diff --git a/fs/io_uring.c b/fs/io_uring.c
index f0c15a73797fd7c9ba560fbccbe13844e737d6e2..ce1c9228c72df8175c78248528a02572d5c18c72 100644
--- a/fs/io_uring.c
+++ b/fs/io_uring.c
@@ -2934,6 +2934,14 @@ static int __io_uring_register(struct io_ring_ctx *ctx, unsigned opcode,
 {
 	int ret;
 
+	/*
+	 * We're inside the ring mutex, if the ref is already dying, then
+	 * someone else killed the ctx or is already going through
+	 * io_uring_register().
+	 */
+	if (percpu_ref_is_dying(&ctx->refs))
+		return -ENXIO;
+
 	percpu_ref_kill(&ctx->refs);
 
 	/*