags;			/* nr of NCQ tags */
 	void			*private_data;
 	struct ata_port_operations *ops;
 	unsigned long		flags;