diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
index e6868110d9f1..59363c4f6ed4 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
@@ -812,7 +812,7 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 	struct dentry *this;
 	unsigned int i;
 	int err;
-	bool metacopy = false;
+	bool uppermetacopy = false;
 	struct ovl_lookup_data d = {
 		.sb = dentry->d_sb,
 		.name = dentry->d_name,
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 				goto out_put_upper;
 
 			if (d.metacopy)
-				metacopy = true;
+				uppermetacopy = true;
 		}
 
 		if (d.redirect) {
@@ -895,6 +895,21 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		if (!this)
 			continue;
 
+		if ((uppermetacopy || d.metacopy) && !ofs->config.metacopy) {
+			err = -EPERM;
+			pr_warn_ratelimited("refusing to follow metacopy origin for (%pd2)\n", dentry);
+			goto out_put;
+		}
+
+		/*
+		 * Do not store intermediate metacopy dentries in chain,
+		 * except top most lower metacopy dentry
+		 */
+		if (d.metacopy && ctr) {
+			dput(this);
+			continue;
+		}
+
 		/*
 		 * If no origin fh is stored in upper of a merge dir, store fh
 		 * of lower dir and set upper parent "impure".
@@ -929,17 +944,6 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 			origin = this;
 		}
 
-		if (d.metacopy)
-			metacopy = true;
-		/*
-		 * Do not store intermediate metacopy dentries in chain,
-		 * except top most lower metacopy dentry
-		 */
-		if (d.metacopy && ctr) {
-			dput(this);
-			continue;
-		}
-
 		stack[ctr].dentry = this;
 		stack[ctr].layer = lower.layer;
 		ctr++;
@@ -971,22 +975,17 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (metacopy) {
-		/*
-		 * Found a metacopy dentry but did not find corresponding
-		 * data dentry
-		 */
-		if (d.metacopy) {
-			err = -EIO;
-			goto out_put;
-		}
-
-		err = -EPERM;
-		if (!ofs->config.metacopy) {
-			pr_warn_ratelimited("refusing to follow metacopy origin for (%pd2)\n",
-					    dentry);
-			goto out_put;
-		}
+	/*
+	 * For regular non-metacopy upper dentries, there is no lower
+	 * path based lookup, hence ctr will be zero. If a dentry is found
+	 * using ORIGIN xattr on upper, install it in stack.
+	 *
+	 * For metacopy dentry, path based lookup will find lower dentries.
+	 * Just make sure a corresponding data dentry has been found.
+	 */
+	if (d.metacopy || (uppermetacopy && !ctr)) {
+		err = -EIO;
+		goto out_put;
 	} else if (!d.is_dir && upperdentry && !ctr && origin_path) {
 		if (WARN_ON(stack != NULL)) {
 			err = -EIO;