diff --git a/src/share/vm/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp b/src/share/vm/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp
index df05521d05096fec2fb75b95e9d084be294fc1bf..c8b3a7d83a682f35007534c0b8b4afcda791b140 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/c1/c1_Runtime1.cpp
@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@ static void deopt_caller() {
     RegisterMap reg_map(thread, false);
     frame runtime_frame = thread->last_frame();
     frame caller_frame = runtime_frame.sender(&reg_map);
-    // bypass VM_DeoptimizeFrame and deoptimize the frame directly
     Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(thread, caller_frame.id());
     assert(caller_is_deopted(), "Must be deoptimized");
   }
@@ -368,8 +367,7 @@ JRT_BLOCK_ENTRY(address, Runtime1::counter_overflow(JavaThread* thread, int bci,
     if (osr_nm != NULL) {
       RegisterMap map(thread, false);
       frame fr =  thread->last_frame().sender(&map);
-      VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(thread, fr.id());
-      VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+      Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(thread, fr.id());
     }
   JRT_BLOCK_END
   return NULL;
@@ -441,8 +439,8 @@ JRT_ENTRY_NO_ASYNC(static address, exception_handler_for_pc_helper(JavaThread* t
     // We don't really want to deoptimize the nmethod itself since we
     // can actually continue in the exception handler ourselves but I
     // don't see an easy way to have the desired effect.
-    VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(thread, caller_frame.id());
-    VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+    Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(thread, caller_frame.id());
+    assert(caller_is_deopted(), "Must be deoptimized");
 
     return SharedRuntime::deopt_blob()->unpack_with_exception_in_tls();
   }
@@ -835,8 +833,7 @@ JRT_ENTRY(void, Runtime1::patch_code(JavaThread* thread, Runtime1::StubID stub_i
       nm->make_not_entrant();
     }
 
-    VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(thread, caller_frame.id());
-    VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+    Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(thread, caller_frame.id());
 
     // Return to the now deoptimized frame.
   }
diff --git a/src/share/vm/includeDB_features b/src/share/vm/includeDB_features
index 39e1149b06f97c67d9a9a81678fd375d6c5c4dae..401a67a941a03bf5fb47d8a2374dcae9fe119c76 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/includeDB_features
+++ b/src/share/vm/includeDB_features
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ jvmtiExtensions.hpp                     allocation.hpp
 jvmtiExtensions.hpp                     jvmti.h
 jvmtiExtensions.hpp                     jvmtiEnv.hpp
 
+jvmtiImpl.cpp                           deoptimization.hpp
 jvmtiImpl.cpp                           exceptions.hpp
 jvmtiImpl.cpp                           handles.hpp
 jvmtiImpl.cpp                           handles.inline.hpp
diff --git a/src/share/vm/includeDB_jvmti b/src/share/vm/includeDB_jvmti
index 704cf78afefc9cd6c278c820e54d83a79faad024..76a1128c5f4bf2f0df310cee09b54d736c4be3cd 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/includeDB_jvmti
+++ b/src/share/vm/includeDB_jvmti
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ jvmtiEnv.cpp                            vmThread.hpp
 jvmtiEnv.hpp                            jvmtiEnvBase.hpp
 
 jvmtiEnvBase.cpp                        biasedLocking.hpp
+jvmtiEnvBase.cpp                        deoptimization.hpp
 jvmtiEnvBase.cpp                        interfaceSupport.hpp
 jvmtiEnvBase.cpp                        jfieldIDWorkaround.hpp
 jvmtiEnvBase.cpp                        jvmtiEnv.hpp
diff --git a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnv.cpp b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnv.cpp
index bc2c20e409ba7f52953410c47152bfcf7f93dd9e..3c34771335c9b5902d63e8d9439410457722ecce 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnv.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnv.cpp
@@ -1407,8 +1407,7 @@ JvmtiEnv::PopFrame(JavaThread* java_thread) {
     // If any of the top 2 frames is a compiled one, need to deoptimize it
     for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
       if (!is_interpreted[i]) {
-        VM_DeoptimizeFrame op(java_thread, frame_sp[i]);
-        VMThread::execute(&op);
+        Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(java_thread, frame_sp[i]);
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnvBase.cpp b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnvBase.cpp
index 044b79fa258aa51681e7eee0e3114f3512720047..53af49971b8c4f452b3bccdc63eb7b6a4131cb07 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnvBase.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiEnvBase.cpp
@@ -1322,8 +1322,7 @@ JvmtiEnvBase::check_top_frame(JavaThread* current_thread, JavaThread* java_threa
     if (!vf->fr().can_be_deoptimized()) {
       return JVMTI_ERROR_OPAQUE_FRAME;
     }
-    VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(java_thread, jvf->fr().id());
-    VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+    Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(java_thread, jvf->fr().id());
   }
 
   // Get information about method return type
diff --git a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiImpl.cpp b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiImpl.cpp
index 0fb385d1e7f704267fef58a41eb1bbbca8dd2401..7f08baae18db918526a5fd871ea0a56123c139b8 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiImpl.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/prims/jvmtiImpl.cpp
@@ -799,8 +799,7 @@ void VM_GetOrSetLocal::doit() {
 
       // Schedule deoptimization so that eventually the local
       // update will be written to an interpreter frame.
-      VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(_jvf->thread(), _jvf->fr().id());
-      VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+      Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(_jvf->thread(), _jvf->fr().id());
 
       // Now store a new value for the local which will be applied
       // once deoptimization occurs. Note however that while this
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.cpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.cpp
index 4dd9e97059caa1e26bc68b0d3a2a76c965ff1fdf..e6a14d7100547b4aaf99ffc46c303fa02bea468f 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.cpp
@@ -1065,7 +1065,9 @@ void Deoptimization::deoptimize(JavaThread* thread, frame fr, RegisterMap *map)
 }
 
 
-void Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id) {
+void Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame_internal(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id) {
+  assert(thread == Thread::current() || SafepointSynchronize::is_at_safepoint(),
+         "can only deoptimize other thread at a safepoint");
   // Compute frame and register map based on thread and sp.
   RegisterMap reg_map(thread, UseBiasedLocking);
   frame fr = thread->last_frame();
@@ -1076,6 +1078,16 @@ void Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id) {
 }
 
 
+void Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id) {
+  if (thread == Thread::current()) {
+    Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame_internal(thread, id);
+  } else {
+    VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(thread, id);
+    VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+  }
+}
+
+
 // JVMTI PopFrame support
 JRT_LEAF(void, Deoptimization::popframe_preserve_args(JavaThread* thread, int bytes_to_save, void* start_address))
 {
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.hpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.hpp
index 83bccfd3fc5e43c44dd943470efe95ce26421745..c0b8c6f396f574c41cc427bfba2fcbda630a64e3 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/deoptimization.hpp
@@ -216,6 +216,10 @@ class Deoptimization : AllStatic {
   // Only called from VMDeoptimizeFrame
   // @argument thread.     Thread where stub_frame resides.
   // @argument id.         id of frame that should be deoptimized.
+  static void deoptimize_frame_internal(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id);
+
+  // If thread is not the current thread then execute
+  // VM_DeoptimizeFrame otherwise deoptimize directly.
   static void deoptimize_frame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id);
 
   // Statistics
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/safepoint.cpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/safepoint.cpp
index e1a1d432ec2b68994af262c65f08797bec1c392e..b7671271cd1b8d53b646401543137a23897c83fc 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/safepoint.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/safepoint.cpp
@@ -940,8 +940,7 @@ void ThreadSafepointState::handle_polling_page_exception() {
     // as otherwise we may never deliver it.
     if (thread()->has_async_condition()) {
       ThreadInVMfromJavaNoAsyncException __tiv(thread());
-      VM_DeoptimizeFrame deopt(thread(), caller_fr.id());
-      VMThread::execute(&deopt);
+      Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(thread(), caller_fr.id());
     }
 
     // If an exception has been installed we must check for a pending deoptimization
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.cpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.cpp
index d6cf352f6d77400d9e6944b2f8845aea65186e4d..f58509c66d3a21a2a779a5cea385b04f1ac26cd1 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.cpp
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ VM_DeoptimizeFrame::VM_DeoptimizeFrame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id) {
 
 
 void VM_DeoptimizeFrame::doit() {
-  Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame(_thread, _id);
+  Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame_internal(_thread, _id);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.hpp b/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.hpp
index bd0bebbc777d37a7152184aae83e997e44db2c82..f6d9d052476b40b9f9617b4cda8daaece7a549c1 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/runtime/vm_operations.hpp
@@ -231,12 +231,18 @@ class VM_Deoptimize: public VM_Operation {
   bool allow_nested_vm_operations() const        { return true; }
 };
 
+
+// Deopt helper that can deoptimize frames in threads other than the
+// current thread.  Only used through Deoptimization::deoptimize_frame.
 class VM_DeoptimizeFrame: public VM_Operation {
+  friend class Deoptimization;
+
  private:
   JavaThread* _thread;
   intptr_t*   _id;
- public:
   VM_DeoptimizeFrame(JavaThread* thread, intptr_t* id);
+
+ public:
   VMOp_Type type() const                         { return VMOp_DeoptimizeFrame; }
   void doit();
   bool allow_nested_vm_operations() const        { return true;  }