diff --git a/drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c b/drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c
index 9434d20cf3ca..45eda69b150c 100644
--- a/drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c
+++ b/drivers/tty/tty_ldisc.c
@@ -478,6 +478,7 @@ static int tty_ldisc_open(struct tty_struct *tty, struct tty_ldisc *ld)
 
 static void tty_ldisc_close(struct tty_struct *tty, struct tty_ldisc *ld)
 {
+	lockdep_assert_held_exclusive(&tty->ldisc_sem);
 	WARN_ON(!test_bit(TTY_LDISC_OPEN, &tty->flags));
 	clear_bit(TTY_LDISC_OPEN, &tty->flags);
 	if (ld->ops->close)
@@ -499,6 +500,7 @@ static int tty_ldisc_failto(struct tty_struct *tty, int ld)
 	struct tty_ldisc *disc = tty_ldisc_get(tty, ld);
 	int r;
 
+	lockdep_assert_held_exclusive(&tty->ldisc_sem);
 	if (IS_ERR(disc))
 		return PTR_ERR(disc);
 	tty->ldisc = disc;
@@ -622,6 +624,7 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(tty_set_ldisc);
  */
 static void tty_ldisc_kill(struct tty_struct *tty)
 {
+	lockdep_assert_held_exclusive(&tty->ldisc_sem);
 	if (!tty->ldisc)
 		return;
 	/*
@@ -669,6 +672,7 @@ int tty_ldisc_reinit(struct tty_struct *tty, int disc)
 	struct tty_ldisc *ld;
 	int retval;
 
+	lockdep_assert_held_exclusive(&tty->ldisc_sem);
 	ld = tty_ldisc_get(tty, disc);
 	if (IS_ERR(ld)) {
 		BUG_ON(disc == N_TTY);
@@ -767,6 +771,10 @@ int tty_ldisc_setup(struct tty_struct *tty, struct tty_struct *o_tty)
 		return retval;
 
 	if (o_tty) {
+		/*
+		 * Called without o_tty->ldisc_sem held, as o_tty has been
+		 * just allocated and no one has a reference to it.
+		 */
 		retval = tty_ldisc_open(o_tty, o_tty->ldisc);
 		if (retval) {
 			tty_ldisc_close(tty, tty->ldisc);
@@ -832,6 +840,7 @@ int tty_ldisc_init(struct tty_struct *tty)
  */
 void tty_ldisc_deinit(struct tty_struct *tty)
 {
+	/* no ldisc_sem, tty is being destroyed */
 	if (tty->ldisc)
 		tty_ldisc_put(tty->ldisc);
 	tty->ldisc = NULL;