diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.c b/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.c
index 8662d396e57b..1c2ad8195070 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.c
@@ -1305,19 +1305,18 @@ static struct btree_path *have_node_at_pos(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btr
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-static inline void __bch2_path_free(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *path)
+static inline void __bch2_path_free(struct btree_trans *trans, btree_path_idx_t path)
 {
-	__bch2_btree_path_unlock(trans, path);
-	btree_path_list_remove(trans, path);
-	__clear_bit(path->idx, trans->paths_allocated);
+	__bch2_btree_path_unlock(trans, trans->paths + path);
+	btree_path_list_remove(trans, trans->paths + path);
+	__clear_bit(path, trans->paths_allocated);
 }
 
-void bch2_path_put(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *path, bool intent)
+void bch2_path_put(struct btree_trans *trans, btree_path_idx_t path_idx, bool intent)
 {
-	struct btree_path *dup;
+	struct btree_path *path = trans->paths + path_idx, *dup;
 
-	EBUG_ON(trans->paths + path->idx != path);
-	EBUG_ON(!path->ref);
+	EBUG_ON(path->idx != path_idx);
 
 	if (!__btree_path_put(path, intent))
 		return;
@@ -1339,16 +1338,15 @@ void bch2_path_put(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *path, bool inte
 		dup->should_be_locked	|= path->should_be_locked;
 	}
 
-	__bch2_path_free(trans, path);
+	__bch2_path_free(trans, path_idx);
 }
 
-static void bch2_path_put_nokeep(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *path,
+static void bch2_path_put_nokeep(struct btree_trans *trans, btree_path_idx_t path,
 				 bool intent)
 {
-	EBUG_ON(trans->paths + path->idx != path);
-	EBUG_ON(!path->ref);
+	EBUG_ON(trans->paths[path].idx != path);
 
-	if (!__btree_path_put(path, intent))
+	if (!__btree_path_put(trans->paths + path, intent))
 		return;
 
 	__bch2_path_free(trans, path);
@@ -2066,7 +2064,7 @@ struct bkey_s_c bch2_btree_iter_peek_upto(struct btree_iter *iter, struct bpos e
 	EBUG_ON((iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_FILTER_SNAPSHOTS) && bkey_eq(end, POS_MAX));
 
 	if (iter->update_path) {
-		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path,
+		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path->idx,
 				     iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 		iter->update_path = NULL;
 	}
@@ -2095,7 +2093,7 @@ struct bkey_s_c bch2_btree_iter_peek_upto(struct btree_iter *iter, struct bpos e
 
 		if (iter->update_path &&
 		    !bkey_eq(iter->update_path->pos, k.k->p)) {
-			bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path,
+			bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path->idx,
 					     iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 			iter->update_path = NULL;
 		}
@@ -2278,7 +2276,7 @@ struct bkey_s_c bch2_btree_iter_peek_prev(struct btree_iter *iter)
 				 * that candidate
 				 */
 				if (saved_path && !bkey_eq(k.k->p, saved_k.p)) {
-					bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->path,
+					bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->path->idx,
 						      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 					iter->path = saved_path;
 					saved_path = NULL;
@@ -2291,7 +2289,7 @@ struct bkey_s_c bch2_btree_iter_peek_prev(struct btree_iter *iter)
 							      iter->snapshot,
 							      k.k->p.snapshot)) {
 					if (saved_path)
-						bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, saved_path,
+						bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, saved_path->idx,
 						      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 					saved_path = btree_path_clone(trans, iter->path,
 								iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
@@ -2335,7 +2333,7 @@ got_key:
 	btree_path_set_should_be_locked(iter->path);
 out_no_locked:
 	if (saved_path)
-		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, saved_path, iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
+		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, saved_path->idx, iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 
 	bch2_btree_iter_verify_entry_exit(iter);
 	bch2_btree_iter_verify(iter);
@@ -2639,13 +2637,13 @@ static inline void btree_path_list_add(struct btree_trans *trans,
 void bch2_trans_iter_exit(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_iter *iter)
 {
 	if (iter->update_path)
-		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path,
+		bch2_path_put_nokeep(trans, iter->update_path->idx,
 			      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 	if (iter->path)
-		bch2_path_put(trans, iter->path,
+		bch2_path_put(trans, iter->path->idx,
 			      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 	if (iter->key_cache_path)
-		bch2_path_put(trans, iter->key_cache_path,
+		bch2_path_put(trans, iter->key_cache_path->idx,
 			      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 	iter->path = NULL;
 	iter->update_path = NULL;
@@ -2814,7 +2812,7 @@ u32 bch2_trans_begin(struct btree_trans *trans)
 		 * iterators if we do that
 		 */
 		if (!path->ref && !path->preserve)
-			__bch2_path_free(trans, path);
+			__bch2_path_free(trans, path->idx);
 		else
 			path->preserve = false;
 	}
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.h b/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.h
index 757354c53224..888ff4f2c1a5 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.h
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/btree_iter.h
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ void bch2_btree_node_iter_fix(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *,
 
 int bch2_btree_path_relock_intent(struct btree_trans *, struct btree_path *);
 
-void bch2_path_put(struct btree_trans *, struct btree_path *, bool);
+void bch2_path_put(struct btree_trans *, btree_path_idx_t, bool);
 
 int bch2_trans_relock(struct btree_trans *);
 int bch2_trans_relock_notrace(struct btree_trans *);
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ static inline void __bch2_btree_iter_set_pos(struct btree_iter *iter, struct bpo
 static inline void bch2_btree_iter_set_pos(struct btree_iter *iter, struct bpos new_pos)
 {
 	if (unlikely(iter->update_path))
-		bch2_path_put(iter->trans, iter->update_path,
+		bch2_path_put(iter->trans, iter->update_path->idx,
 			      iter->flags & BTREE_ITER_INTENT);
 	iter->update_path = NULL;
 
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.c b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.c
index 7ee4d18af2d5..8f933c2c2bda 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.c
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ static noinline int flush_new_cached_update(struct btree_trans *trans,
 	btree_path_set_should_be_locked(btree_path);
 	ret = bch2_trans_update_by_path(trans, btree_path, i->k, flags, ip);
 out:
-	bch2_path_put(trans, btree_path, true);
+	bch2_path_put(trans, btree_path->idx, true);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ bch2_trans_update_by_path(struct btree_trans *trans, struct btree_path *path,
 	if (!cmp && i < trans->updates + trans->nr_updates) {
 		EBUG_ON(i->insert_trigger_run || i->overwrite_trigger_run);
 
-		bch2_path_put(trans, i->path, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, i->path->idx, true);
 		i->flags	= n.flags;
 		i->cached	= n.cached;
 		i->k		= n.k;
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.h b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.h
index fbb83e1aa2b2..5c1ef9c84878 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.h
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update.h
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ static inline int bch2_trans_commit(struct btree_trans *trans,
 static inline void bch2_trans_reset_updates(struct btree_trans *trans)
 {
 	trans_for_each_update(trans, i)
-		bch2_path_put(trans, i->path, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, i->path->idx, true);
 
 	trans->extra_journal_res	= 0;
 	trans->nr_updates		= 0;
diff --git a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update_interior.c b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update_interior.c
index 12a14d05c578..d6b33cadc5a9 100644
--- a/fs/bcachefs/btree_update_interior.c
+++ b/fs/bcachefs/btree_update_interior.c
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ err:
 
 		btree_node_write_if_need(c, b, SIX_LOCK_intent);
 		btree_node_unlock(trans, path, b->c.level);
-		bch2_path_put(trans, path, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, path->idx, true);
 	}
 
 	bch2_journal_pin_drop(&c->journal, &as->journal);
@@ -1615,11 +1615,11 @@ static int btree_split(struct btree_update *as, struct btree_trans *trans,
 out:
 	if (path2) {
 		__bch2_btree_path_unlock(trans, path2);
-		bch2_path_put(trans, path2, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, path2->idx, true);
 	}
 	if (path1) {
 		__bch2_btree_path_unlock(trans, path1);
-		bch2_path_put(trans, path1, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, path1->idx, true);
 	}
 
 	bch2_trans_verify_locks(trans);
@@ -1926,8 +1926,8 @@ int __bch2_foreground_maybe_merge(struct btree_trans *trans,
 out:
 err:
 	if (new_path)
-		bch2_path_put(trans, new_path, true);
-	bch2_path_put(trans, sib_path, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, new_path->idx, true);
+	bch2_path_put(trans, sib_path->idx, true);
 	bch2_trans_verify_locks(trans);
 	return ret;
 err_free_update:
@@ -1992,7 +1992,7 @@ int bch2_btree_node_rewrite(struct btree_trans *trans,
 	bch2_btree_update_done(as, trans);
 out:
 	if (new_path)
-		bch2_path_put(trans, new_path, true);
+		bch2_path_put(trans, new_path->idx, true);
 	bch2_trans_downgrade(trans);
 	return ret;
 err: