diff --git a/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt b/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
index 6cd63a9010fb..4714f282a43e 100644
--- a/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
+++ b/Documentation/virtual/kvm/api.txt
@@ -612,6 +612,20 @@ On some architectures it is required that an interrupt controller model has
 been previously created with KVM_CREATE_IRQCHIP.  Note that edge-triggered
 interrupts require the level to be set to 1 and then back to 0.
 
+On real hardware, interrupt pins can be active-low or active-high.  This
+does not matter for the level field of struct kvm_irq_level: 1 always
+means active (asserted), 0 means inactive (deasserted).
+
+x86 allows the operating system to program the interrupt polarity
+(active-low/active-high) for level-triggered interrupts, and KVM used
+to consider the polarity.  However, due to bitrot in the handling of
+active-low interrupts, the above convention is now valid on x86 too.
+This is signaled by KVM_CAP_X86_IOAPIC_POLARITY_IGNORED.  Userspace
+should not present interrupts to the guest as active-low unless this
+capability is present (or unless it is not using the in-kernel irqchip,
+of course).
+
+
 ARM/arm64 can signal an interrupt either at the CPU level, or at the
 in-kernel irqchip (GIC), and for in-kernel irqchip can tell the GIC to
 use PPIs designated for specific cpus.  The irq field is interpreted
@@ -628,7 +642,7 @@ The irq_type field has the following values:
 
 (The irq_id field thus corresponds nicely to the IRQ ID in the ARM GIC specs)
 
-In both cases, level is used to raise/lower the line.
+In both cases, level is used to assert/deassert the line.
 
 struct kvm_irq_level {
 	union {
diff --git a/arch/ia64/kvm/kvm-ia64.c b/arch/ia64/kvm/kvm-ia64.c
index 53f44bee9ebb..6a4309bb821a 100644
--- a/arch/ia64/kvm/kvm-ia64.c
+++ b/arch/ia64/kvm/kvm-ia64.c
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ int kvm_dev_ioctl_check_extension(long ext)
 	case KVM_CAP_IRQCHIP:
 	case KVM_CAP_MP_STATE:
 	case KVM_CAP_IRQ_INJECT_STATUS:
+	case KVM_CAP_IOAPIC_POLARITY_IGNORED:
 		r = 1;
 		break;
 	case KVM_CAP_COALESCED_MMIO:
diff --git a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
index d906391a0a3f..a37da6b0165a 100644
--- a/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
+++ b/arch/x86/kvm/x86.c
@@ -2657,6 +2657,7 @@ int kvm_dev_ioctl_check_extension(long ext)
 	case KVM_CAP_KVMCLOCK_CTRL:
 	case KVM_CAP_READONLY_MEM:
 	case KVM_CAP_HYPERV_TIME:
+	case KVM_CAP_IOAPIC_POLARITY_IGNORED:
 #ifdef CONFIG_KVM_DEVICE_ASSIGNMENT
 	case KVM_CAP_ASSIGN_DEV_IRQ:
 	case KVM_CAP_PCI_2_3:
diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h b/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h
index 7d76401d2bb5..a7518be31d53 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/kvm.h
@@ -740,6 +740,7 @@ struct kvm_ppc_smmu_info {
 #define KVM_CAP_SPAPR_MULTITCE 94
 #define KVM_CAP_EXT_EMUL_CPUID 95
 #define KVM_CAP_HYPERV_TIME 96
+#define KVM_CAP_IOAPIC_POLARITY_IGNORED 97
 
 #ifdef KVM_CAP_IRQ_ROUTING
 
diff --git a/virt/kvm/ioapic.c b/virt/kvm/ioapic.c
index ce9ed99ad7dc..1539d3757a04 100644
--- a/virt/kvm/ioapic.c
+++ b/virt/kvm/ioapic.c
@@ -328,7 +328,6 @@ int kvm_ioapic_set_irq(struct kvm_ioapic *ioapic, int irq, int irq_source_id,
 	irq_level = __kvm_irq_line_state(&ioapic->irq_states[irq],
 					 irq_source_id, level);
 	entry = ioapic->redirtbl[irq];
-	irq_level ^= entry.fields.polarity;
 	if (!irq_level) {
 		ioapic->irr &= ~mask;
 		ret = 1;