diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
index cdebd832c3db..1270ded7610d 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_log_cil.c
@@ -487,13 +487,6 @@ xlog_cil_push(
 	new_ctx->cil = cil;
 	cil->xc_ctx = new_ctx;
 
-	/*
-	 * mirror the new sequence into the cil structure so that we can do
-	 * unlocked checks against the current sequence in log forces without
-	 * risking deferencing a freed context pointer.
-	 */
-	cil->xc_current_sequence = new_ctx->sequence;
-
 	/*
 	 * The switch is now done, so we can drop the context lock and move out
 	 * of a shared context. We can't just go straight to the commit record,
@@ -512,8 +505,15 @@ xlog_cil_push(
 	 * Hence we need to add this context to the committing context list so
 	 * that higher sequences will wait for us to write out a commit record
 	 * before they do.
+	 *
+	 * xfs_log_force_lsn requires us to mirror the new sequence into the cil
+	 * structure atomically with the addition of this sequence to the
+	 * committing list. This also ensures that we can do unlocked checks
+	 * against the current sequence in log forces without risking
+	 * deferencing a freed context pointer.
 	 */
 	spin_lock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
+	cil->xc_current_sequence = new_ctx->sequence;
 	list_add(&ctx->committing, &cil->xc_committing);
 	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
 	up_write(&cil->xc_ctx_lock);
@@ -651,8 +651,14 @@ xlog_cil_push_background(
 
 }
 
+/*
+ * xlog_cil_push_now() is used to trigger an immediate CIL push to the sequence
+ * number that is passed. When it returns, the work will be queued for
+ * @push_seq, but it won't be completed. The caller is expected to do any
+ * waiting for push_seq to complete if it is required.
+ */
 static void
-xlog_cil_push_foreground(
+xlog_cil_push_now(
 	struct xlog	*log,
 	xfs_lsn_t	push_seq)
 {
@@ -677,10 +683,8 @@ xlog_cil_push_foreground(
 	}
 
 	cil->xc_push_seq = push_seq;
+	queue_work(log->l_mp->m_cil_workqueue, &cil->xc_push_work);
 	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
-
-	/* do the push now */
-	xlog_cil_push(log);
 }
 
 bool
@@ -785,7 +789,8 @@ xlog_cil_force_lsn(
 	 * xlog_cil_push() handles racing pushes for the same sequence,
 	 * so no need to deal with it here.
 	 */
-	xlog_cil_push_foreground(log, sequence);
+restart:
+	xlog_cil_push_now(log, sequence);
 
 	/*
 	 * See if we can find a previous sequence still committing.
@@ -793,7 +798,6 @@ xlog_cil_force_lsn(
 	 * before allowing the force of push_seq to go ahead. Hence block
 	 * on commits for those as well.
 	 */
-restart:
 	spin_lock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
 	list_for_each_entry(ctx, &cil->xc_committing, committing) {
 		if (ctx->sequence > sequence)
@@ -811,6 +815,28 @@ restart:
 		/* found it! */
 		commit_lsn = ctx->commit_lsn;
 	}
+
+	/*
+	 * The call to xlog_cil_push_now() executes the push in the background.
+	 * Hence by the time we have got here it our sequence may not have been
+	 * pushed yet. This is true if the current sequence still matches the
+	 * push sequence after the above wait loop and the CIL still contains
+	 * dirty objects.
+	 *
+	 * When the push occurs, it will empty the CIL and
+	 * atomically increment the currect sequence past the push sequence and
+	 * move it into the committing list. Of course, if the CIL is clean at
+	 * the time of the push, it won't have pushed the CIL at all, so in that
+	 * case we should try the push for this sequence again from the start
+	 * just in case.
+	 */
+
+	if (sequence == cil->xc_current_sequence &&
+	    !list_empty(&cil->xc_cil)) {
+		spin_unlock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
+		goto restart;
+	}
+
 	spin_unlock(&cil->xc_push_lock);
 	return commit_lsn;
 }