diff --git a/fs/autofs4/root.c b/fs/autofs4/root.c
index 5100f984783faa123caabf76ad97e1718bdea70e..27e17f96cada446d0858405493b46203fd0d57c3 100644
--- a/fs/autofs4/root.c
+++ b/fs/autofs4/root.c
@@ -137,7 +137,9 @@ static int autofs4_dir_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 		nd.flags = LOOKUP_DIRECTORY;
 		ret = (dentry->d_op->d_revalidate)(dentry, &nd);
 
-		if (!ret) {
+		if (ret <= 0) {
+			if (ret < 0)
+				status = ret;
 			dcache_dir_close(inode, file);
 			goto out;
 		}
@@ -400,13 +402,23 @@ static int autofs4_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, struct nameidata *nd)
 	struct autofs_sb_info *sbi = autofs4_sbi(dir->i_sb);
 	int oz_mode = autofs4_oz_mode(sbi);
 	int flags = nd ? nd->flags : 0;
-	int status = 0;
+	int status = 1;
 
 	/* Pending dentry */
 	if (autofs4_ispending(dentry)) {
-		if (!oz_mode)
-			status = try_to_fill_dentry(dentry, flags);
-		return !status;
+		/* The daemon never causes a mount to trigger */
+		if (oz_mode)
+			return 1;
+
+		/*
+		 * A zero status is success otherwise we have a
+		 * negative error code.
+		 */
+		status = try_to_fill_dentry(dentry, flags);
+		if (status == 0)
+				return 1;
+
+		return status;
 	}
 
 	/* Negative dentry.. invalidate if "old" */
@@ -421,9 +433,19 @@ static int autofs4_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, struct nameidata *nd)
 		DPRINTK("dentry=%p %.*s, emptydir",
 			 dentry, dentry->d_name.len, dentry->d_name.name);
 		spin_unlock(&dcache_lock);
-		if (!oz_mode)
-			status = try_to_fill_dentry(dentry, flags);
-		return !status;
+		/* The daemon never causes a mount to trigger */
+		if (oz_mode)
+			return 1;
+
+		/*
+		 * A zero status is success otherwise we have a
+		 * negative error code.
+		 */
+		status = try_to_fill_dentry(dentry, flags);
+		if (status == 0)
+			return 1;
+
+		return status;
 	}
 	spin_unlock(&dcache_lock);
 
diff --git a/fs/namei.c b/fs/namei.c
index 6b591c01b09fcbff6775cbcb8ca7fc8a62c195ca..808e4ea2bb9413a446743fbcdf10caae8d0baf2f 100644
--- a/fs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/namei.c
@@ -372,6 +372,30 @@ void release_open_intent(struct nameidata *nd)
 		fput(nd->intent.open.file);
 }
 
+static inline struct dentry *
+do_revalidate(struct dentry *dentry, struct nameidata *nd)
+{
+	int status = dentry->d_op->d_revalidate(dentry, nd);
+	if (unlikely(status <= 0)) {
+		/*
+		 * The dentry failed validation.
+		 * If d_revalidate returned 0 attempt to invalidate
+		 * the dentry otherwise d_revalidate is asking us
+		 * to return a fail status.
+		 */
+		if (!status) {
+			if (!d_invalidate(dentry)) {
+				dput(dentry);
+				dentry = NULL;
+			}
+		} else {
+			dput(dentry);
+			dentry = ERR_PTR(status);
+		}
+	}
+	return dentry;
+}
+
 /*
  * Internal lookup() using the new generic dcache.
  * SMP-safe
@@ -386,12 +410,9 @@ static struct dentry * cached_lookup(struct dentry * parent, struct qstr * name,
 	if (!dentry)
 		dentry = d_lookup(parent, name);
 
-	if (dentry && dentry->d_op && dentry->d_op->d_revalidate) {
-		if (!dentry->d_op->d_revalidate(dentry, nd) && !d_invalidate(dentry)) {
-			dput(dentry);
-			dentry = NULL;
-		}
-	}
+	if (dentry && dentry->d_op && dentry->d_op->d_revalidate)
+		dentry = do_revalidate(dentry, nd);
+
 	return dentry;
 }
 
@@ -484,10 +505,9 @@ static struct dentry * real_lookup(struct dentry * parent, struct qstr * name, s
 	 */
 	mutex_unlock(&dir->i_mutex);
 	if (result->d_op && result->d_op->d_revalidate) {
-		if (!result->d_op->d_revalidate(result, nd) && !d_invalidate(result)) {
-			dput(result);
+		result = do_revalidate(result, nd);
+		if (!result)
 			result = ERR_PTR(-ENOENT);
-		}
 	}
 	return result;
 }
@@ -767,12 +787,12 @@ static int do_lookup(struct nameidata *nd, struct qstr *name,
 	goto done;
 
 need_revalidate:
-	if (dentry->d_op->d_revalidate(dentry, nd))
-		goto done;
-	if (d_invalidate(dentry))
-		goto done;
-	dput(dentry);
-	goto need_lookup;
+	dentry = do_revalidate(dentry, nd);
+	if (!dentry)
+		goto need_lookup;
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		goto fail;
+	goto done;
 
 fail:
 	return PTR_ERR(dentry);