diff --git a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
index e070adb7a3cc..57121fd5f050 100644
--- a/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
+++ b/drivers/staging/lustre/lustre/llite/xattr.c
@@ -103,7 +103,11 @@ ll_xattr_set_common(const struct xattr_handler *handler,
 	__u64 valid;
 	int rc;
 
-	if (flags == XATTR_REPLACE) {
+	/* When setxattr() is called with a size of 0 the value is
+	 * unconditionally replaced by "". When removexattr() is
+	 * called we get a NULL value and XATTR_REPLACE for flags.
+	 */
+	if (!value && flags == XATTR_REPLACE) {
 		ll_stats_ops_tally(ll_i2sbi(inode), LPROC_LL_REMOVEXATTR, 1);
 		valid = OBD_MD_FLXATTRRM;
 	} else {