diff --git a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
index 783ea3bac7dc19c371479322f33a3e48c2ef0ee4..39021bf2df9a9c0cb702f2ca427c640a02a8c3c9 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
@@ -5144,8 +5144,9 @@ int btrfs_search_forward(struct btrfs_root *root, struct btrfs_key *min_key,
 	u32 nritems;
 	int level;
 	int ret = 1;
+	int keep_locks = path->keep_locks;
 
-	WARN_ON(!path->keep_locks);
+	path->keep_locks = 1;
 again:
 	cur = btrfs_read_lock_root_node(root);
 	level = btrfs_header_level(cur);
@@ -5209,7 +5210,6 @@ int btrfs_search_forward(struct btrfs_root *root, struct btrfs_key *min_key,
 		path->slots[level] = slot;
 		if (level == path->lowest_level) {
 			ret = 0;
-			unlock_up(path, level, 1, 0, NULL);
 			goto out;
 		}
 		btrfs_set_path_blocking(path);
@@ -5224,9 +5224,12 @@ int btrfs_search_forward(struct btrfs_root *root, struct btrfs_key *min_key,
 		btrfs_clear_path_blocking(path, NULL, 0);
 	}
 out:
-	if (ret == 0)
+	path->keep_locks = keep_locks;
+	if (ret == 0) {
+		btrfs_unlock_up_safe(path, path->lowest_level + 1);
+		btrfs_set_path_blocking(path);
 		memcpy(min_key, &found_key, sizeof(found_key));
-	btrfs_set_path_blocking(path);
+	}
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/ioctl.c b/fs/btrfs/ioctl.c
index 4492e017bdb216ae6d58a71e24b8e5d589ec8a97..85ca3cce8554931cd0346dd1e61ac8f8fe28a751 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/ioctl.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/ioctl.c
@@ -936,12 +936,9 @@ static int find_new_extents(struct btrfs_root *root,
 	min_key.offset = *off;
 
 	while (1) {
-		path->keep_locks = 1;
 		ret = btrfs_search_forward(root, &min_key, path, newer_than);
 		if (ret != 0)
 			goto none;
-		path->keep_locks = 0;
-		btrfs_unlock_up_safe(path, 1);
 process_slot:
 		if (min_key.objectid != ino)
 			goto none;
@@ -2088,8 +2085,6 @@ static noinline int search_ioctl(struct inode *inode,
 	key.type = sk->min_type;
 	key.offset = sk->min_offset;
 
-	path->keep_locks = 1;
-
 	while (1) {
 		ret = btrfs_search_forward(root, &key, path, sk->min_transid);
 		if (ret != 0) {
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c b/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
index 7b6d1428f033bf3b1465de7682658bde1bedef63..82db14f5cf87838c86738df43a29db89cd7ca3e2 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/tree-log.c
@@ -2983,8 +2983,6 @@ static noinline int log_dir_items(struct btrfs_trans_handle *trans,
 	min_key.type = key_type;
 	min_key.offset = min_offset;
 
-	path->keep_locks = 1;
-
 	ret = btrfs_search_forward(root, &min_key, path, trans->transid);
 
 	/*
@@ -3964,7 +3962,6 @@ static int btrfs_log_inode(struct btrfs_trans_handle *trans,
 		err = ret;
 		goto out_unlock;
 	}
-	path->keep_locks = 1;
 
 	while (1) {
 		ins_nr = 0;
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/uuid-tree.c b/fs/btrfs/uuid-tree.c
index f6a4c03ee7d8fc1cf3aedc3f2b8edf0007992ff7..778282944530f6baba8a27037e191d28922421a1 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/uuid-tree.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/uuid-tree.c
@@ -279,7 +279,6 @@ int btrfs_uuid_tree_iterate(struct btrfs_fs_info *fs_info,
 	key.offset = 0;
 
 again_search_slot:
-	path->keep_locks = 1;
 	ret = btrfs_search_forward(root, &key, path, 0);
 	if (ret) {
 		if (ret > 0)
diff --git a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
index 46cd29ad31566abe31bdbd3ea8c8e4d0c8d256b0..ff8386eb3367c05b312d98b100d0e4cc82a33a0f 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/volumes.c
@@ -3625,8 +3625,6 @@ static int btrfs_uuid_scan_kthread(void *data)
 	max_key.type = BTRFS_ROOT_ITEM_KEY;
 	max_key.offset = (u64)-1;
 
-	path->keep_locks = 1;
-
 	while (1) {
 		ret = btrfs_search_forward(root, &key, path, 0);
 		if (ret) {