diff --git a/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify_user.c b/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify_user.c
index 9644bc72e457..37a0dd8ae883 100644
--- a/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify_user.c
+++ b/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify_user.c
@@ -266,13 +266,6 @@ static int create_fd(struct fsnotify_group *group, const struct path *path,
 			       group->fanotify_data.f_flags | __FMODE_NONOTIFY,
 			       current_cred());
 	if (IS_ERR(new_file)) {
-		/*
-		 * we still send an event even if we can't open the file.  this
-		 * can happen when say tasks are gone and we try to open their
-		 * /proc files or we try to open a WRONLY file like in sysfs
-		 * we just send the errno to userspace since there isn't much
-		 * else we can do.
-		 */
 		put_unused_fd(client_fd);
 		client_fd = PTR_ERR(new_file);
 	} else {
@@ -653,6 +646,19 @@ static int copy_info_records_to_user(struct fanotify_event *event,
 	return total_bytes;
 }
 
+/* Determine with value to report in event->fd */
+static int event_fd_error(struct fsnotify_group *group, int fd, int nofd)
+{
+	/* An unprivileged user should never get an open fd or specific error */
+	if (FAN_GROUP_FLAG(group, FANOTIFY_UNPRIV))
+		return nofd;
+
+	if (fd >= 0 || FAN_GROUP_FLAG(group, FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR))
+		return fd;
+
+	return nofd;
+}
+
 static ssize_t copy_event_to_user(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 				  struct fanotify_event *event,
 				  char __user *buf, size_t count)
@@ -691,8 +697,32 @@ static ssize_t copy_event_to_user(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 	if (!FAN_GROUP_FLAG(group, FANOTIFY_UNPRIV) &&
 	    path && path->mnt && path->dentry) {
 		fd = create_fd(group, path, &f);
-		if (fd < 0)
-			return fd;
+		/*
+		 * Opening an fd from dentry can fail for several reasons.
+		 * For example, when tasks are gone and we try to open their
+		 * /proc files or we try to open a WRONLY file like in sysfs
+		 * or when trying to open a file that was deleted on the
+		 * remote network server.
+		 *
+		 * For a group with FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR, we will send the
+		 * event with the error instead of the open fd, otherwise
+		 * Userspace may not get the error at all.
+		 * In any case, userspace will not know which file failed to
+		 * open, so add a debug print for further investigation.
+		 */
+		if (fd < 0) {
+			pr_debug("fanotify: create_fd(%pd2) failed err=%d\n",
+				 path->dentry, fd);
+			if (!FAN_GROUP_FLAG(group, FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR))
+				return fd;
+		}
+	} else {
+		/*
+		 * For a group with FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR, report an event with
+		 * no file, such as an overflow event with -BADF instead of
+		 * FAN_NOFD, because FAN_NOFD collides with -EPERM.
+		 */
+		fd = event_fd_error(group, -EBADF, FAN_NOFD);
 	}
 	metadata.fd = fd;
 
@@ -709,17 +739,17 @@ static ssize_t copy_event_to_user(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 		 * The PIDTYPE_TGID check for an event->pid is performed
 		 * preemptively in an attempt to catch out cases where the event
 		 * listener reads events after the event generating process has
-		 * already terminated. Report FAN_NOPIDFD to the event listener
-		 * in those cases, with all other pidfd creation errors being
-		 * reported as FAN_EPIDFD.
+		 * already terminated.  Depending on flag FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR,
+		 * report either -ESRCH or FAN_NOPIDFD to the event listener in
+		 * those cases with all other pidfd creation errors reported as
+		 * the error code itself or as FAN_EPIDFD.
 		 */
 		if (metadata.pid == 0 ||
 		    !pid_has_task(event->pid, PIDTYPE_TGID)) {
-			pidfd = FAN_NOPIDFD;
+			pidfd = event_fd_error(group, -ESRCH, FAN_NOPIDFD);
 		} else {
 			pidfd = pidfd_prepare(event->pid, 0, &pidfd_file);
-			if (pidfd < 0)
-				pidfd = FAN_EPIDFD;
+			pidfd = event_fd_error(group, pidfd, FAN_NOPIDFD);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -737,9 +767,6 @@ static ssize_t copy_event_to_user(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 	buf += FAN_EVENT_METADATA_LEN;
 	count -= FAN_EVENT_METADATA_LEN;
 
-	if (fanotify_is_perm_event(event->mask))
-		FANOTIFY_PERM(event)->fd = fd;
-
 	if (info_mode) {
 		ret = copy_info_records_to_user(event, info, info_mode, pidfd,
 						buf, count);
@@ -753,15 +780,18 @@ static ssize_t copy_event_to_user(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 	if (pidfd_file)
 		fd_install(pidfd, pidfd_file);
 
+	if (fanotify_is_perm_event(event->mask))
+		FANOTIFY_PERM(event)->fd = fd;
+
 	return metadata.event_len;
 
 out_close_fd:
-	if (fd != FAN_NOFD) {
+	if (f) {
 		put_unused_fd(fd);
 		fput(f);
 	}
 
-	if (pidfd >= 0) {
+	if (pidfd_file) {
 		put_unused_fd(pidfd);
 		fput(pidfd_file);
 	}
@@ -845,7 +875,7 @@ static ssize_t fanotify_read(struct file *file, char __user *buf,
 		if (!fanotify_is_perm_event(event->mask)) {
 			fsnotify_destroy_event(group, &event->fse);
 		} else {
-			if (ret <= 0) {
+			if (ret <= 0 || FANOTIFY_PERM(event)->fd < 0) {
 				spin_lock(&group->notification_lock);
 				finish_permission_event(group,
 					FANOTIFY_PERM(event), FAN_DENY, NULL);
@@ -1453,7 +1483,14 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE2(fanotify_init, unsigned int, flags, unsigned int, event_f_flags)
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 
-	if (fid_mode && class != FAN_CLASS_NOTIF)
+	/*
+	 * Legacy fanotify mode reports open fd's in event->fd.
+	 * With fid mode, open fd's are not reported and event->fd is FAN_NOFD.
+	 * High priority classes require reporting open fd's.
+	 * FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR is only allowed when reporting open fd's.
+	 */
+	if (fid_mode &&
+	    (class != FAN_CLASS_NOTIF || flags & FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	/*
@@ -1954,7 +1991,7 @@ static int __init fanotify_user_setup(void)
 				     FANOTIFY_DEFAULT_MAX_USER_MARKS);
 
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(FANOTIFY_INIT_FLAGS & FANOTIFY_INTERNAL_GROUP_FLAGS);
-	BUILD_BUG_ON(HWEIGHT32(FANOTIFY_INIT_FLAGS) != 12);
+	BUILD_BUG_ON(HWEIGHT32(FANOTIFY_INIT_FLAGS) != 13);
 	BUILD_BUG_ON(HWEIGHT32(FANOTIFY_MARK_FLAGS) != 11);
 
 	fanotify_mark_cache = KMEM_CACHE(fanotify_mark,
diff --git a/include/linux/fanotify.h b/include/linux/fanotify.h
index 4f1c4f603118..89ff45bd6f01 100644
--- a/include/linux/fanotify.h
+++ b/include/linux/fanotify.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #define FANOTIFY_ADMIN_INIT_FLAGS	(FANOTIFY_PERM_CLASSES | \
 					 FAN_REPORT_TID | \
 					 FAN_REPORT_PIDFD | \
+					 FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR | \
 					 FAN_UNLIMITED_QUEUE | \
 					 FAN_UNLIMITED_MARKS)
 
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/fanotify.h b/include/uapi/linux/fanotify.h
index a37de58ca571..34f221d3a1b9 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/fanotify.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/fanotify.h
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
 #define FAN_REPORT_DIR_FID	0x00000400	/* Report unique directory id */
 #define FAN_REPORT_NAME		0x00000800	/* Report events with name */
 #define FAN_REPORT_TARGET_FID	0x00001000	/* Report dirent target id  */
+#define FAN_REPORT_FD_ERROR	0x00002000	/* event->fd can report error */
 
 /* Convenience macro - FAN_REPORT_NAME requires FAN_REPORT_DIR_FID */
 #define FAN_REPORT_DFID_NAME	(FAN_REPORT_DIR_FID | FAN_REPORT_NAME)
