diff --git a/fs/nfsd/filecache.c b/fs/nfsd/filecache.c
index be3c1aad50ea..fdf89fcf1a0c 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/filecache.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/filecache.c
@@ -602,6 +602,9 @@ nfsd_file_fsnotify_handle_event(struct fsnotify_mark *mark, u32 mask,
 				struct inode *inode, struct inode *dir,
 				const struct qstr *name, u32 cookie)
 {
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!inode))
+		return 0;
+
 	trace_nfsd_file_fsnotify_handle_event(inode, mask);
 
 	/* Should be no marks on non-regular files */
diff --git a/fs/notify/fsnotify.c b/fs/notify/fsnotify.c
index fde3a1115a17..4034ca566f95 100644
--- a/fs/notify/fsnotify.c
+++ b/fs/notify/fsnotify.c
@@ -252,6 +252,9 @@ static int fsnotify_handle_inode_event(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!ops->handle_inode_event))
 		return 0;
 
+	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!inode && !dir))
+		return 0;
+
 	if ((inode_mark->mask & FS_EXCL_UNLINK) &&
 	    path && d_unlinked(path->dentry))
 		return 0;
diff --git a/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h b/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
index 035438fe4a43..b71dc788018e 100644
--- a/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
+++ b/include/linux/fsnotify_backend.h
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ struct mem_cgroup;
  * @dir:	optional directory associated with event -
  *		if @file_name is not NULL, this is the directory that
  *		@file_name is relative to.
+ *		Either @inode or @dir must be non-NULL.
  * @file_name:	optional file name associated with event
  * @cookie:	inotify rename cookie
  *