diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
index b39c613fbe06..ec8088d5b57f 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/svc.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ struct svc_pool {
 	struct list_head	sp_sockets;	/* pending sockets */
 	unsigned int		sp_nrthreads;	/* # of threads in pool */
 	struct list_head	sp_all_threads;	/* all server threads */
+	struct list_head	sp_idle_threads; /* idle server threads */
 
 	/* statistics on pool operation */
 	struct percpu_counter	sp_messages_arrived;
@@ -199,6 +200,7 @@ extern u32 svc_max_payload(const struct svc_rqst *rqstp);
  */
 struct svc_rqst {
 	struct list_head	rq_all;		/* all threads list */
+	struct list_head	rq_idle;	/* On the idle list */
 	struct rcu_head		rq_rcu_head;	/* for RCU deferred kfree */
 	struct svc_xprt *	rq_xprt;	/* transport ptr */
 
@@ -278,10 +280,31 @@ enum {
 	RQ_SPLICE_OK,	/* turned off in gss privacy to prevent encrypting page
 			 * cache pages */
 	RQ_VICTIM,	/* Have agreed to shut down */
-	RQ_BUSY,	/* request is busy */
 	RQ_DATA,	/* request has data */
 };
 
+/**
+ * svc_thread_set_busy - mark a thread as busy
+ * @rqstp: the thread which is now busy
+ *
+ * If rq_idle is "empty", the thread must be busy.
+ */
+static inline void svc_thread_set_busy(struct svc_rqst *rqstp)
+{
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&rqstp->rq_idle);
+}
+
+/**
+ * svc_thread_busy - check if a thread as busy
+ * @rqstp: the thread which might be busy
+ *
+ * If rq_idle is "empty", the thread must be busy.
+ */
+static inline bool svc_thread_busy(struct svc_rqst *rqstp)
+{
+	return list_empty(&rqstp->rq_idle);
+}
+
 #define SVC_NET(rqst) (rqst->rq_xprt ? rqst->rq_xprt->xpt_net : rqst->rq_bc_net)
 
 /*
diff --git a/include/trace/events/sunrpc.h b/include/trace/events/sunrpc.h
index c79375e37dc2..dd0323c40ef5 100644
--- a/include/trace/events/sunrpc.h
+++ b/include/trace/events/sunrpc.h
@@ -1677,7 +1677,6 @@ DEFINE_SVCXDRBUF_EVENT(sendto);
 	svc_rqst_flag(DROPME)						\
 	svc_rqst_flag(SPLICE_OK)					\
 	svc_rqst_flag(VICTIM)						\
-	svc_rqst_flag(BUSY)						\
 	svc_rqst_flag_end(DATA)
 
 #undef svc_rqst_flag
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/svc.c b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
index fd49e7b12c94..028de8f662a8 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/svc.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/svc.c
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ svc_rqst_alloc(struct svc_serv *serv, struct svc_pool *pool, int node)
 
 	folio_batch_init(&rqstp->rq_fbatch);
 
-	__set_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags);
+	svc_thread_set_busy(rqstp);
 	rqstp->rq_server = serv;
 	rqstp->rq_pool = pool;
 
@@ -704,10 +704,13 @@ void svc_pool_wake_idle_thread(struct svc_serv *serv,
 	struct svc_rqst	*rqstp;
 
 	rcu_read_lock();
-	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rqstp, &pool->sp_all_threads, rq_all) {
-		if (test_and_set_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags))
-			continue;
-
+	spin_lock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
+	rqstp = list_first_entry_or_null(&pool->sp_idle_threads,
+					 struct svc_rqst, rq_idle);
+	if (rqstp)
+		list_del_init(&rqstp->rq_idle);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
+	if (rqstp) {
 		WRITE_ONCE(rqstp->rq_qtime, ktime_get());
 		wake_up_process(rqstp->rq_task);
 		rcu_read_unlock();
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c b/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
index 964c97dbb36c..1d134415ae3f 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/svc_xprt.c
@@ -736,18 +736,25 @@ static void svc_wait_for_work(struct svc_rqst *rqstp)
 	set_current_state(TASK_IDLE);
 	smp_mb__before_atomic();
 	clear_bit(SP_CONGESTED, &pool->sp_flags);
-	clear_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags);
-	smp_mb__after_atomic();
+	spin_lock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
+	list_add(&rqstp->rq_idle, &pool->sp_idle_threads);
+	spin_unlock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
 
 	if (likely(rqst_should_sleep(rqstp)))
 		schedule();
 	else
 		__set_current_state(TASK_RUNNING);
 
-	try_to_freeze();
+	/* We *must* be removed from the list before we can continue.
+	 * If we were woken, this is already done
+	 */
+	if (!svc_thread_busy(rqstp)) {
+		spin_lock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
+		list_del_init(&rqstp->rq_idle);
+		spin_unlock_bh(&pool->sp_lock);
+	}
 
-	set_bit(RQ_BUSY, &rqstp->rq_flags);
-	smp_mb__after_atomic();
+	try_to_freeze();
 
 	rqstp->rq_xprt = svc_xprt_dequeue(pool);
 	if (rqstp->rq_xprt) {
