diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/hfi.h b/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/hfi.h
index ee2859dcceab..af550c1767e3 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/hfi.h
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/hfi.h
@@ -1398,7 +1398,7 @@ void hfi1_init_pportdata(struct pci_dev *pdev, struct hfi1_pportdata *ppd,
 			 struct hfi1_devdata *dd, u8 hw_pidx, u8 port);
 void hfi1_free_ctxtdata(struct hfi1_devdata *dd, struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd);
 int hfi1_rcd_put(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd);
-void hfi1_rcd_get(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd);
+int hfi1_rcd_get(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd);
 struct hfi1_ctxtdata *hfi1_rcd_get_by_index(struct hfi1_devdata *dd, u16 ctxt);
 int handle_receive_interrupt(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd, int thread);
 int handle_receive_interrupt_nodma_rtail(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd, int thread);
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/init.c b/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/init.c
index ee5cbdfeb3ab..b7481701542e 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/init.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/hw/hfi1/init.c
@@ -215,12 +215,12 @@ static void hfi1_rcd_free(struct kref *kref)
 	struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd =
 		container_of(kref, struct hfi1_ctxtdata, kref);
 
-	hfi1_free_ctxtdata(rcd->dd, rcd);
-
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&rcd->dd->uctxt_lock, flags);
 	rcd->dd->rcd[rcd->ctxt] = NULL;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&rcd->dd->uctxt_lock, flags);
 
+	hfi1_free_ctxtdata(rcd->dd, rcd);
+
 	kfree(rcd);
 }
 
@@ -243,10 +243,13 @@ int hfi1_rcd_put(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd)
  * @rcd: pointer to an initialized rcd data structure
  *
  * Use this to get a reference after the init.
+ *
+ * Return : reflect kref_get_unless_zero(), which returns non-zero on
+ * increment, otherwise 0.
  */
-void hfi1_rcd_get(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd)
+int hfi1_rcd_get(struct hfi1_ctxtdata *rcd)
 {
-	kref_get(&rcd->kref);
+	return kref_get_unless_zero(&rcd->kref);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -305,7 +308,8 @@ struct hfi1_ctxtdata *hfi1_rcd_get_by_index(struct hfi1_devdata *dd, u16 ctxt)
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&dd->uctxt_lock, flags);
 	if (dd->rcd[ctxt]) {
 		rcd = dd->rcd[ctxt];
-		hfi1_rcd_get(rcd);
+		if (!hfi1_rcd_get(rcd))
+			rcd = NULL;
 	}
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dd->uctxt_lock, flags);