diff --git a/drivers/staging/erofs/unzip_vle.c b/drivers/staging/erofs/unzip_vle.c
index 14da8cc2246ae5541ee6f3ae1c198ee89516b7fb..0346630b67c8c34f7dbc3c1258d23bcddbcd6fa4 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/erofs/unzip_vle.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/erofs/unzip_vle.c
@@ -724,13 +724,18 @@ static void z_erofs_vle_unzip_kickoff(void *ptr, int bios)
 	struct z_erofs_vle_unzip_io *io = tagptr_unfold_ptr(t);
 	bool background = tagptr_unfold_tags(t);
 
-	if (atomic_add_return(bios, &io->pending_bios))
+	if (!background) {
+		unsigned long flags;
+
+		spin_lock_irqsave(&io->u.wait.lock, flags);
+		if (!atomic_add_return(bios, &io->pending_bios))
+			wake_up_locked(&io->u.wait);
+		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&io->u.wait.lock, flags);
 		return;
+	}
 
-	if (background)
+	if (!atomic_add_return(bios, &io->pending_bios))
 		queue_work(z_erofs_workqueue, &io->u.work);
-	else
-		wake_up(&io->u.wait);
 }
 
 static inline void z_erofs_vle_read_endio(struct bio *bio)