diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
index c6dd4db..c2b000a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
@@ -2260,9 +2260,9 @@ struct drm_i915_gem_request {
 
 };
 
-int i915_gem_request_alloc(struct intel_engine_cs *ring,
-			   struct intel_context *ctx,
-			   struct drm_i915_gem_request **req_out);
+struct drm_i915_gem_request * __must_check
+i915_gem_request_alloc(struct intel_engine_cs *engine,
+		       struct intel_context *ctx);
 void i915_gem_request_cancel(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req);
 void i915_gem_request_free(struct kref *req_ref);
 int i915_gem_request_add_to_client(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req,
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
index 6c60e04..c908ed1 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
@@ -2688,9 +2688,10 @@ void i915_gem_request_free(struct kref *req_ref)
 	kmem_cache_free(req->i915->requests, req);
 }
 
-int i915_gem_request_alloc(struct intel_engine_cs *ring,
-			   struct intel_context *ctx,
-			   struct drm_i915_gem_request **req_out)
+static inline int
+__i915_gem_request_alloc(struct intel_engine_cs *ring,
+			 struct intel_context *ctx,
+			 struct drm_i915_gem_request **req_out)
 {
 	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = to_i915(ring->dev);
 	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
@@ -2753,6 +2754,31 @@ err:
 	return ret;
 }
 
+/**
+ * i915_gem_request_alloc - allocate a request structure
+ *
+ * @engine: engine that we wish to issue the request on.
+ * @ctx: context that the request will be associated with.
+ *       This can be NULL if the request is not directly related to
+ *       any specific user context, in which case this function will
+ *       choose an appropriate context to use.
+ *
+ * Returns a pointer to the allocated request if successful,
+ * or an error code if not.
+ */
+struct drm_i915_gem_request *
+i915_gem_request_alloc(struct intel_engine_cs *engine,
+		       struct intel_context *ctx)
+{
+	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
+	int err;
+
+	if (ctx == NULL)
+		ctx = engine->default_context;
+	err = __i915_gem_request_alloc(engine, ctx, &req);
+	return err ? ERR_PTR(err) : req;
+}
+
 void i915_gem_request_cancel(struct drm_i915_gem_request *req)
 {
 	intel_ring_reserved_space_cancel(req->ringbuf);
@@ -3170,9 +3196,13 @@ __i915_gem_object_sync(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj,
 			return 0;
 
 		if (*to_req == NULL) {
-			ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(to, to->default_context, to_req);
-			if (ret)
-				return ret;
+			struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
+
+			req = i915_gem_request_alloc(to, NULL);
+			if (IS_ERR(req))
+				return PTR_ERR(req);
+
+			*to_req = req;
 		}
 
 		trace_i915_gem_ring_sync_to(*to_req, from, from_req);
@@ -3372,9 +3402,9 @@ int i915_gpu_idle(struct drm_device *dev)
 		if (!i915.enable_execlists) {
 			struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
 
-			ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-			if (ret)
-				return ret;
+			req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+			if (IS_ERR(req))
+				return PTR_ERR(req);
 
 			ret = i915_switch_context(req);
 			if (ret) {
@@ -4869,10 +4899,9 @@ i915_gem_init_hw(struct drm_device *dev)
 	for_each_ring(ring, dev_priv, i) {
 		struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
 
-		WARN_ON(!ring->default_context);
-
-		ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-		if (ret) {
+		req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+		if (IS_ERR(req)) {
+			ret = PTR_ERR(req);
 			i915_gem_cleanup_ringbuffer(dev);
 			goto out;
 		}
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
index dccb517..dc6caeb 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
@@ -1381,6 +1381,7 @@ i915_gem_do_execbuffer(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 		       struct drm_i915_gem_exec_object2 *exec)
 {
 	struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = dev->dev_private;
+	struct drm_i915_gem_request *req = NULL;
 	struct eb_vmas *eb;
 	struct drm_i915_gem_object *batch_obj;
 	struct drm_i915_gem_exec_object2 shadow_exec_entry;
@@ -1602,11 +1603,13 @@ i915_gem_do_execbuffer(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 		params->batch_obj_vm_offset = i915_gem_obj_offset(batch_obj, vm);
 
 	/* Allocate a request for this batch buffer nice and early. */
-	ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ctx, &params->request);
-	if (ret)
+	req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ctx);
+	if (IS_ERR(req)) {
+		ret = PTR_ERR(req);
 		goto err_batch_unpin;
+	}
 
-	ret = i915_gem_request_add_to_client(params->request, file);
+	ret = i915_gem_request_add_to_client(req, file);
 	if (ret)
 		goto err_batch_unpin;
 
@@ -1622,6 +1625,7 @@ i915_gem_do_execbuffer(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	params->dispatch_flags          = dispatch_flags;
 	params->batch_obj               = batch_obj;
 	params->ctx                     = ctx;
+	params->request                 = req;
 
 	ret = dev_priv->gt.execbuf_submit(params, args, &eb->vmas);
 
@@ -1645,8 +1649,8 @@ err:
 	 * must be freed again. If it was submitted then it is being tracked
 	 * on the active request list and no clean up is required here.
 	 */
-	if (ret && params->request)
-		i915_gem_request_cancel(params->request);
+	if (ret && req)
+		i915_gem_request_cancel(req);
 
 	mutex_unlock(&dev->struct_mutex);
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
index ed9ab60..1f8f781 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_display.c
@@ -11700,9 +11700,11 @@ static int intel_crtc_page_flip(struct drm_crtc *crtc,
 					obj->last_write_req);
 	} else {
 		if (!request) {
-			ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &request);
-			if (ret)
+			request = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+			if (IS_ERR(request)) {
+				ret = PTR_ERR(request);
 				goto cleanup_unpin;
+			}
 		}
 
 		ret = dev_priv->display.queue_flip(dev, crtc, fb, obj, request,
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
index 8096c6a..8b6542d 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_lrc.c
@@ -2510,11 +2510,10 @@ int intel_lr_context_deferred_alloc(struct intel_context *ctx,
 	if (ctx != ring->default_context && ring->init_context) {
 		struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
 
-		ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring,
-			ctx, &req);
-		if (ret) {
-			DRM_ERROR("ring create req: %d\n",
-				ret);
+		req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ctx);
+		if (IS_ERR(req)) {
+			ret = PTR_ERR(req);
+			DRM_ERROR("ring create req: %d\n", ret);
 			goto error_ringbuf;
 		}
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_overlay.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_overlay.c
index 76f1980..9168413 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_overlay.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/intel_overlay.c
@@ -240,9 +240,9 @@ static int intel_overlay_on(struct intel_overlay *overlay)
 	WARN_ON(overlay->active);
 	WARN_ON(IS_I830(dev) && !(dev_priv->quirks & QUIRK_PIPEA_FORCE));
 
-	ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+	req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+	if (IS_ERR(req))
+		return PTR_ERR(req);
 
 	ret = intel_ring_begin(req, 4);
 	if (ret) {
@@ -283,9 +283,9 @@ static int intel_overlay_continue(struct intel_overlay *overlay,
 	if (tmp & (1 << 17))
 		DRM_DEBUG("overlay underrun, DOVSTA: %x\n", tmp);
 
-	ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+	req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+	if (IS_ERR(req))
+		return PTR_ERR(req);
 
 	ret = intel_ring_begin(req, 2);
 	if (ret) {
@@ -349,9 +349,9 @@ static int intel_overlay_off(struct intel_overlay *overlay)
 	 * of the hw. Do it in both cases */
 	flip_addr |= OFC_UPDATE;
 
-	ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+	req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+	if (IS_ERR(req))
+		return PTR_ERR(req);
 
 	ret = intel_ring_begin(req, 6);
 	if (ret) {
@@ -423,9 +423,9 @@ static int intel_overlay_release_old_vid(struct intel_overlay *overlay)
 		/* synchronous slowpath */
 		struct drm_i915_gem_request *req;
 
-		ret = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, ring->default_context, &req);
-		if (ret)
-			return ret;
+		req = i915_gem_request_alloc(ring, NULL);
+		if (IS_ERR(req))
+			return PTR_ERR(req);
 
 		ret = intel_ring_begin(req, 2);
 		if (ret) {
