diff --git a/fs/dlm/dlm_internal.h b/fs/dlm/dlm_internal.h
index ee993c5c2307..61d93201e1b2 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/dlm_internal.h
+++ b/fs/dlm/dlm_internal.h
@@ -526,6 +526,7 @@ struct dlm_user_proc {
 	spinlock_t		asts_spin;
 	struct list_head	locks;
 	spinlock_t		locks_spin;
+	struct list_head	unlocking;
 	wait_queue_head_t	wait;
 };
 
diff --git a/fs/dlm/lock.c b/fs/dlm/lock.c
index 5bac9827ded3..6ad2b8eb96a5 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/lock.c
+++ b/fs/dlm/lock.c
@@ -3772,12 +3772,10 @@ int dlm_user_unlock(struct dlm_ls *ls, struct dlm_user_args *ua_tmp,
 		goto out_put;
 
 	spin_lock(&ua->proc->locks_spin);
-	list_del_init(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue);
+	/* dlm_user_add_ast() may have already taken lkb off the proc list */
+	if (!list_empty(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue))
+		list_move(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue, &ua->proc->unlocking);
 	spin_unlock(&ua->proc->locks_spin);
-
-	/* this removes the reference for the proc->locks list added by
-	   dlm_user_request */
-	unhold_lkb(lkb);
  out_put:
 	dlm_put_lkb(lkb);
  out:
@@ -3817,9 +3815,8 @@ int dlm_user_cancel(struct dlm_ls *ls, struct dlm_user_args *ua_tmp,
 	/* this lkb was removed from the WAITING queue */
 	if (lkb->lkb_grmode == DLM_LOCK_IV) {
 		spin_lock(&ua->proc->locks_spin);
-		list_del_init(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue);
+		list_move(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue, &ua->proc->unlocking);
 		spin_unlock(&ua->proc->locks_spin);
-		unhold_lkb(lkb);
 	}
  out_put:
 	dlm_put_lkb(lkb);
@@ -3880,11 +3877,6 @@ void dlm_clear_proc_locks(struct dlm_ls *ls, struct dlm_user_proc *proc)
 	mutex_lock(&ls->ls_clear_proc_locks);
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(lkb, safe, &proc->locks, lkb_ownqueue) {
-		if (lkb->lkb_ast_type) {
-			list_del(&lkb->lkb_astqueue);
-			unhold_lkb(lkb);
-		}
-
 		list_del_init(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue);
 
 		if (lkb->lkb_exflags & DLM_LKF_PERSISTENT) {
@@ -3901,6 +3893,20 @@ void dlm_clear_proc_locks(struct dlm_ls *ls, struct dlm_user_proc *proc)
 
 		dlm_put_lkb(lkb);
 	}
+
+	/* in-progress unlocks */
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(lkb, safe, &proc->unlocking, lkb_ownqueue) {
+		list_del_init(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue);
+		lkb->lkb_flags |= DLM_IFL_DEAD;
+		dlm_put_lkb(lkb);
+	}
+
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(lkb, safe, &proc->asts, lkb_astqueue) {
+		list_del(&lkb->lkb_astqueue);
+		dlm_put_lkb(lkb);
+	}
+
 	mutex_unlock(&ls->ls_clear_proc_locks);
 	unlock_recovery(ls);
 }
+
diff --git a/fs/dlm/user.c b/fs/dlm/user.c
index c37e93e4f2df..d378b7fe2a1e 100644
--- a/fs/dlm/user.c
+++ b/fs/dlm/user.c
@@ -180,6 +180,14 @@ void dlm_user_add_ast(struct dlm_lkb *lkb, int type)
 	    ua->lksb.sb_status == -EAGAIN && !list_empty(&lkb->lkb_ownqueue))
 		remove_ownqueue = 1;
 
+	/* unlocks or cancels of waiting requests need to be removed from the
+	   proc's unlocking list, again there must be a better way...  */
+
+	if (ua->lksb.sb_status == -DLM_EUNLOCK ||
+	    (ua->lksb.sb_status == -DLM_ECANCEL &&
+	     lkb->lkb_grmode == DLM_LOCK_IV))
+		remove_ownqueue = 1;
+
 	/* We want to copy the lvb to userspace when the completion
 	   ast is read if the status is 0, the lock has an lvb and
 	   lvb_ops says we should.  We could probably have set_lvb_lock()
@@ -523,6 +531,7 @@ static int device_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 	proc->lockspace = ls->ls_local_handle;
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&proc->asts);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&proc->locks);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&proc->unlocking);
 	spin_lock_init(&proc->asts_spin);
 	spin_lock_init(&proc->locks_spin);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&proc->wait);