diff --git a/drivers/block/xen-blkback/xenbus.c b/drivers/block/xen-blkback/xenbus.c
index 76912c584a76..1d8b8d24496c 100644
--- a/drivers/block/xen-blkback/xenbus.c
+++ b/drivers/block/xen-blkback/xenbus.c
@@ -675,7 +675,8 @@ static int xen_blkbk_probe(struct xenbus_device *dev,
 	/* setup back pointer */
 	be->blkif->be = be;
 
-	err = xenbus_watch_pathfmt(dev, &be->backend_watch, backend_changed,
+	err = xenbus_watch_pathfmt(dev, &be->backend_watch, NULL,
+				   backend_changed,
 				   "%s/%s", dev->nodename, "physical-device");
 	if (err)
 		goto fail;
diff --git a/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c b/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
index 00f6f8dc56c8..6f10e0998f1c 100644
--- a/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
+++ b/drivers/net/xen-netback/xenbus.c
@@ -824,7 +824,7 @@ static void connect(struct backend_info *be)
 	xenvif_carrier_on(be->vif);
 
 	unregister_hotplug_status_watch(be);
-	err = xenbus_watch_pathfmt(dev, &be->hotplug_status_watch,
+	err = xenbus_watch_pathfmt(dev, &be->hotplug_status_watch, NULL,
 				   hotplug_status_changed,
 				   "%s/%s", dev->nodename, "hotplug-status");
 	if (!err)
diff --git a/drivers/xen/xen-pciback/xenbus.c b/drivers/xen/xen-pciback/xenbus.c
index 4b99ec3dec58..e7c692cfb2cf 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/xen-pciback/xenbus.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/xen-pciback/xenbus.c
@@ -689,7 +689,7 @@ static int xen_pcibk_xenbus_probe(struct xenbus_device *dev,
 
 	/* watch the backend node for backend configuration information */
 	err = xenbus_watch_path(dev, dev->nodename, &pdev->be_watch,
-				xen_pcibk_be_watch);
+				NULL, xen_pcibk_be_watch);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
 
diff --git a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
index 0a21a12d9c34..0cd728961fce 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_client.c
@@ -127,19 +127,22 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(xenbus_strstate);
  */
 int xenbus_watch_path(struct xenbus_device *dev, const char *path,
 		      struct xenbus_watch *watch,
+		      bool (*will_handle)(struct xenbus_watch *,
+					  const char *, const char *),
 		      void (*callback)(struct xenbus_watch *,
 				       const char *, const char *))
 {
 	int err;
 
 	watch->node = path;
-	watch->will_handle = NULL;
+	watch->will_handle = will_handle;
 	watch->callback = callback;
 
 	err = register_xenbus_watch(watch);
 
 	if (err) {
 		watch->node = NULL;
+		watch->will_handle = NULL;
 		watch->callback = NULL;
 		xenbus_dev_fatal(dev, err, "adding watch on %s", path);
 	}
@@ -166,6 +169,8 @@ EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(xenbus_watch_path);
  */
 int xenbus_watch_pathfmt(struct xenbus_device *dev,
 			 struct xenbus_watch *watch,
+			 bool (*will_handle)(struct xenbus_watch *,
+					const char *, const char *),
 			 void (*callback)(struct xenbus_watch *,
 					  const char *, const char *),
 			 const char *pathfmt, ...)
@@ -182,7 +187,7 @@ int xenbus_watch_pathfmt(struct xenbus_device *dev,
 		xenbus_dev_fatal(dev, -ENOMEM, "allocating path for watch");
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
-	err = xenbus_watch_path(dev, path, watch, callback);
+	err = xenbus_watch_path(dev, path, watch, will_handle, callback);
 
 	if (err)
 		kfree(path);
diff --git a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_probe.c b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_probe.c
index 38725d97d909..4c3d1b84aa0a 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_probe.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_probe.c
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ static int watch_otherend(struct xenbus_device *dev)
 		container_of(dev->dev.bus, struct xen_bus_type, bus);
 
 	return xenbus_watch_pathfmt(dev, &dev->otherend_watch,
-				    bus->otherend_changed,
+				    NULL, bus->otherend_changed,
 				    "%s/%s", dev->otherend, "state");
 }
 
diff --git a/include/xen/xenbus.h b/include/xen/xenbus.h
index baa88bf0b9bc..c8574d1b814c 100644
--- a/include/xen/xenbus.h
+++ b/include/xen/xenbus.h
@@ -204,10 +204,14 @@ void xenbus_probe(struct work_struct *);
 
 int xenbus_watch_path(struct xenbus_device *dev, const char *path,
 		      struct xenbus_watch *watch,
+		      bool (*will_handle)(struct xenbus_watch *,
+					  const char *, const char *),
 		      void (*callback)(struct xenbus_watch *,
 				       const char *, const char *));
-__printf(4, 5)
+__printf(5, 6)
 int xenbus_watch_pathfmt(struct xenbus_device *dev, struct xenbus_watch *watch,
+			 bool (*will_handle)(struct xenbus_watch *,
+					     const char *, const char *),
 			 void (*callback)(struct xenbus_watch *,
 					  const char *, const char *),
 			 const char *pathfmt, ...);