diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
index f0435c6feb68..2143ebaf5b6f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_clflush.c
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ static void clflush_work(struct dma_fence_work *base)
 {
 	struct clflush *clflush = container_of(base, typeof(*clflush), base);
 
+	if (base->error) {
+		dma_fence_set_error(&base->dma, base->error);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	__do_clflush(clflush->obj);
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.c
index 5b33ef23d54c..5b55cddafc9b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.c
@@ -6,21 +6,24 @@
 
 #include "i915_sw_fence_work.h"
 
-static void fence_complete(struct dma_fence_work *f)
+static void dma_fence_work_complete(struct dma_fence_work *f)
 {
+	dma_fence_signal(&f->dma);
+
 	if (f->ops->release)
 		f->ops->release(f);
-	dma_fence_signal(&f->dma);
+
+	dma_fence_put(&f->dma);
 }
 
-static void fence_work(struct work_struct *work)
+static void dma_fence_work_work(struct work_struct *work)
 {
 	struct dma_fence_work *f = container_of(work, typeof(*f), work);
 
-	f->ops->work(f);
+	if (f->ops->work)
+		f->ops->work(f);
 
-	fence_complete(f);
-	dma_fence_put(&f->dma);
+	dma_fence_work_complete(f);
 }
 
 static int __i915_sw_fence_call
@@ -31,17 +34,13 @@ fence_notify(struct i915_sw_fence *fence, enum i915_sw_fence_notify state)
 	switch (state) {
 	case FENCE_COMPLETE:
 		if (fence->error)
-			dma_fence_set_error(&f->dma, fence->error);
-
-		if (!f->dma.error) {
-			dma_fence_get(&f->dma);
-			if (test_bit(DMA_FENCE_WORK_IMM, &f->dma.flags))
-				fence_work(&f->work);
-			else
-				queue_work(system_unbound_wq, &f->work);
-		} else {
-			fence_complete(f);
-		}
+			cmpxchg(&f->error, 0, fence->error);
+
+		dma_fence_get(&f->dma);
+		if (test_bit(DMA_FENCE_WORK_IMM, &f->dma.flags))
+			dma_fence_work_work(&f->work);
+		else
+			queue_work(system_unbound_wq, &f->work);
 		break;
 
 	case FENCE_FREE:
@@ -84,10 +83,11 @@ void dma_fence_work_init(struct dma_fence_work *f,
 			 const struct dma_fence_work_ops *ops)
 {
 	f->ops = ops;
+	f->error = 0;
 	spin_lock_init(&f->lock);
 	dma_fence_init(&f->dma, &fence_ops, &f->lock, 0, 0);
 	i915_sw_fence_init(&f->chain, fence_notify);
-	INIT_WORK(&f->work, fence_work);
+	INIT_WORK(&f->work, dma_fence_work_work);
 }
 
 int dma_fence_work_chain(struct dma_fence_work *f, struct dma_fence *signal)
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.h
index d56806918d13..caa59fb5252b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_sw_fence_work.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ struct dma_fence_work_ops {
 struct dma_fence_work {
 	struct dma_fence dma;
 	spinlock_t lock;
+	int error;
 
 	struct i915_sw_fence chain;
 	struct i915_sw_dma_fence_cb cb;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
index 4b7fc4647e46..5123ac28ad9a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_vma.c
@@ -301,6 +301,11 @@ static void __vma_bind(struct dma_fence_work *work)
 	struct i915_vma_work *vw = container_of(work, typeof(*vw), base);
 	struct i915_vma *vma = vw->vma;
 
+	if (work->error) {
+		dma_fence_set_error(&work->dma, work->error);
+		return;
+	}
+
 	vma->ops->bind_vma(vw->vm, &vw->stash,
 			   vma, vw->cache_level, vw->flags);
 }
@@ -333,7 +338,7 @@ struct i915_vma_work *i915_vma_work(void)
 		return NULL;
 
 	dma_fence_work_init(&vw->base, &bind_ops);
-	vw->base.dma.error = -EAGAIN; /* disable the worker by default */
+	vw->base.error = -EAGAIN; /* disable the worker by default */
 
 	return vw;
 }
@@ -416,6 +421,9 @@ int i915_vma_bind(struct i915_vma *vma,
 		 * part of the obj->resv->excl_fence as it only affects
 		 * execution and not content or object's backing store lifetime.
 		 */
+
+		work->base.error = 0; /* enable the queue_work() */
+
 		prev = i915_active_set_exclusive(&vma->active, &work->base.dma);
 		if (prev) {
 			__i915_sw_fence_await_dma_fence(&work->base.chain,
@@ -424,8 +432,6 @@ int i915_vma_bind(struct i915_vma *vma,
 			dma_fence_put(prev);
 		}
 
-		work->base.dma.error = 0; /* enable the queue_work() */
-
 		if (vma->obj) {
 			__i915_gem_object_pin_pages(vma->obj);
 			work->pinned = i915_gem_object_get(vma->obj);
