diff --git a/fs/io_uring.c b/fs/io_uring.c
index 0f0c052aea49a5004730550dd03860f07304dbd5..6b13efe414bcda9c4137e943b94faed035137182 100644
--- a/fs/io_uring.c
+++ b/fs/io_uring.c
@@ -2931,6 +2931,14 @@ 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);
 
 	/*