diff --git a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform_irq.c b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform_irq.c
index f2893f2fcaab..7f4341a8d718 100644
--- a/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform_irq.c
+++ b/drivers/vfio/platform/vfio_platform_irq.c
@@ -136,6 +136,16 @@ static int vfio_platform_set_irq_unmask(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * The trigger eventfd is guaranteed valid in the interrupt path
+ * and protected by the igate mutex when triggered via ioctl.
+ */
+static void vfio_send_eventfd(struct vfio_platform_irq *irq_ctx)
+{
+	if (likely(irq_ctx->trigger))
+		eventfd_signal(irq_ctx->trigger, 1);
+}
+
 static irqreturn_t vfio_automasked_irq_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
 {
 	struct vfio_platform_irq *irq_ctx = dev_id;
@@ -155,7 +165,7 @@ static irqreturn_t vfio_automasked_irq_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&irq_ctx->lock, flags);
 
 	if (ret == IRQ_HANDLED)
-		eventfd_signal(irq_ctx->trigger, 1);
+		vfio_send_eventfd(irq_ctx);
 
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -164,22 +174,19 @@ static irqreturn_t vfio_irq_handler(int irq, void *dev_id)
 {
 	struct vfio_platform_irq *irq_ctx = dev_id;
 
-	eventfd_signal(irq_ctx->trigger, 1);
+	vfio_send_eventfd(irq_ctx);
 
 	return IRQ_HANDLED;
 }
 
 static int vfio_set_trigger(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev, int index,
-			    int fd, irq_handler_t handler)
+			    int fd)
 {
 	struct vfio_platform_irq *irq = &vdev->irqs[index];
 	struct eventfd_ctx *trigger;
-	int ret;
 
 	if (irq->trigger) {
-		irq_clear_status_flags(irq->hwirq, IRQ_NOAUTOEN);
-		free_irq(irq->hwirq, irq);
-		kfree(irq->name);
+		disable_irq(irq->hwirq);
 		eventfd_ctx_put(irq->trigger);
 		irq->trigger = NULL;
 	}
@@ -187,30 +194,20 @@ static int vfio_set_trigger(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev, int index,
 	if (fd < 0) /* Disable only */
 		return 0;
 
-	irq->name = kasprintf(GFP_KERNEL, "vfio-irq[%d](%s)",
-						irq->hwirq, vdev->name);
-	if (!irq->name)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-
 	trigger = eventfd_ctx_fdget(fd);
-	if (IS_ERR(trigger)) {
-		kfree(irq->name);
+	if (IS_ERR(trigger))
 		return PTR_ERR(trigger);
-	}
 
 	irq->trigger = trigger;
 
-	irq_set_status_flags(irq->hwirq, IRQ_NOAUTOEN);
-	ret = request_irq(irq->hwirq, handler, 0, irq->name, irq);
-	if (ret) {
-		kfree(irq->name);
-		eventfd_ctx_put(trigger);
-		irq->trigger = NULL;
-		return ret;
-	}
-
-	if (!irq->masked)
-		enable_irq(irq->hwirq);
+	/*
+	 * irq->masked effectively provides nested disables within the overall
+	 * enable relative to trigger.  Specifically request_irq() is called
+	 * with NO_AUTOEN, therefore the IRQ is initially disabled.  The user
+	 * may only further disable the IRQ with a MASK operations because
+	 * irq->masked is initially false.
+	 */
+	enable_irq(irq->hwirq);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -229,7 +226,7 @@ static int vfio_platform_set_irq_trigger(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev,
 		handler = vfio_irq_handler;
 
 	if (!count && (flags & VFIO_IRQ_SET_DATA_NONE))
-		return vfio_set_trigger(vdev, index, -1, handler);
+		return vfio_set_trigger(vdev, index, -1);
 
 	if (start != 0 || count != 1)
 		return -EINVAL;
@@ -237,7 +234,7 @@ static int vfio_platform_set_irq_trigger(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev,
 	if (flags & VFIO_IRQ_SET_DATA_EVENTFD) {
 		int32_t fd = *(int32_t *)data;
 
-		return vfio_set_trigger(vdev, index, fd, handler);
+		return vfio_set_trigger(vdev, index, fd);
 	}
 
 	if (flags & VFIO_IRQ_SET_DATA_NONE) {
@@ -261,6 +258,14 @@ int vfio_platform_set_irqs_ioctl(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev,
 		    unsigned start, unsigned count, uint32_t flags,
 		    void *data) = NULL;
 
+	/*
+	 * For compatibility, errors from request_irq() are local to the
+	 * SET_IRQS path and reflected in the name pointer.  This allows,
+	 * for example, polling mode fallback for an exclusive IRQ failure.
+	 */
+	if (IS_ERR(vdev->irqs[index].name))
+		return PTR_ERR(vdev->irqs[index].name);
+
 	switch (flags & VFIO_IRQ_SET_ACTION_TYPE_MASK) {
 	case VFIO_IRQ_SET_ACTION_MASK:
 		func = vfio_platform_set_irq_mask;
@@ -281,7 +286,7 @@ int vfio_platform_set_irqs_ioctl(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev,
 
 int vfio_platform_irq_init(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev)
 {
-	int cnt = 0, i;
+	int cnt = 0, i, ret = 0;
 
 	while (vdev->get_irq(vdev, cnt) >= 0)
 		cnt++;
@@ -292,29 +297,54 @@ int vfio_platform_irq_init(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev)
 
 	for (i = 0; i < cnt; i++) {
 		int hwirq = vdev->get_irq(vdev, i);
+		irq_handler_t handler = vfio_irq_handler;
 
-		if (hwirq < 0)
+		if (hwirq < 0) {
+			ret = -EINVAL;
 			goto err;
+		}
 
 		spin_lock_init(&vdev->irqs[i].lock);
 
 		vdev->irqs[i].flags = VFIO_IRQ_INFO_EVENTFD;
 
-		if (irq_get_trigger_type(hwirq) & IRQ_TYPE_LEVEL_MASK)
+		if (irq_get_trigger_type(hwirq) & IRQ_TYPE_LEVEL_MASK) {
 			vdev->irqs[i].flags |= VFIO_IRQ_INFO_MASKABLE
 						| VFIO_IRQ_INFO_AUTOMASKED;
+			handler = vfio_automasked_irq_handler;
+		}
 
 		vdev->irqs[i].count = 1;
 		vdev->irqs[i].hwirq = hwirq;
 		vdev->irqs[i].masked = false;
+		vdev->irqs[i].name = kasprintf(GFP_KERNEL,
+					       "vfio-irq[%d](%s)", hwirq,
+					       vdev->name);
+		if (!vdev->irqs[i].name) {
+			ret = -ENOMEM;
+			goto err;
+		}
+
+		ret = request_irq(hwirq, handler, IRQF_NO_AUTOEN,
+				  vdev->irqs[i].name, &vdev->irqs[i]);
+		if (ret) {
+			kfree(vdev->irqs[i].name);
+			vdev->irqs[i].name = ERR_PTR(ret);
+		}
 	}
 
 	vdev->num_irqs = cnt;
 
 	return 0;
 err:
+	for (--i; i >= 0; i--) {
+		if (!IS_ERR(vdev->irqs[i].name)) {
+			free_irq(vdev->irqs[i].hwirq, &vdev->irqs[i]);
+			kfree(vdev->irqs[i].name);
+		}
+	}
 	kfree(vdev->irqs);
-	return -EINVAL;
+	return ret;
 }
 
 void vfio_platform_irq_cleanup(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev)
@@ -324,7 +354,12 @@ void vfio_platform_irq_cleanup(struct vfio_platform_device *vdev)
 	for (i = 0; i < vdev->num_irqs; i++) {
 		vfio_virqfd_disable(&vdev->irqs[i].mask);
 		vfio_virqfd_disable(&vdev->irqs[i].unmask);
-		vfio_set_trigger(vdev, i, -1, NULL);
+		if (!IS_ERR(vdev->irqs[i].name)) {
+			free_irq(vdev->irqs[i].hwirq, &vdev->irqs[i]);
+			if (vdev->irqs[i].trigger)
+				eventfd_ctx_put(vdev->irqs[i].trigger);
+			kfree(vdev->irqs[i].name);
+		}
 	}
 
 	vdev->num_irqs = 0;