diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
index 4148cdf7ce4a1..6c7267451b82a 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ xfs_reclaim_inode(
 	 */
 	if (xlog_is_shutdown(ip->i_mount->m_log)) {
 		xfs_iunpin_wait(ip);
-		xfs_iflush_abort(ip);
+		xfs_iflush_shutdown_abort(ip);
 		goto reclaim;
 	}
 	if (xfs_ipincount(ip))
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
index 26227d26f274f..9de6205fe134a 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
@@ -3631,7 +3631,7 @@ xfs_iflush_cluster(
 
 	/*
 	 * We must use the safe variant here as on shutdown xfs_iflush_abort()
-	 * can remove itself from the list.
+	 * will remove itself from the list.
 	 */
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(lip, n, &bp->b_li_list, li_bio_list) {
 		iip = (struct xfs_inode_log_item *)lip;
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.c
index 11158fa81a093..9e6ef55cf29e1 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.c
@@ -544,10 +544,17 @@ xfs_inode_item_push(
 	uint			rval = XFS_ITEM_SUCCESS;
 	int			error;
 
-	ASSERT(iip->ili_item.li_buf);
+	if (!bp || (ip->i_flags & XFS_ISTALE)) {
+		/*
+		 * Inode item/buffer is being being aborted due to cluster
+		 * buffer deletion. Trigger a log force to have that operation
+		 * completed and items removed from the AIL before the next push
+		 * attempt.
+		 */
+		return XFS_ITEM_PINNED;
+	}
 
-	if (xfs_ipincount(ip) > 0 || xfs_buf_ispinned(bp) ||
-	    (ip->i_flags & XFS_ISTALE))
+	if (xfs_ipincount(ip) > 0 || xfs_buf_ispinned(bp))
 		return XFS_ITEM_PINNED;
 
 	if (xfs_iflags_test(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING))
@@ -834,46 +841,143 @@ xfs_buf_inode_io_fail(
 }
 
 /*
- * This is the inode flushing abort routine.  It is called when
- * the filesystem is shutting down to clean up the inode state.  It is
- * responsible for removing the inode item from the AIL if it has not been
- * re-logged and clearing the inode's flush state.
+ * Clear the inode logging fields so no more flushes are attempted.  If we are
+ * on a buffer list, it is now safe to remove it because the buffer is
+ * guaranteed to be locked. The caller will drop the reference to the buffer
+ * the log item held.
+ */
+static void
+xfs_iflush_abort_clean(
+	struct xfs_inode_log_item *iip)
+{
+	iip->ili_last_fields = 0;
+	iip->ili_fields = 0;
+	iip->ili_fsync_fields = 0;
+	iip->ili_flush_lsn = 0;
+	iip->ili_item.li_buf = NULL;
+	list_del_init(&iip->ili_item.li_bio_list);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Abort flushing the inode from a context holding the cluster buffer locked.
+ *
+ * This is the normal runtime method of aborting writeback of an inode that is
+ * attached to a cluster buffer. It occurs when the inode and the backing
+ * cluster buffer have been freed (i.e. inode is XFS_ISTALE), or when cluster
+ * flushing or buffer IO completion encounters a log shutdown situation.
+ *
+ * If we need to abort inode writeback and we don't already hold the buffer
+ * locked, call xfs_iflush_shutdown_abort() instead as this should only ever be
+ * necessary in a shutdown situation.
  */
 void
 xfs_iflush_abort(
 	struct xfs_inode	*ip)
 {
 	struct xfs_inode_log_item *iip = ip->i_itemp;
-	struct xfs_buf		*bp = NULL;
+	struct xfs_buf		*bp;
 
-	if (iip) {
-		/*
-		 * Clear the failed bit before removing the item from the AIL so
-		 * xfs_trans_ail_delete() doesn't try to clear and release the
-		 * buffer attached to the log item before we are done with it.
-		 */
-		clear_bit(XFS_LI_FAILED, &iip->ili_item.li_flags);
-		xfs_trans_ail_delete(&iip->ili_item, 0);
+	if (!iip) {
+		/* clean inode, nothing to do */
+		xfs_iflags_clear(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Remove the inode item from the AIL before we clear its internal
+	 * state. Whilst the inode is in the AIL, it should have a valid buffer
+	 * pointer for push operations to access - it is only safe to remove the
+	 * inode from the buffer once it has been removed from the AIL.
+	 *
+	 * We also clear the failed bit before removing the item from the AIL
+	 * as xfs_trans_ail_delete()->xfs_clear_li_failed() will release buffer
+	 * references the inode item owns and needs to hold until we've fully
+	 * aborted the inode log item and detached it from the buffer.
+	 */
+	clear_bit(XFS_LI_FAILED, &iip->ili_item.li_flags);
+	xfs_trans_ail_delete(&iip->ili_item, 0);
+
+	/*
+	 * Grab the inode buffer so can we release the reference the inode log
+	 * item holds on it.
+	 */
+	spin_lock(&iip->ili_lock);
+	bp = iip->ili_item.li_buf;
+	xfs_iflush_abort_clean(iip);
+	spin_unlock(&iip->ili_lock);
 
+	xfs_iflags_clear(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING);
+	if (bp)
+		xfs_buf_rele(bp);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Abort an inode flush in the case of a shutdown filesystem. This can be called
+ * from anywhere with just an inode reference and does not require holding the
+ * inode cluster buffer locked. If the inode is attached to a cluster buffer,
+ * it will grab and lock it safely, then abort the inode flush.
+ */
+void
+xfs_iflush_shutdown_abort(
+	struct xfs_inode	*ip)
+{
+	struct xfs_inode_log_item *iip = ip->i_itemp;
+	struct xfs_buf		*bp;
+
+	if (!iip) {
+		/* clean inode, nothing to do */
+		xfs_iflags_clear(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	spin_lock(&iip->ili_lock);
+	bp = iip->ili_item.li_buf;
+	if (!bp) {
+		spin_unlock(&iip->ili_lock);
+		xfs_iflush_abort(ip);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * We have to take a reference to the buffer so that it doesn't get
+	 * freed when we drop the ili_lock and then wait to lock the buffer.
+	 * We'll clean up the extra reference after we pick up the ili_lock
+	 * again.
+	 */
+	xfs_buf_hold(bp);
+	spin_unlock(&iip->ili_lock);
+	xfs_buf_lock(bp);
+
+	spin_lock(&iip->ili_lock);
+	if (!iip->ili_item.li_buf) {
 		/*
-		 * Clear the inode logging fields so no more flushes are
-		 * attempted.
+		 * Raced with another removal, hold the only reference
+		 * to bp now. Inode should not be in the AIL now, so just clean
+		 * up and return;
 		 */
-		spin_lock(&iip->ili_lock);
-		iip->ili_last_fields = 0;
-		iip->ili_fields = 0;
-		iip->ili_fsync_fields = 0;
-		iip->ili_flush_lsn = 0;
-		bp = iip->ili_item.li_buf;
-		iip->ili_item.li_buf = NULL;
-		list_del_init(&iip->ili_item.li_bio_list);
+		ASSERT(list_empty(&iip->ili_item.li_bio_list));
+		ASSERT(!test_bit(XFS_LI_IN_AIL, &iip->ili_item.li_flags));
+		xfs_iflush_abort_clean(iip);
 		spin_unlock(&iip->ili_lock);
+		xfs_iflags_clear(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING);
+		xfs_buf_relse(bp);
+		return;
 	}
-	xfs_iflags_clear(ip, XFS_IFLUSHING);
-	if (bp)
-		xfs_buf_rele(bp);
+
+	/*
+	 * Got two references to bp. The first will get dropped by
+	 * xfs_iflush_abort() when the item is removed from the buffer list, but
+	 * we can't drop our reference until _abort() returns because we have to
+	 * unlock the buffer as well. Hence we abort and then unlock and release
+	 * our reference to the buffer.
+	 */
+	ASSERT(iip->ili_item.li_buf == bp);
+	spin_unlock(&iip->ili_lock);
+	xfs_iflush_abort(ip);
+	xfs_buf_relse(bp);
 }
 
+
 /*
  * convert an xfs_inode_log_format struct from the old 32 bit version
  * (which can have different field alignments) to the native 64 bit version
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.h
index 1a302000d604d..bbd836a44ff04 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode_item.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ static inline int xfs_inode_clean(struct xfs_inode *ip)
 extern void xfs_inode_item_init(struct xfs_inode *, struct xfs_mount *);
 extern void xfs_inode_item_destroy(struct xfs_inode *);
 extern void xfs_iflush_abort(struct xfs_inode *);
+extern void xfs_iflush_shutdown_abort(struct xfs_inode *);
 extern int xfs_inode_item_format_convert(xfs_log_iovec_t *,
 					 struct xfs_inode_log_format *);