diff --git a/fs/debugfs/inode.c b/fs/debugfs/inode.c
index adaaa04448b3..100186c2bf0a 100644
--- a/fs/debugfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/debugfs/inode.c
@@ -305,11 +305,9 @@ static struct file_system_type debug_fs_type = {
 };
 MODULE_ALIAS_FS("debugfs");
 
-static struct dentry *__create_file(const char *name, umode_t mode,
-				    struct dentry *parent, void *data,
-				    const struct file_operations *fops)
+static struct dentry *start_creating(const char *name, struct dentry *parent)
 {
-	struct dentry *dentry = NULL;
+	struct dentry *dentry;
 	int error;
 
 	pr_debug("debugfs: creating file '%s'\n",name);
@@ -317,7 +315,7 @@ static struct dentry *__create_file(const char *name, umode_t mode,
 	error = simple_pin_fs(&debug_fs_type, &debugfs_mount,
 			      &debugfs_mount_count);
 	if (error)
-		goto exit;
+		return ERR_PTR(error);
 
 	/* If the parent is not specified, we create it in the root.
 	 * We need the root dentry to do this, which is in the super
@@ -329,32 +327,51 @@ static struct dentry *__create_file(const char *name, umode_t mode,
 
 	mutex_lock(&parent->d_inode->i_mutex);
 	dentry = lookup_one_len(name, parent, strlen(name));
-	if (!IS_ERR(dentry)) {
-		switch (mode & S_IFMT) {
-		case S_IFDIR:
-			error = debugfs_mkdir(dentry, mode);
-
-			break;
-		case S_IFLNK:
-			error = debugfs_link(dentry, mode, data);
-			break;
-		default:
-			error = debugfs_create(dentry, mode, data, fops);
-			break;
-		}
+	if (!IS_ERR(dentry) && dentry->d_inode) {
 		dput(dentry);
-	} else
-		error = PTR_ERR(dentry);
-	mutex_unlock(&parent->d_inode->i_mutex);
+		dentry = ERR_PTR(-EEXIST);
+	}
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		mutex_unlock(&parent->d_inode->i_mutex);
+	return dentry;
+}
+
+static struct dentry *end_creating(struct dentry *dentry, int error)
+{
+	mutex_unlock(&dentry->d_parent->d_inode->i_mutex);
+	dput(dentry);
 
 	if (error) {
 		dentry = NULL;
 		simple_release_fs(&debugfs_mount, &debugfs_mount_count);
 	}
-exit:
 	return dentry;
 }
 
+static struct dentry *__create_file(const char *name, umode_t mode,
+				    struct dentry *parent, void *data,
+				    const struct file_operations *fops)
+{
+	struct dentry *dentry = start_creating(name, parent);
+	int error;
+
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		return NULL;
+
+	switch (mode & S_IFMT) {
+	case S_IFDIR:
+		error = debugfs_mkdir(dentry, mode);
+		break;
+	case S_IFLNK:
+		error = debugfs_link(dentry, mode, data);
+		break;
+	default:
+		error = debugfs_create(dentry, mode, data, fops);
+		break;
+	}
+	return end_creating(dentry, error);
+}
+
 /**
  * debugfs_create_file - create a file in the debugfs filesystem
  * @name: a pointer to a string containing the name of the file to create.