diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drm.c
index 42a81166f3a9..7ea95ab960a0 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drm.c
@@ -153,22 +153,6 @@ nouveau_name(struct drm_device *dev)
 		return nouveau_platform_name(to_platform_device(dev->dev));
 }
 
-static inline bool
-nouveau_cli_work_ready(struct dma_fence *fence)
-{
-	unsigned long flags;
-	bool ret = true;
-
-	dma_fence_lock_irqsave(fence, flags);
-	if (!dma_fence_is_signaled_locked(fence))
-		ret = false;
-	dma_fence_unlock_irqrestore(fence, flags);
-
-	if (ret == true)
-		dma_fence_put(fence);
-	return ret;
-}
-
 static void
 nouveau_cli_work(struct work_struct *w)
 {
@@ -176,9 +160,25 @@ nouveau_cli_work(struct work_struct *w)
 	struct nouveau_cli_work *work, *wtmp;
 	mutex_lock(&cli->lock);
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(work, wtmp, &cli->worker, head) {
-		if (!work->fence || nouveau_cli_work_ready(work->fence)) {
+		struct dma_fence *fence = work->fence;
+
+		if (!fence || dma_fence_is_signaled(fence)) {
+			if (fence) {
+				unsigned long flags;
+
+				/*
+				 * Because fence can still be in the process of
+				 * processing the callback list, and the
+				 * callback references the work we are about to
+				 * free, we need to sync with the callback
+				 * processing before freeing the work.
+				 */
+				dma_fence_lock_irqsave(fence, flags);
+				dma_fence_unlock_irqrestore(fence, flags);
+			}
 			list_del(&work->head);
 			work->func(work);
+			dma_fence_put(fence);
 		}
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&cli->lock);