diff --git a/fs/ceph/caps.c b/fs/ceph/caps.c
index 1726ddcf5e34..8e66fb0e743d 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/caps.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/caps.c
@@ -154,13 +154,19 @@ void ceph_adjust_min_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc, int delta)
 	spin_unlock(&mdsc->caps_list_lock);
 }
 
-void ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
+/*
+ * Called under mdsc->mutex.
+ */
+int ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 		      struct ceph_cap_reservation *ctx, int need)
 {
-	int i;
+	int i, j;
 	struct ceph_cap *cap;
 	int have;
 	int alloc = 0;
+	int max_caps;
+	bool trimmed = false;
+	struct ceph_mds_session *s;
 	LIST_HEAD(newcaps);
 
 	dout("reserve caps ctx=%p need=%d\n", ctx, need);
@@ -179,16 +185,37 @@ void ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 	spin_unlock(&mdsc->caps_list_lock);
 
 	for (i = have; i < need; i++) {
+retry:
 		cap = kmem_cache_alloc(ceph_cap_cachep, GFP_NOFS);
-		if (!cap)
-			break;
+		if (!cap) {
+			if (!trimmed) {
+				for (j = 0; j < mdsc->max_sessions; j++) {
+					s = __ceph_lookup_mds_session(mdsc, j);
+					if (!s)
+						continue;
+					mutex_unlock(&mdsc->mutex);
+
+					mutex_lock(&s->s_mutex);
+					max_caps = s->s_nr_caps - (need - i);
+					ceph_trim_caps(mdsc, s, max_caps);
+					mutex_unlock(&s->s_mutex);
+
+					ceph_put_mds_session(s);
+					mutex_lock(&mdsc->mutex);
+				}
+				trimmed = true;
+				goto retry;
+			} else {
+				pr_warn("reserve caps ctx=%p ENOMEM "
+					"need=%d got=%d\n",
+					ctx, need, have + alloc);
+				goto out_nomem;
+			}
+		}
 		list_add(&cap->caps_item, &newcaps);
 		alloc++;
 	}
-	/* we didn't manage to reserve as much as we needed */
-	if (have + alloc != need)
-		pr_warn("reserve caps ctx=%p ENOMEM need=%d got=%d\n",
-			ctx, need, have + alloc);
+	BUG_ON(have + alloc != need);
 
 	spin_lock(&mdsc->caps_list_lock);
 	mdsc->caps_total_count += alloc;
@@ -204,6 +231,24 @@ void ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 	dout("reserve caps ctx=%p %d = %d used + %d resv + %d avail\n",
 	     ctx, mdsc->caps_total_count, mdsc->caps_use_count,
 	     mdsc->caps_reserve_count, mdsc->caps_avail_count);
+	return 0;
+
+out_nomem:
+	while (!list_empty(&newcaps)) {
+		cap = list_first_entry(&newcaps,
+				struct ceph_cap, caps_item);
+		list_del(&cap->caps_item);
+		kmem_cache_free(ceph_cap_cachep, cap);
+	}
+
+	spin_lock(&mdsc->caps_list_lock);
+	mdsc->caps_avail_count += have;
+	mdsc->caps_reserve_count -= have;
+	BUG_ON(mdsc->caps_total_count != mdsc->caps_use_count +
+					 mdsc->caps_reserve_count +
+					 mdsc->caps_avail_count);
+	spin_unlock(&mdsc->caps_list_lock);
+	return -ENOMEM;
 }
 
 int ceph_unreserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
diff --git a/fs/ceph/mds_client.c b/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
index 251dc44d84a0..2e8f90f96540 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
+++ b/fs/ceph/mds_client.c
@@ -604,10 +604,20 @@ static void __register_request(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 			       struct ceph_mds_request *req,
 			       struct inode *dir)
 {
+	int ret = 0;
+
 	req->r_tid = ++mdsc->last_tid;
-	if (req->r_num_caps)
-		ceph_reserve_caps(mdsc, &req->r_caps_reservation,
-				  req->r_num_caps);
+	if (req->r_num_caps) {
+		ret = ceph_reserve_caps(mdsc, &req->r_caps_reservation,
+					req->r_num_caps);
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			pr_err("__register_request %p "
+			       "failed to reserve caps: %d\n", req, ret);
+			/* set req->r_err to fail early from __do_request */
+			req->r_err = ret;
+			return;
+		}
+	}
 	dout("__register_request %p tid %lld\n", req, req->r_tid);
 	ceph_mdsc_get_request(req);
 	insert_request(&mdsc->request_tree, req);
@@ -1545,9 +1555,9 @@ out:
 /*
  * Trim session cap count down to some max number.
  */
-static int trim_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
-		     struct ceph_mds_session *session,
-		     int max_caps)
+int ceph_trim_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
+		   struct ceph_mds_session *session,
+		   int max_caps)
 {
 	int trim_caps = session->s_nr_caps - max_caps;
 
@@ -2776,7 +2786,7 @@ static void handle_session(struct ceph_mds_session *session,
 		break;
 
 	case CEPH_SESSION_RECALL_STATE:
-		trim_caps(mdsc, session, le32_to_cpu(h->max_caps));
+		ceph_trim_caps(mdsc, session, le32_to_cpu(h->max_caps));
 		break;
 
 	case CEPH_SESSION_FLUSHMSG:
diff --git a/fs/ceph/mds_client.h b/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
index 837ac4b087a0..71e3b783ee6f 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
+++ b/fs/ceph/mds_client.h
@@ -444,4 +444,7 @@ ceph_mdsc_open_export_target_session(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc, int target);
 extern void ceph_mdsc_open_export_target_sessions(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 					  struct ceph_mds_session *session);
 
+extern int ceph_trim_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
+			  struct ceph_mds_session *session,
+			  int max_caps);
 #endif
diff --git a/fs/ceph/super.h b/fs/ceph/super.h
index 601100da738f..21b2e5b004eb 100644
--- a/fs/ceph/super.h
+++ b/fs/ceph/super.h
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ extern int __ceph_caps_mds_wanted(struct ceph_inode_info *ci, bool check);
 extern void ceph_caps_init(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc);
 extern void ceph_caps_finalize(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc);
 extern void ceph_adjust_min_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc, int delta);
-extern void ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
+extern int ceph_reserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 			     struct ceph_cap_reservation *ctx, int need);
 extern int ceph_unreserve_caps(struct ceph_mds_client *mdsc,
 			       struct ceph_cap_reservation *ctx);