diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.c b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.c
index 4773eef9d3de..510ca6974604 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.c
@@ -118,12 +118,28 @@ xfs_attr_get_ilocked(
 		return xfs_attr_node_get(args);
 }
 
-/* Retrieve an extended attribute by name, and its value. */
+/*
+ * Retrieve an extended attribute by name, and its value if requested.
+ *
+ * If ATTR_KERNOVAL is set in @flags, then the caller does not want the value,
+ * just an indication whether the attribute exists and the size of the value if
+ * it exists. The size is returned in @valuelenp,
+ *
+ * If the attribute is found, but exceeds the size limit set by the caller in
+ * @valuelenp, return -ERANGE with the size of the attribute that was found in
+ * @valuelenp.
+ *
+ * If ATTR_ALLOC is set in @flags, allocate the buffer for the value after
+ * existence of the attribute has been determined. On success, return that
+ * buffer to the caller and leave them to free it. On failure, free any
+ * allocated buffer and ensure the buffer pointer returned to the caller is
+ * null.
+ */
 int
 xfs_attr_get(
 	struct xfs_inode	*ip,
 	const unsigned char	*name,
-	unsigned char		*value,
+	unsigned char		**value,
 	int			*valuelenp,
 	int			flags)
 {
@@ -131,6 +147,8 @@ xfs_attr_get(
 	uint			lock_mode;
 	int			error;
 
+	ASSERT((flags & (ATTR_ALLOC | ATTR_KERNOVAL)) || *value);
+
 	XFS_STATS_INC(ip->i_mount, xs_attr_get);
 
 	if (XFS_FORCED_SHUTDOWN(ip->i_mount))
@@ -140,17 +158,29 @@ xfs_attr_get(
 	if (error)
 		return error;
 
-	args.value = value;
-	args.valuelen = *valuelenp;
 	/* Entirely possible to look up a name which doesn't exist */
 	args.op_flags = XFS_DA_OP_OKNOENT;
+	if (flags & ATTR_ALLOC)
+		args.op_flags |= XFS_DA_OP_ALLOCVAL;
+	else
+		args.value = *value;
+	args.valuelen = *valuelenp;
 
 	lock_mode = xfs_ilock_attr_map_shared(ip);
 	error = xfs_attr_get_ilocked(ip, &args);
 	xfs_iunlock(ip, lock_mode);
-
 	*valuelenp = args.valuelen;
-	return error;
+
+	/* on error, we have to clean up allocated value buffers */
+	if (error) {
+		if (flags & ATTR_ALLOC) {
+			kmem_free(args.value);
+			*value = NULL;
+		}
+		return error;
+	}
+	*value = args.value;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.h b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.h
index ff28ebf3b635..94badfa1743e 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ struct xfs_attr_list_context;
 #define ATTR_KERNOVAL	0x2000	/* [kernel] get attr size only, not value */
 
 #define ATTR_INCOMPLETE	0x4000	/* [kernel] return INCOMPLETE attr keys */
+#define ATTR_ALLOC	0x8000	/* allocate xattr buffer on demand */
 
 #define XFS_ATTR_FLAGS \
 	{ ATTR_DONTFOLLOW, 	"DONTFOLLOW" }, \
@@ -47,7 +48,8 @@ struct xfs_attr_list_context;
 	{ ATTR_REPLACE,		"REPLACE" }, \
 	{ ATTR_KERNOTIME,	"KERNOTIME" }, \
 	{ ATTR_KERNOVAL,	"KERNOVAL" }, \
-	{ ATTR_INCOMPLETE,	"INCOMPLETE" }
+	{ ATTR_INCOMPLETE,	"INCOMPLETE" }, \
+	{ ATTR_ALLOC,		"ALLOC" }
 
 /*
  * The maximum size (into the kernel or returned from the kernel) of an
@@ -143,7 +145,7 @@ int xfs_attr_list_int(struct xfs_attr_list_context *);
 int xfs_inode_hasattr(struct xfs_inode *ip);
 int xfs_attr_get_ilocked(struct xfs_inode *ip, struct xfs_da_args *args);
 int xfs_attr_get(struct xfs_inode *ip, const unsigned char *name,
-		 unsigned char *value, int *valuelenp, int flags);
+		 unsigned char **value, int *valuelenp, int flags);
 int xfs_attr_set(struct xfs_inode *dp, const unsigned char *name,
 		 unsigned char *value, int valuelen, int flags);
 int xfs_attr_set_args(struct xfs_da_args *args);
diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr_leaf.c b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr_leaf.c
index f6a595e76343..b9f019603d0b 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr_leaf.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_attr_leaf.c
@@ -414,6 +414,12 @@ xfs_attr_copy_value(
 		args->valuelen = valuelen;
 		return -ERANGE;
 	}
+
+	if (args->op_flags & XFS_DA_OP_ALLOCVAL) {
+		args->value = kmem_alloc_large(valuelen, 0);
+		if (!args->value)
+			return -ENOMEM;
+	}
 	args->valuelen = valuelen;
 
 	/* remote block xattr requires IO for copy-in */
diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_da_btree.h b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_da_btree.h
index 84dd865b6c3d..ae0bbd20d9ca 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_da_btree.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_da_btree.h
@@ -81,13 +81,15 @@ typedef struct xfs_da_args {
 #define XFS_DA_OP_ADDNAME	0x0004	/* this is an add operation */
 #define XFS_DA_OP_OKNOENT	0x0008	/* lookup/add op, ENOENT ok, else die */
 #define XFS_DA_OP_CILOOKUP	0x0010	/* lookup to return CI name if found */
+#define XFS_DA_OP_ALLOCVAL	0x0020	/* lookup to alloc buffer if found  */
 
 #define XFS_DA_OP_FLAGS \
 	{ XFS_DA_OP_JUSTCHECK,	"JUSTCHECK" }, \
 	{ XFS_DA_OP_RENAME,	"RENAME" }, \
 	{ XFS_DA_OP_ADDNAME,	"ADDNAME" }, \
 	{ XFS_DA_OP_OKNOENT,	"OKNOENT" }, \
-	{ XFS_DA_OP_CILOOKUP,	"CILOOKUP" }
+	{ XFS_DA_OP_CILOOKUP,	"CILOOKUP" }, \
+	{ XFS_DA_OP_ALLOCVAL,	"ALLOCVAL" }
 
 /*
  * Storage for holding state during Btree searches and split/join ops.
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_acl.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_acl.c
index 86c0697870a5..96d7071cfa46 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_acl.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_acl.c
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ xfs_get_acl(struct inode *inode, int type)
 {
 	struct xfs_inode *ip = XFS_I(inode);
 	struct posix_acl *acl = NULL;
-	struct xfs_acl *xfs_acl;
+	struct xfs_acl *xfs_acl = NULL;
 	unsigned char *ea_name;
 	int error;
 	int len;
@@ -135,12 +135,8 @@ xfs_get_acl(struct inode *inode, int type)
 	 * go out to the disk.
 	 */
 	len = XFS_ACL_MAX_SIZE(ip->i_mount);
-	xfs_acl = kmem_zalloc_large(len, 0);
-	if (!xfs_acl)
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
-
-	error = xfs_attr_get(ip, ea_name, (unsigned char *)xfs_acl,
-							&len, ATTR_ROOT);
+	error = xfs_attr_get(ip, ea_name, (unsigned char **)&xfs_acl, &len,
+				ATTR_ALLOC | ATTR_ROOT);
 	if (error) {
 		/*
 		 * If the attribute doesn't exist make sure we have a negative
@@ -151,8 +147,8 @@ xfs_get_acl(struct inode *inode, int type)
 	} else  {
 		acl = xfs_acl_from_disk(xfs_acl, len,
 					XFS_ACL_MAX_ENTRIES(ip->i_mount));
+		kmem_free(xfs_acl);
 	}
-	kmem_free(xfs_acl);
 	return acl;
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_ioctl.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_ioctl.c
index e6f1e4739758..495565feae4f 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_ioctl.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_ioctl.c
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ xfs_attrmulti_attr_get(
 	if (!kbuf)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	error = xfs_attr_get(XFS_I(inode), name, kbuf, (int *)len, flags);
+	error = xfs_attr_get(XFS_I(inode), name, &kbuf, (int *)len, flags);
 	if (error)
 		goto out_kfree;
 
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_xattr.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_xattr.c
index 3123b5aaad2a..cb895b1df5e4 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_xattr.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_xattr.c
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ xfs_xattr_get(const struct xattr_handler *handler, struct dentry *unused,
 		value = NULL;
 	}
 
-	error = xfs_attr_get(ip, (unsigned char *)name, value, &asize, xflags);
+	error = xfs_attr_get(ip, name, (unsigned char **)&value, &asize, xflags);
 	if (error)
 		return error;
 	return asize;