diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 3822a909ce1f41e0e75ec07663220f5d82fc75fb..741dc0b6931fe90fc62874989c93e659f7e7a4ef 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -178,6 +178,8 @@ void ovl_dentry_version_inc(struct dentry *dentry);
 u64 ovl_dentry_version_get(struct dentry *dentry);
 bool ovl_is_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry);
 struct file *ovl_path_open(struct path *path, int flags);
+int ovl_copy_up_start(struct dentry *dentry);
+void ovl_copy_up_end(struct dentry *dentry);
 
 /* namei.c */
 int ovl_path_next(int idx, struct dentry *dentry, struct path *path);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h b/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
index 65f240001aa698cadcfa08ce8aa6b8db6c2e6a47..59614faa14c315fb8f6e5998f91bc7061f818bab 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ struct ovl_fs {
 	/* creds of process who forced instantiation of super block */
 	const struct cred *creator_cred;
 	bool tmpfile;
+	wait_queue_head_t copyup_wq;
 };
 
 /* private information held for every overlayfs dentry */
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ struct ovl_entry {
 			u64 version;
 			const char *redirect;
 			bool opaque;
+			bool copying;
 		};
 		struct rcu_head rcu;
 	};
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index ff05065b510f7fcb8bcc7251f825ee0cacac5ab0..6792bb70b4ac1311f729fc166aba26d857b1b979 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -708,6 +708,7 @@ static int ovl_fill_super(struct super_block *sb, void *data, int silent)
 	if (!ufs)
 		goto out;
 
+	init_waitqueue_head(&ufs->copyup_wq);
 	ufs->config.redirect_dir = ovl_redirect_dir_def;
 	err = ovl_parse_opt((char *) data, &ufs->config);
 	if (err)
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/util.c b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
index 952286f4826cc590035e20e749a7be080aa1b671..01157d6e8cfe055e95371a6f443381ddf1832aa4 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/util.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
@@ -263,3 +263,33 @@ struct file *ovl_path_open(struct path *path, int flags)
 {
 	return dentry_open(path, flags | O_NOATIME, current_cred());
 }
+
+int ovl_copy_up_start(struct dentry *dentry)
+{
+	struct ovl_fs *ofs = dentry->d_sb->s_fs_info;
+	struct ovl_entry *oe = dentry->d_fsdata;
+	int err;
+
+	spin_lock(&ofs->copyup_wq.lock);
+	err = wait_event_interruptible_locked(ofs->copyup_wq, !oe->copying);
+	if (!err) {
+		if (oe->__upperdentry)
+			err = 1; /* Already copied up */
+		else
+			oe->copying = true;
+	}
+	spin_unlock(&ofs->copyup_wq.lock);
+
+	return err;
+}
+
+void ovl_copy_up_end(struct dentry *dentry)
+{
+	struct ovl_fs *ofs = dentry->d_sb->s_fs_info;
+	struct ovl_entry *oe = dentry->d_fsdata;
+
+	spin_lock(&ofs->copyup_wq.lock);
+	oe->copying = false;
+	wake_up_locked(&ofs->copyup_wq);
+	spin_unlock(&ofs->copyup_wq.lock);
+}