diff --git a/drivers/misc/cxl/api.c b/drivers/misc/cxl/api.c
index 103baf0e0c5b..a6543aefa299 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/cxl/api.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/cxl/api.c
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ struct cxl_context *cxl_dev_context_init(struct pci_dev *dev)
 
 	afu = cxl_pci_to_afu(dev);
 
-	get_device(&afu->dev);
 	ctx = cxl_context_alloc();
 	if (IS_ERR(ctx)) {
 		rc = PTR_ERR(ctx);
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ err_mapping:
 err_ctx:
 	kfree(ctx);
 err_dev:
-	put_device(&afu->dev);
 	return ERR_PTR(rc);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(cxl_dev_context_init);
@@ -87,8 +85,6 @@ int cxl_release_context(struct cxl_context *ctx)
 	if (ctx->status >= STARTED)
 		return -EBUSY;
 
-	put_device(&ctx->afu->dev);
-
 	cxl_context_free(ctx);
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/drivers/misc/cxl/context.c b/drivers/misc/cxl/context.c
index 2faa1270d085..6dde7a9d6a7e 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/cxl/context.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/cxl/context.c
@@ -97,6 +97,12 @@ int cxl_context_init(struct cxl_context *ctx, struct cxl_afu *afu, bool master,
 	ctx->pe = i;
 	ctx->elem = &ctx->afu->spa[i];
 	ctx->pe_inserted = false;
+
+	/*
+	 * take a ref on the afu so that it stays alive at-least till
+	 * this context is reclaimed inside reclaim_ctx.
+	 */
+	cxl_afu_get(afu);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -278,6 +284,9 @@ static void reclaim_ctx(struct rcu_head *rcu)
 	if (ctx->irq_bitmap)
 		kfree(ctx->irq_bitmap);
 
+	/* Drop ref to the afu device taken during cxl_context_init */
+	cxl_afu_put(ctx->afu);
+
 	kfree(ctx);
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/misc/cxl/cxl.h b/drivers/misc/cxl/cxl.h
index 0cfb9c129f27..25ae57fa79b0 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/cxl/cxl.h
+++ b/drivers/misc/cxl/cxl.h
@@ -403,6 +403,18 @@ struct cxl_afu {
 	bool enabled;
 };
 
+/* AFU refcount management */
+static inline struct cxl_afu *cxl_afu_get(struct cxl_afu *afu)
+{
+
+	return (get_device(&afu->dev) == NULL) ? NULL : afu;
+}
+
+static inline void  cxl_afu_put(struct cxl_afu *afu)
+{
+	put_device(&afu->dev);
+}
+
 
 struct cxl_irq_name {
 	struct list_head list;
diff --git a/drivers/misc/cxl/file.c b/drivers/misc/cxl/file.c
index 7ccd2998be92..5cc14599837d 100644
--- a/drivers/misc/cxl/file.c
+++ b/drivers/misc/cxl/file.c
@@ -67,7 +67,13 @@ static int __afu_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file, bool master)
 		spin_unlock(&adapter->afu_list_lock);
 		goto err_put_adapter;
 	}
-	get_device(&afu->dev);
+
+	/*
+	 * taking a ref to the afu so that it doesn't go away
+	 * for rest of the function. This ref is released before
+	 * we return.
+	 */
+	cxl_afu_get(afu);
 	spin_unlock(&adapter->afu_list_lock);
 
 	if (!afu->current_mode)
@@ -90,13 +96,12 @@ static int __afu_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file, bool master)
 	file->private_data = ctx;
 	cxl_ctx_get();
 
-	/* Our ref on the AFU will now hold the adapter */
-	put_device(&adapter->dev);
-
-	return 0;
+	/* indicate success */
+	rc = 0;
 
 err_put_afu:
-	put_device(&afu->dev);
+	/* release the ref taken earlier */
+	cxl_afu_put(afu);
 err_put_adapter:
 	put_device(&adapter->dev);
 	return rc;
@@ -131,8 +136,6 @@ int afu_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)
 		mutex_unlock(&ctx->mapping_lock);
 	}
 
-	put_device(&ctx->afu->dev);
-
 	/*
 	 * At this this point all bottom halfs have finished and we should be
 	 * getting no more IRQs from the hardware for this context.  Once it's