diff --git a/[refs] b/[refs]
index 45e1cb629399..c0ad35a2db1f 100644
--- a/[refs]
+++ b/[refs]
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 ---
-refs/heads/master: 78e3f1f01d23c1a0d5828669d35afa2e7951987d
+refs/heads/master: 03df4b51f33e1fdd35fe7bc19f1f450726395207
diff --git a/trunk/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/trunk/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index d2d5ba17ad6c..a1b870d188c4 100755
--- a/trunk/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/trunk/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -3198,20 +3198,12 @@ sub process {
 				$herecurr);
 		}
 
-# check for needless kfree() checks
-		if ($prevline =~ /\bif\s*\(([^\)]*)\)/) {
-			my $expr = $1;
-			if ($line =~ /\bkfree\(\Q$expr\E\);/) {
-				WARN("NEEDLESS_KFREE",
-				     "kfree(NULL) is safe this check is probably not required\n" . $hereprev);
-			}
-		}
-# check for needless usb_free_urb() checks
-		if ($prevline =~ /\bif\s*\(([^\)]*)\)/) {
-			my $expr = $1;
-			if ($line =~ /\busb_free_urb\(\Q$expr\E\);/) {
-				WARN("NEEDLESS_USB_FREE_URB",
-				     "usb_free_urb(NULL) is safe this check is probably not required\n" . $hereprev);
+# check for needless "if (<foo>) fn(<foo>)" uses
+		if ($prevline =~ /\bif\s*\(\s*($Lval)\s*\)/) {
+			my $expr = '\s*\(\s*' . quotemeta($1) . '\s*\)\s*;';
+			if ($line =~ /\b(kfree|usb_free_urb|debugfs_remove(?:_recursive)?)$expr/) {
+				WARN('NEEDLESS_IF',
+				     "$1(NULL) is safe this check is probably not required\n" . $hereprev);
 			}
 		}