diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs_example.c b/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs_example.c
index 25151fd5c2c6f032a0cc95d57d213d7fa4fcdf18..039648791701f6e1b74a970d36f361cab695ab64 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs_example.c
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/configfs/configfs_example.c
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ static struct config_item *simple_children_make_item(struct config_group *group,
 
 	simple_child = kzalloc(sizeof(struct simple_child), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!simple_child)
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 
 	config_item_init_type_name(&simple_child->item, name,
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ static struct config_group *group_children_make_group(struct config_group *group
 	simple_children = kzalloc(sizeof(struct simple_children),
 				  GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!simple_children)
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 
 	config_group_init_type_name(&simple_children->group, name,
diff --git a/drivers/net/netconsole.c b/drivers/net/netconsole.c
index 665341e43055a3079465354f91c31b315d70e034..e13966bb5f7749d8462e76fb3d9aa802b80eab46 100644
--- a/drivers/net/netconsole.c
+++ b/drivers/net/netconsole.c
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ static struct config_item *make_netconsole_target(struct config_group *group,
 	nt = kzalloc(sizeof(*nt), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!nt) {
 		printk(KERN_ERR "netconsole: failed to allocate memory\n");
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 	}
 
 	nt->np.name = "netconsole";
diff --git a/fs/configfs/dir.c b/fs/configfs/dir.c
index 614e382a60491b0b3446ef32342eac013e0abed3..179589be063abe97ba0d10a1982bdea244488d36 100644
--- a/fs/configfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/configfs/dir.c
@@ -1027,9 +1027,10 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL(configfs_undepend_item);
 
 static int configfs_mkdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, int mode)
 {
-	int ret, module_got = 0;
-	struct config_group *group;
-	struct config_item *item;
+	int ret = 0;
+	int module_got = 0;
+	struct config_group *group = NULL;
+	struct config_item *item = NULL;
 	struct config_item *parent_item;
 	struct configfs_subsystem *subsys;
 	struct configfs_dirent *sd;
@@ -1070,28 +1071,32 @@ static int configfs_mkdir(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry, int mode)
 	snprintf(name, dentry->d_name.len + 1, "%s", dentry->d_name.name);
 
 	mutex_lock(&subsys->su_mutex);
-	group = NULL;
-	item = NULL;
 	if (type->ct_group_ops->make_group) {
 		group = type->ct_group_ops->make_group(to_config_group(parent_item), name);
-		if (group) {
+		if (!group)
+			group = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+		if (!IS_ERR(group)) {
 			link_group(to_config_group(parent_item), group);
 			item = &group->cg_item;
-		}
+		} else
+			ret = PTR_ERR(group);
 	} else {
 		item = type->ct_group_ops->make_item(to_config_group(parent_item), name);
-		if (item)
+		if (!item)
+			item = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+		if (!IS_ERR(item))
 			link_obj(parent_item, item);
+		else
+			ret = PTR_ERR(item);
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&subsys->su_mutex);
 
 	kfree(name);
-	if (!item) {
+	if (ret) {
 		/*
 		 * If item == NULL, then link_obj() was never called.
 		 * There are no extra references to clean up.
 		 */
-		ret = -ENOMEM;
 		goto out_put;
 	}
 
diff --git a/fs/dlm/config.c b/fs/dlm/config.c
index eac23bd288b202cb6e8b099c6c3e8cdd7a93c687..c4e7d721bd8dcffaedcbdf3fcac2b2ea5ac26c31 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/config.c
+++ b/fs/dlm/config.c
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ static struct config_group *make_cluster(struct config_group *g,
 	kfree(gps);
 	kfree(sps);
 	kfree(cms);
-	return NULL;
+	return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 }
 
 static void drop_cluster(struct config_group *g, struct config_item *i)
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ static struct config_group *make_space(struct config_group *g, const char *name)
 	kfree(sp);
 	kfree(gps);
 	kfree(nds);
-	return NULL;
+	return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 }
 
 static void drop_space(struct config_group *g, struct config_item *i)
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ static struct config_item *make_comm(struct config_group *g, const char *name)
 
 	cm = kzalloc(sizeof(struct comm), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!cm)
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	config_item_init_type_name(&cm->item, name, &comm_type);
 	cm->nodeid = -1;
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ static struct config_item *make_node(struct config_group *g, const char *name)
 
 	nd = kzalloc(sizeof(struct node), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!nd)
-		return NULL;
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	config_item_init_type_name(&nd->item, name, &node_type);
 	nd->nodeid = -1;
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
index f02ccb34604d5f855851eee98dc274f09787480e..7dce1612553e424e5d006ed20aa9d3429284f34c 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/heartbeat.c
@@ -1493,24 +1493,18 @@ static struct config_item *o2hb_heartbeat_group_make_item(struct config_group *g
 							  const char *name)
 {
 	struct o2hb_region *reg = NULL;
-	struct config_item *ret = NULL;
 
 	reg = kzalloc(sizeof(struct o2hb_region), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (reg == NULL)
-		goto out; /* ENOMEM */
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	config_item_init_type_name(&reg->hr_item, name, &o2hb_region_type);
 
-	ret = &reg->hr_item;
-
 	spin_lock(&o2hb_live_lock);
 	list_add_tail(&reg->hr_all_item, &o2hb_all_regions);
 	spin_unlock(&o2hb_live_lock);
-out:
-	if (ret == NULL)
-		kfree(reg);
 
-	return ret;
+	return &reg->hr_item;
 }
 
 static void o2hb_heartbeat_group_drop_item(struct config_group *group,
diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/nodemanager.c b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/nodemanager.c
index cfdb08b484edb6ab33e5b4e4c89ccca612b18ab2..816a3f61330c6173ec04a360f4b7b40bb53ad0bf 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/cluster/nodemanager.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/cluster/nodemanager.c
@@ -648,26 +648,19 @@ static struct config_item *o2nm_node_group_make_item(struct config_group *group,
 						     const char *name)
 {
 	struct o2nm_node *node = NULL;
-	struct config_item *ret = NULL;
 
 	if (strlen(name) > O2NM_MAX_NAME_LEN)
-		goto out; /* ENAMETOOLONG */
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENAMETOOLONG);
 
 	node = kzalloc(sizeof(struct o2nm_node), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (node == NULL)
-		goto out; /* ENOMEM */
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
 	strcpy(node->nd_name, name); /* use item.ci_namebuf instead? */
 	config_item_init_type_name(&node->nd_item, name, &o2nm_node_type);
 	spin_lock_init(&node->nd_lock);
 
-	ret = &node->nd_item;
-
-out:
-	if (ret == NULL)
-		kfree(node);
-
-	return ret;
+	return &node->nd_item;
 }
 
 static void o2nm_node_group_drop_item(struct config_group *group,
@@ -762,7 +755,7 @@ static struct config_group *o2nm_cluster_group_make_group(struct config_group *g
 	/* this runs under the parent dir's i_mutex; there can be only
 	 * one caller in here at a time */
 	if (o2nm_single_cluster)
-		goto out; /* ENOSPC */
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOSPC);
 
 	cluster = kzalloc(sizeof(struct o2nm_cluster), GFP_KERNEL);
 	ns = kzalloc(sizeof(struct o2nm_node_group), GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -795,6 +788,7 @@ static struct config_group *o2nm_cluster_group_make_group(struct config_group *g
 		kfree(ns);
 		o2hb_free_hb_set(o2hb_group);
 		kfree(defs);
+		ret = ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 	}
 
 	return ret;
diff --git a/include/linux/configfs.h b/include/linux/configfs.h
index 3ae65b1bf90fd891b32538390c103f12632560fd..d62c19ff041ccb64905558f1d634b2d202c968ac 100644
--- a/include/linux/configfs.h
+++ b/include/linux/configfs.h
@@ -148,7 +148,8 @@ struct configfs_attribute {
  * items.  If the item is a group, it may support mkdir(2).
  * Groups supply one of make_group() and make_item().  If the
  * group supports make_group(), one can create group children.  If it
- * supports make_item(), one can create config_item children.  If it has
+ * supports make_item(), one can create config_item children.  make_group()
+ * and make_item() return ERR_PTR() on errors.  If it has
  * default_groups on group->default_groups, it has automatically created
  * group children.  default_groups may coexist alongsize make_group() or
  * make_item(), but if the group wishes to have only default_groups