diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_alloc.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_alloc.c
index f654f51b0c67..4f33c32affe3 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_alloc.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_alloc.c
@@ -2434,13 +2434,22 @@ xfs_alloc_vextent_worker(
 	current_restore_flags_nested(&pflags, PF_FSTRANS);
 }
 
-
-int				/* error */
+/*
+ * Data allocation requests often come in with little stack to work on. Push
+ * them off to a worker thread so there is lots of stack to use. Metadata
+ * requests, OTOH, are generally from low stack usage paths, so avoid the
+ * context switch overhead here.
+ */
+int
 xfs_alloc_vextent(
-	xfs_alloc_arg_t	*args)	/* allocation argument structure */
+	struct xfs_alloc_arg	*args)
 {
 	DECLARE_COMPLETION_ONSTACK(done);
 
+	if (!args->userdata)
+		return __xfs_alloc_vextent(args);
+
+
 	args->done = &done;
 	INIT_WORK_ONSTACK(&args->work, xfs_alloc_vextent_worker);
 	queue_work(xfs_alloc_wq, &args->work);