diff --git a/arch/mips/cavium-octeon/octeon-irq.c b/arch/mips/cavium-octeon/octeon-irq.c
index c2bb4f896ce7..3aa5b46b2d40 100644
--- a/arch/mips/cavium-octeon/octeon-irq.c
+++ b/arch/mips/cavium-octeon/octeon-irq.c
@@ -635,7 +635,7 @@ static void octeon_irq_cpu_offline_ciu(struct irq_data *data)
 		cpumask_clear(&new_affinity);
 		cpumask_set_cpu(cpumask_first(cpu_online_mask), &new_affinity);
 	}
-	__irq_set_affinity_locked(data, &new_affinity);
+	irq_set_affinity_locked(data, &new_affinity, false);
 }
 
 static int octeon_irq_ciu_set_affinity(struct irq_data *data,
diff --git a/include/linux/interrupt.h b/include/linux/interrupt.h
index c7bfac1c4a7b..8834a7e5b944 100644
--- a/include/linux/interrupt.h
+++ b/include/linux/interrupt.h
@@ -203,7 +203,40 @@ static inline int check_wakeup_irqs(void) { return 0; }
 
 extern cpumask_var_t irq_default_affinity;
 
-extern int irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *cpumask);
+/* Internal implementation. Use the helpers below */
+extern int __irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *cpumask,
+			      bool force);
+
+/**
+ * irq_set_affinity - Set the irq affinity of a given irq
+ * @irq:	Interrupt to set affinity
+ * @mask:	cpumask
+ *
+ * Fails if cpumask does not contain an online CPU
+ */
+static inline int
+irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *cpumask)
+{
+	return __irq_set_affinity(irq, cpumask, false);
+}
+
+/**
+ * irq_force_affinity - Force the irq affinity of a given irq
+ * @irq:	Interrupt to set affinity
+ * @mask:	cpumask
+ *
+ * Same as irq_set_affinity, but without checking the mask against
+ * online cpus.
+ *
+ * Solely for low level cpu hotplug code, where we need to make per
+ * cpu interrupts affine before the cpu becomes online.
+ */
+static inline int
+irq_force_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *cpumask)
+{
+	return __irq_set_affinity(irq, cpumask, true);
+}
+
 extern int irq_can_set_affinity(unsigned int irq);
 extern int irq_select_affinity(unsigned int irq);
 
diff --git a/include/linux/irq.h b/include/linux/irq.h
index d278838908cb..10a0b1ac4ea0 100644
--- a/include/linux/irq.h
+++ b/include/linux/irq.h
@@ -394,7 +394,8 @@ extern void remove_percpu_irq(unsigned int irq, struct irqaction *act);
 
 extern void irq_cpu_online(void);
 extern void irq_cpu_offline(void);
-extern int __irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data,  const struct cpumask *cpumask);
+extern int irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data,
+				   const struct cpumask *cpumask, bool force);
 
 #if defined(CONFIG_SMP) && defined(CONFIG_GENERIC_PENDING_IRQ)
 void irq_move_irq(struct irq_data *data);
diff --git a/kernel/irq/manage.c b/kernel/irq/manage.c
index 2486a4c1a710..d34131ca372b 100644
--- a/kernel/irq/manage.c
+++ b/kernel/irq/manage.c
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ int irq_do_set_affinity(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask,
 	struct irq_chip *chip = irq_data_get_irq_chip(data);
 	int ret;
 
-	ret = chip->irq_set_affinity(data, mask, false);
+	ret = chip->irq_set_affinity(data, mask, force);
 	switch (ret) {
 	case IRQ_SET_MASK_OK:
 		cpumask_copy(data->affinity, mask);
@@ -192,7 +192,8 @@ int irq_do_set_affinity(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int __irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask)
+int irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask,
+			    bool force)
 {
 	struct irq_chip *chip = irq_data_get_irq_chip(data);
 	struct irq_desc *desc = irq_data_to_desc(data);
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ int __irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	if (irq_can_move_pcntxt(data)) {
-		ret = irq_do_set_affinity(data, mask, false);
+		ret = irq_do_set_affinity(data, mask, force);
 	} else {
 		irqd_set_move_pending(data);
 		irq_copy_pending(desc, mask);
@@ -217,13 +218,7 @@ int __irq_set_affinity_locked(struct irq_data *data, const struct cpumask *mask)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/**
- *	irq_set_affinity - Set the irq affinity of a given irq
- *	@irq:		Interrupt to set affinity
- *	@mask:		cpumask
- *
- */
-int irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *mask)
+int __irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *mask, bool force)
 {
 	struct irq_desc *desc = irq_to_desc(irq);
 	unsigned long flags;
@@ -233,7 +228,7 @@ int irq_set_affinity(unsigned int irq, const struct cpumask *mask)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&desc->lock, flags);
-	ret =  __irq_set_affinity_locked(irq_desc_get_irq_data(desc), mask);
+	ret = irq_set_affinity_locked(irq_desc_get_irq_data(desc), mask, force);
 	raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore(&desc->lock, flags);
 	return ret;
 }