diff --git a/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst b/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
index 454c2aaa155e5..bbe445e6c1132 100644
--- a/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
+++ b/Documentation/virt/kvm/api.rst
@@ -7670,6 +7670,7 @@ branch to guests' 0x200 interrupt vector.
 :Architectures: x86
 :Parameters: args[0] defines which exits are disabled
 :Returns: 0 on success, -EINVAL when args[0] contains invalid exits
+          or if any vCPUs have already been created
 
 Valid bits in args[0] are::
 
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
index 503bfcbc1735a..e3c3ceb549660 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
@@ -6531,6 +6531,10 @@ int kvm_vm_ioctl_enable_cap(struct kvm *kvm,
 		if (cap->args[0] & ~KVM_X86_DISABLE_VALID_EXITS)
 			break;
 
+		mutex_lock(&kvm->lock);
+		if (kvm->created_vcpus)
+			goto disable_exits_unlock;
+
 		if (cap->args[0] & KVM_X86_DISABLE_EXITS_PAUSE)
 			kvm->arch.pause_in_guest = true;
 
@@ -6552,6 +6556,8 @@ int kvm_vm_ioctl_enable_cap(struct kvm *kvm,
 		}
 
 		r = 0;
+disable_exits_unlock:
+		mutex_unlock(&kvm->lock);
 		break;
 	case KVM_CAP_MSR_PLATFORM_INFO:
 		kvm->arch.guest_can_read_msr_platform_info = cap->args[0];