diff --git a/include/linux/sunrpc/auth.h b/include/linux/sunrpc/auth.h
index 98da816b5fc2..3e6ce288a7fc 100644
--- a/include/linux/sunrpc/auth.h
+++ b/include/linux/sunrpc/auth.h
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ struct rpc_auth_create_args {
 
 /* Flags for rpcauth_lookupcred() */
 #define RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_NEW		0x01	/* Accept an uninitialised cred */
+#define RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC		0x02	/* Don't block waiting for memory */
 
 /*
  * Client authentication ops
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/auth.c b/net/sunrpc/auth.c
index a9f0d17fdb0d..6bfa19f9fa6a 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/auth.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/auth.c
@@ -615,6 +615,8 @@ rpcauth_bind_root_cred(struct rpc_task *task, int lookupflags)
 	};
 	struct rpc_cred *ret;
 
+	if (RPC_IS_ASYNC(task))
+		lookupflags |= RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC;
 	ret = auth->au_ops->lookup_cred(auth, &acred, lookupflags);
 	put_cred(acred.cred);
 	return ret;
@@ -631,6 +633,8 @@ rpcauth_bind_machine_cred(struct rpc_task *task, int lookupflags)
 
 	if (!acred.principal)
 		return NULL;
+	if (RPC_IS_ASYNC(task))
+		lookupflags |= RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC;
 	return auth->au_ops->lookup_cred(auth, &acred, lookupflags);
 }
 
@@ -654,7 +658,7 @@ rpcauth_bindcred(struct rpc_task *task, const struct cred *cred, int flags)
 	};
 
 	if (flags & RPC_TASK_ASYNC)
-		lookupflags |= RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_NEW;
+		lookupflags |= RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_NEW | RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC;
 	if (task->tk_op_cred)
 		/* Task must use exactly this rpc_cred */
 		new = get_rpccred(task->tk_op_cred);
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
index affd64a54f02..ac0828108204 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/auth_gss/auth_gss.c
@@ -1341,7 +1341,11 @@ gss_hash_cred(struct auth_cred *acred, unsigned int hashbits)
 static struct rpc_cred *
 gss_lookup_cred(struct rpc_auth *auth, struct auth_cred *acred, int flags)
 {
-	return rpcauth_lookup_credcache(auth, acred, flags, GFP_KERNEL);
+	gfp_t gfp = GFP_KERNEL;
+
+	if (flags & RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC)
+		gfp = GFP_NOWAIT | __GFP_NOWARN;
+	return rpcauth_lookup_credcache(auth, acred, flags, gfp);
 }
 
 static struct rpc_cred *
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/auth_unix.c b/net/sunrpc/auth_unix.c
index 3600d8641644..c629d366030e 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/auth_unix.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/auth_unix.c
@@ -43,8 +43,14 @@ unx_destroy(struct rpc_auth *auth)
 static struct rpc_cred *
 unx_lookup_cred(struct rpc_auth *auth, struct auth_cred *acred, int flags)
 {
-	struct rpc_cred *ret = mempool_alloc(unix_pool, GFP_KERNEL);
+	gfp_t gfp = GFP_KERNEL;
+	struct rpc_cred *ret;
 
+	if (flags & RPCAUTH_LOOKUP_ASYNC)
+		gfp = GFP_NOWAIT | __GFP_NOWARN;
+	ret = mempool_alloc(unix_pool, gfp);
+	if (!ret)
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 	rpcauth_init_cred(ret, acred, auth, &unix_credops);
 	ret->cr_flags = 1UL << RPCAUTH_CRED_UPTODATE;
 	return ret;
diff --git a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
index 97165a545cb3..9556eb7b065b 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/clnt.c
@@ -1745,6 +1745,9 @@ call_refreshresult(struct rpc_task *task)
 		task->tk_cred_retry--;
 		trace_rpc_retry_refresh_status(task);
 		return;
+	case -ENOMEM:
+		rpc_delay(task, HZ >> 4);
+		return;
 	}
 	trace_rpc_refresh_status(task);
 	rpc_call_rpcerror(task, status);