diff --git a/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c b/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
index d2a7c9f7aa94..0dfc476da3e1 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/pnfs_nfs.c
@@ -246,6 +246,23 @@ void pnfs_fetch_commit_bucket_list(struct list_head *pages,
 
 }
 
+/* Helper function for pnfs_generic_commit_pagelist to catch an empty
+ * page list. This can happen when two commits race. */
+static bool
+pnfs_generic_commit_cancel_empty_pagelist(struct list_head *pages,
+					  struct nfs_commit_data *data,
+					  struct nfs_commit_info *cinfo)
+{
+	if (list_empty(pages)) {
+		if (atomic_dec_and_test(&cinfo->mds->rpcs_out))
+			wake_up_atomic_t(&cinfo->mds->rpcs_out);
+		nfs_commitdata_release(data);
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
 /* This follows nfs_commit_list pretty closely */
 int
 pnfs_generic_commit_pagelist(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *mds_pages,
@@ -280,6 +297,11 @@ pnfs_generic_commit_pagelist(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *mds_pages,
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(data, tmp, &list, pages) {
 		list_del_init(&data->pages);
 		if (data->ds_commit_index < 0) {
+			/* another commit raced with us */
+			if (pnfs_generic_commit_cancel_empty_pagelist(mds_pages,
+				data, cinfo))
+				continue;
+
 			nfs_init_commit(data, mds_pages, NULL, cinfo);
 			nfs_initiate_commit(NFS_CLIENT(inode), data,
 					    NFS_PROTO(data->inode),
@@ -288,6 +310,12 @@ pnfs_generic_commit_pagelist(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *mds_pages,
 			LIST_HEAD(pages);
 
 			pnfs_fetch_commit_bucket_list(&pages, data, cinfo);
+
+			/* another commit raced with us */
+			if (pnfs_generic_commit_cancel_empty_pagelist(&pages,
+				data, cinfo))
+				continue;
+
 			nfs_init_commit(data, &pages, data->lseg, cinfo);
 			initiate_commit(data, how);
 		}
diff --git a/fs/nfs/write.c b/fs/nfs/write.c
index 54a4eb6bc462..e1c74d3db64d 100644
--- a/fs/nfs/write.c
+++ b/fs/nfs/write.c
@@ -1710,6 +1710,10 @@ nfs_commit_list(struct inode *inode, struct list_head *head, int how,
 {
 	struct nfs_commit_data	*data;
 
+	/* another commit raced with us */
+	if (list_empty(head))
+		return 0;
+
 	data = nfs_commitdata_alloc();
 
 	if (!data)