diff --git a/drivers/of/base.c b/drivers/of/base.c
index ed3e70b84957b3ddbd24db41cfbdab3df31890f2..418a4ff9d97cb778c53ddf77b44898ac581fc1e2 100644
--- a/drivers/of/base.c
+++ b/drivers/of/base.c
@@ -246,10 +246,19 @@ static int __of_node_add(struct device_node *np)
 int of_node_add(struct device_node *np)
 {
 	int rc = 0;
-	kobject_init(&np->kobj, &of_node_ktype);
+
+	BUG_ON(!of_node_is_initialized(np));
+
+	/*
+	 * Grab the mutex here so that in a race condition between of_init() and
+	 * of_node_add(), node addition will still be consistent.
+	 */
 	mutex_lock(&of_aliases_mutex);
 	if (of_kset)
 		rc = __of_node_add(np);
+	else
+		/* This scenario may be perfectly valid, but report it anyway */
+		pr_info("of_node_add(%s) before of_init()\n", np->full_name);
 	mutex_unlock(&of_aliases_mutex);
 	return rc;
 }
@@ -259,10 +268,17 @@ static void of_node_remove(struct device_node *np)
 {
 	struct property *pp;
 
-	for_each_property_of_node(np, pp)
-		sysfs_remove_bin_file(&np->kobj, &pp->attr);
+	BUG_ON(!of_node_is_initialized(np));
+
+	/* only remove properties if on sysfs */
+	if (of_node_is_attached(np)) {
+		for_each_property_of_node(np, pp)
+			sysfs_remove_bin_file(&np->kobj, &pp->attr);
+		kobject_del(&np->kobj);
+	}
 
-	kobject_del(&np->kobj);
+	/* finally remove the kobj_init ref */
+	of_node_put(np);
 }
 #endif
 
@@ -1631,6 +1647,10 @@ static int of_property_notify(int action, struct device_node *np,
 {
 	struct of_prop_reconfig pr;
 
+	/* only call notifiers if the node is attached */
+	if (!of_node_is_attached(np))
+		return 0;
+
 	pr.dn = np;
 	pr.prop = prop;
 	return of_reconfig_notify(action, &pr);
@@ -1682,11 +1702,8 @@ int of_add_property(struct device_node *np, struct property *prop)
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
 
-	/* at early boot, bail hear and defer setup to of_init() */
-	if (!of_kset)
-		return 0;
-
-	__of_add_property_sysfs(np, prop);
+	if (of_node_is_attached(np))
+		__of_add_property_sysfs(np, prop);
 
 	return rc;
 }
diff --git a/drivers/of/fdt.c b/drivers/of/fdt.c
index 96ad1ab7f9d64075cab8c8413d52e8c5907c595b..70ccc36513e7210327e359900b943bbcf3a69cc7 100644
--- a/drivers/of/fdt.c
+++ b/drivers/of/fdt.c
@@ -202,6 +202,7 @@ static void * unflatten_dt_node(struct boot_param_header *blob,
 				__alignof__(struct device_node));
 	if (allnextpp) {
 		char *fn;
+		of_node_init(np);
 		np->full_name = fn = ((char *)np) + sizeof(*np);
 		if (new_format) {
 			/* rebuild full path for new format */
@@ -326,8 +327,6 @@ static void * unflatten_dt_node(struct boot_param_header *blob,
 			np->name = "<NULL>";
 		if (!np->type)
 			np->type = "<NULL>";
-
-		of_node_add(np);
 	}
 	while (tag == OF_DT_BEGIN_NODE || tag == OF_DT_NOP) {
 		if (tag == OF_DT_NOP)
diff --git a/drivers/of/pdt.c b/drivers/of/pdt.c
index e64fa3d3da5f74529cb9d1275807227eb0760e0d..36b4035881b0e4c9ffc65dd84cc6fb115cda2c1a 100644
--- a/drivers/of/pdt.c
+++ b/drivers/of/pdt.c
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ static struct device_node * __init of_pdt_create_node(phandle node,
 		return NULL;
 
 	dp = prom_early_alloc(sizeof(*dp));
+	of_node_init(dp);
 	of_pdt_incr_unique_id(dp);
 	dp->parent = parent;
 
@@ -213,7 +214,6 @@ static struct device_node * __init of_pdt_build_tree(struct device_node *parent,
 		*nextp = &dp->allnext;
 
 		dp->full_name = of_pdt_build_full_name(dp);
-		of_node_add(dp);
 
 		dp->child = of_pdt_build_tree(dp,
 				of_pdt_prom_ops->getchild(node), nextp);
@@ -244,7 +244,6 @@ void __init of_pdt_build_devicetree(phandle root_node, struct of_pdt_ops *ops)
 	of_allnodes->path_component_name = "";
 #endif
 	of_allnodes->full_name = "/";
-	of_node_add(of_allnodes);
 
 	nextp = &of_allnodes->allnext;
 	of_allnodes->child = of_pdt_build_tree(of_allnodes,
diff --git a/include/linux/of.h b/include/linux/of.h
index 257994a420f3cfd4d25c476847dc0661b44be909..a8b9dad90c64a1e6453c915421d52ca3b26d3fae 100644
--- a/include/linux/of.h
+++ b/include/linux/of.h
@@ -76,6 +76,25 @@ struct of_phandle_args {
 
 extern int of_node_add(struct device_node *node);
 
+/* initialize a node */
+extern struct kobj_type of_node_ktype;
+static inline void of_node_init(struct device_node *node)
+{
+	kobject_init(&node->kobj, &of_node_ktype);
+}
+
+/* true when node is initialized */
+static inline int of_node_is_initialized(struct device_node *node)
+{
+	return node && node->kobj.state_initialized;
+}
+
+/* true when node is attached (i.e. present on sysfs) */
+static inline int of_node_is_attached(struct device_node *node)
+{
+	return node && node->kobj.state_in_sysfs;
+}
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_OF_DYNAMIC
 extern struct device_node *of_node_get(struct device_node *node);
 extern void of_node_put(struct device_node *node);