diff --git a/mm/vmscan.c b/mm/vmscan.c
index 2f7c6ae8fae07c23c0e539ef97f756448943920e..387422470c9517e32af97c4d85cfb3247c7d70e3 100644
--- a/mm/vmscan.c
+++ b/mm/vmscan.c
@@ -276,6 +276,21 @@ unsigned long shrink_slab(struct shrink_control *shrink,
 			total_scan = max_pass;
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * We need to avoid excessive windup on filesystem shrinkers
+		 * due to large numbers of GFP_NOFS allocations causing the
+		 * shrinkers to return -1 all the time. This results in a large
+		 * nr being built up so when a shrink that can do some work
+		 * comes along it empties the entire cache due to nr >>>
+		 * max_pass.  This is bad for sustaining a working set in
+		 * memory.
+		 *
+		 * Hence only allow the shrinker to scan the entire cache when
+		 * a large delta change is calculated directly.
+		 */
+		if (delta < max_pass / 4)
+			total_scan = min(total_scan, max_pass / 2);
+
 		/*
 		 * Avoid risking looping forever due to too large nr value:
 		 * never try to free more than twice the estimate number of