diff --git a/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c b/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
index c9b57f47108c..3105efbb182d 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/rpc_pipe.c
@@ -126,13 +126,14 @@ rpc_close_pipes(struct inode *inode)
 {
 	struct rpc_inode *rpci = RPC_I(inode);
 	struct rpc_pipe_ops *ops;
+	int need_release;
 
 	mutex_lock(&inode->i_mutex);
 	ops = rpci->ops;
 	if (ops != NULL) {
 		LIST_HEAD(free_list);
-
 		spin_lock(&inode->i_lock);
+		need_release = rpci->nreaders != 0 || rpci->nwriters != 0;
 		rpci->nreaders = 0;
 		list_splice_init(&rpci->in_upcall, &free_list);
 		list_splice_init(&rpci->pipe, &free_list);
@@ -141,7 +142,7 @@ rpc_close_pipes(struct inode *inode)
 		spin_unlock(&inode->i_lock);
 		rpc_purge_list(rpci, &free_list, ops->destroy_msg, -EPIPE);
 		rpci->nwriters = 0;
-		if (ops->release_pipe)
+		if (need_release && ops->release_pipe)
 			ops->release_pipe(inode);
 		cancel_delayed_work_sync(&rpci->queue_timeout);
 	}
@@ -196,6 +197,7 @@ rpc_pipe_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 {
 	struct rpc_inode *rpci = RPC_I(inode);
 	struct rpc_pipe_msg *msg;
+	int last_close;
 
 	mutex_lock(&inode->i_mutex);
 	if (rpci->ops == NULL)
@@ -222,7 +224,8 @@ rpc_pipe_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 					rpci->ops->destroy_msg, -EAGAIN);
 		}
 	}
-	if (rpci->ops->release_pipe)
+	last_close = rpci->nwriters == 0 && rpci->nreaders == 0;
+	if (last_close && rpci->ops->release_pipe)
 		rpci->ops->release_pipe(inode);
 out:
 	mutex_unlock(&inode->i_mutex);