diff --git a/fs/ext4/file.c b/fs/ext4/file.c
index 86ea1d92839aac834e51b2e29d943c6f6abc2867..197653ea60417aebac8284e69060a6e3e072ca69 100644
--- a/fs/ext4/file.c
+++ b/fs/ext4/file.c
@@ -279,7 +279,20 @@ static int ext4_dax_huge_fault(struct vm_fault *vmf,
 	handle_t *handle = NULL;
 	struct inode *inode = file_inode(vmf->vma->vm_file);
 	struct super_block *sb = inode->i_sb;
-	bool write = vmf->flags & FAULT_FLAG_WRITE;
+
+	/*
+	 * We have to distinguish real writes from writes which will result in a
+	 * COW page; COW writes should *not* poke the journal (the file will not
+	 * be changed). Doing so would cause unintended failures when mounted
+	 * read-only.
+	 *
+	 * We check for VM_SHARED rather than vmf->cow_page since the latter is
+	 * unset for pe_size != PE_SIZE_PTE (i.e. only in do_cow_fault); for
+	 * other sizes, dax_iomap_fault will handle splitting / fallback so that
+	 * we eventually come back with a COW page.
+	 */
+	bool write = (vmf->flags & FAULT_FLAG_WRITE) &&
+		(vmf->vma->vm_flags & VM_SHARED);
 
 	if (write) {
 		sb_start_pagefault(sb);