diff --git a/drivers/block/loop.c b/drivers/block/loop.c
index da693e6a834e..d89c25ba3b89 100644
--- a/drivers/block/loop.c
+++ b/drivers/block/loop.c
@@ -919,7 +919,7 @@ static void loop_unprepare_queue(struct loop_device *lo)
 
 static int loop_kthread_worker_fn(void *worker_ptr)
 {
-	current->flags |= PF_LESS_THROTTLE | PF_MEMALLOC_NOIO;
+	current->flags |= PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE | PF_MEMALLOC_NOIO;
 	return kthread_worker_fn(worker_ptr);
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/nfsd/vfs.c b/fs/nfsd/vfs.c
index 0aa02eb18bd3..c3fbab1753ec 100644
--- a/fs/nfsd/vfs.c
+++ b/fs/nfsd/vfs.c
@@ -979,12 +979,13 @@ nfsd_vfs_write(struct svc_rqst *rqstp, struct svc_fh *fhp, struct nfsd_file *nf,
 
 	if (test_bit(RQ_LOCAL, &rqstp->rq_flags))
 		/*
-		 * We want less throttling in balance_dirty_pages()
-		 * and shrink_inactive_list() so that nfs to
+		 * We want throttling in balance_dirty_pages()
+		 * and shrink_inactive_list() to only consider
+		 * the backingdev we are writing to, so that nfs to
 		 * localhost doesn't cause nfsd to lock up due to all
 		 * the client's dirty pages or its congested queue.
 		 */
-		current->flags |= PF_LESS_THROTTLE;
+		current->flags |= PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE;
 
 	exp = fhp->fh_export;
 	use_wgather = (rqstp->rq_vers == 2) && EX_WGATHER(exp);
@@ -1037,7 +1038,7 @@ out_nfserr:
 		nfserr = nfserrno(host_err);
 	}
 	if (test_bit(RQ_LOCAL, &rqstp->rq_flags))
-		current_restore_flags(pflags, PF_LESS_THROTTLE);
+		current_restore_flags(pflags, PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE);
 	return nfserr;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/linux/sched.h b/include/linux/sched.h
index 4418f5cb8324..12ef0c753284 100644
--- a/include/linux/sched.h
+++ b/include/linux/sched.h
@@ -1481,7 +1481,8 @@ extern struct pid *cad_pid;
 #define PF_KSWAPD		0x00020000	/* I am kswapd */
 #define PF_MEMALLOC_NOFS	0x00040000	/* All allocation requests will inherit GFP_NOFS */
 #define PF_MEMALLOC_NOIO	0x00080000	/* All allocation requests will inherit GFP_NOIO */
-#define PF_LESS_THROTTLE	0x00100000	/* Throttle me less: I clean memory */
+#define PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE	0x00100000	/* Throttle writes only against the bdi I write to,
+						 * I am cleaning dirty pages from some other bdi. */
 #define PF_KTHREAD		0x00200000	/* I am a kernel thread */
 #define PF_RANDOMIZE		0x00400000	/* Randomize virtual address space */
 #define PF_SWAPWRITE		0x00800000	/* Allowed to write to swap */
diff --git a/kernel/sys.c b/kernel/sys.c
index d325f3ab624a..180a2fa33f7f 100644
--- a/kernel/sys.c
+++ b/kernel/sys.c
@@ -2262,7 +2262,7 @@ int __weak arch_prctl_spec_ctrl_set(struct task_struct *t, unsigned long which,
 	return -EINVAL;
 }
 
-#define PR_IO_FLUSHER (PF_MEMALLOC_NOIO | PF_LESS_THROTTLE)
+#define PR_IO_FLUSHER (PF_MEMALLOC_NOIO | PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE)
 
 SYSCALL_DEFINE5(prctl, int, option, unsigned long, arg2, unsigned long, arg3,
 		unsigned long, arg4, unsigned long, arg5)
diff --git a/mm/page-writeback.c b/mm/page-writeback.c
index 2df6fb174983..7ff2290cf43d 100644
--- a/mm/page-writeback.c
+++ b/mm/page-writeback.c
@@ -387,8 +387,7 @@ static unsigned long global_dirtyable_memory(void)
  * Calculate @dtc->thresh and ->bg_thresh considering
  * vm_dirty_{bytes|ratio} and dirty_background_{bytes|ratio}.  The caller
  * must ensure that @dtc->avail is set before calling this function.  The
- * dirty limits will be lifted by 1/4 for PF_LESS_THROTTLE (ie. nfsd) and
- * real-time tasks.
+ * dirty limits will be lifted by 1/4 for real-time tasks.
  */
 static void domain_dirty_limits(struct dirty_throttle_control *dtc)
 {
@@ -436,7 +435,7 @@ static void domain_dirty_limits(struct dirty_throttle_control *dtc)
 	if (bg_thresh >= thresh)
 		bg_thresh = thresh / 2;
 	tsk = current;
-	if (tsk->flags & PF_LESS_THROTTLE || rt_task(tsk)) {
+	if (rt_task(tsk)) {
 		bg_thresh += bg_thresh / 4 + global_wb_domain.dirty_limit / 32;
 		thresh += thresh / 4 + global_wb_domain.dirty_limit / 32;
 	}
@@ -486,7 +485,7 @@ static unsigned long node_dirty_limit(struct pglist_data *pgdat)
 	else
 		dirty = vm_dirty_ratio * node_memory / 100;
 
-	if (tsk->flags & PF_LESS_THROTTLE || rt_task(tsk))
+	if (rt_task(tsk))
 		dirty += dirty / 4;
 
 	return dirty;
@@ -1653,8 +1652,12 @@ static void balance_dirty_pages(struct bdi_writeback *wb,
 		if (dirty <= dirty_freerun_ceiling(thresh, bg_thresh) &&
 		    (!mdtc ||
 		     m_dirty <= dirty_freerun_ceiling(m_thresh, m_bg_thresh))) {
-			unsigned long intv = dirty_poll_interval(dirty, thresh);
-			unsigned long m_intv = ULONG_MAX;
+			unsigned long intv;
+			unsigned long m_intv;
+
+free_running:
+			intv = dirty_poll_interval(dirty, thresh);
+			m_intv = ULONG_MAX;
 
 			current->dirty_paused_when = now;
 			current->nr_dirtied = 0;
@@ -1673,9 +1676,20 @@ static void balance_dirty_pages(struct bdi_writeback *wb,
 		 * Calculate global domain's pos_ratio and select the
 		 * global dtc by default.
 		 */
-		if (!strictlimit)
+		if (!strictlimit) {
 			wb_dirty_limits(gdtc);
 
+			if ((current->flags & PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE) &&
+			    gdtc->wb_dirty <
+			    dirty_freerun_ceiling(gdtc->wb_thresh,
+						  gdtc->wb_bg_thresh))
+				/*
+				 * LOCAL_THROTTLE tasks must not be throttled
+				 * when below the per-wb freerun ceiling.
+				 */
+				goto free_running;
+		}
+
 		dirty_exceeded = (gdtc->wb_dirty > gdtc->wb_thresh) &&
 			((gdtc->dirty > gdtc->thresh) || strictlimit);
 
@@ -1689,9 +1703,20 @@ static void balance_dirty_pages(struct bdi_writeback *wb,
 			 * both global and memcg domains.  Choose the one
 			 * w/ lower pos_ratio.
 			 */
-			if (!strictlimit)
+			if (!strictlimit) {
 				wb_dirty_limits(mdtc);
 
+				if ((current->flags & PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE) &&
+				    mdtc->wb_dirty <
+				    dirty_freerun_ceiling(mdtc->wb_thresh,
+							  mdtc->wb_bg_thresh))
+					/*
+					 * LOCAL_THROTTLE tasks must not be
+					 * throttled when below the per-wb
+					 * freerun ceiling.
+					 */
+					goto free_running;
+			}
 			dirty_exceeded |= (mdtc->wb_dirty > mdtc->wb_thresh) &&
 				((mdtc->dirty > mdtc->thresh) || strictlimit);
 
diff --git a/mm/vmscan.c b/mm/vmscan.c
index a37c87b5aee2..b2f5deb3603c 100644
--- a/mm/vmscan.c
+++ b/mm/vmscan.c
@@ -1878,13 +1878,13 @@ static unsigned noinline_for_stack move_pages_to_lru(struct lruvec *lruvec,
 
 /*
  * If a kernel thread (such as nfsd for loop-back mounts) services
- * a backing device by writing to the page cache it sets PF_LESS_THROTTLE.
+ * a backing device by writing to the page cache it sets PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE.
  * In that case we should only throttle if the backing device it is
  * writing to is congested.  In other cases it is safe to throttle.
  */
 static int current_may_throttle(void)
 {
-	return !(current->flags & PF_LESS_THROTTLE) ||
+	return !(current->flags & PF_LOCAL_THROTTLE) ||
 		current->backing_dev_info == NULL ||
 		bdi_write_congested(current->backing_dev_info);
 }