diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c
index 03bd3c7bd0dc..0e3f8adf162f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c
@@ -410,22 +410,30 @@ static struct dma_buf *export_and_register_object(struct drm_device *dev,
 }
 
 /**
- * drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd - PRIME export function for GEM drivers
+ * drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf - PRIME export function for GEM drivers
  * @dev: dev to export the buffer from
  * @file_priv: drm file-private structure
  * @handle: buffer handle to export
  * @flags: flags like DRM_CLOEXEC
- * @prime_fd: pointer to storage for the fd id of the create dma-buf
  *
  * This is the PRIME export function which must be used mandatorily by GEM
  * drivers to ensure correct lifetime management of the underlying GEM object.
  * The actual exporting from GEM object to a dma-buf is done through the
  * &drm_gem_object_funcs.export callback.
+ *
+ * Unlike drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(), it returns the struct dma_buf it
+ * has created, without attaching it to any file descriptors.  The difference
+ * between those two is similar to that between anon_inode_getfile() and
+ * anon_inode_getfd(); insertion into descriptor table is something you
+ * can not revert if any cleanup is needed, so the descriptor-returning
+ * variants should only be used when you are past the last failure exit
+ * and the only thing left is passing the new file descriptor to userland.
+ * When all you need is the object itself or when you need to do something
+ * else that might fail, use that one instead.
  */
-int drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(struct drm_device *dev,
+struct dma_buf *drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf(struct drm_device *dev,
 			       struct drm_file *file_priv, uint32_t handle,
-			       uint32_t flags,
-			       int *prime_fd)
+			       uint32_t flags)
 {
 	struct drm_gem_object *obj;
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -434,14 +442,14 @@ int drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(struct drm_device *dev,
 	mutex_lock(&file_priv->prime.lock);
 	obj = drm_gem_object_lookup(file_priv, handle);
 	if (!obj)  {
-		ret = -ENOENT;
+		dmabuf = ERR_PTR(-ENOENT);
 		goto out_unlock;
 	}
 
 	dmabuf = drm_prime_lookup_buf_by_handle(&file_priv->prime, handle);
 	if (dmabuf) {
 		get_dma_buf(dmabuf);
-		goto out_have_handle;
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	mutex_lock(&dev->object_name_lock);
@@ -463,7 +471,6 @@ int drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(struct drm_device *dev,
 		/* normally the created dma-buf takes ownership of the ref,
 		 * but if that fails then drop the ref
 		 */
-		ret = PTR_ERR(dmabuf);
 		mutex_unlock(&dev->object_name_lock);
 		goto out;
 	}
@@ -478,34 +485,51 @@ out_have_obj:
 	ret = drm_prime_add_buf_handle(&file_priv->prime,
 				       dmabuf, handle);
 	mutex_unlock(&dev->object_name_lock);
-	if (ret)
-		goto fail_put_dmabuf;
-
-out_have_handle:
-	ret = dma_buf_fd(dmabuf, flags);
-	/*
-	 * We must _not_ remove the buffer from the handle cache since the newly
-	 * created dma buf is already linked in the global obj->dma_buf pointer,
-	 * and that is invariant as long as a userspace gem handle exists.
-	 * Closing the handle will clean out the cache anyway, so we don't leak.
-	 */
-	if (ret < 0) {
-		goto fail_put_dmabuf;
-	} else {
-		*prime_fd = ret;
-		ret = 0;
+	if (ret) {
+		dma_buf_put(dmabuf);
+		dmabuf = ERR_PTR(ret);
 	}
-
-	goto out;
-
-fail_put_dmabuf:
-	dma_buf_put(dmabuf);
 out:
 	drm_gem_object_put(obj);
 out_unlock:
 	mutex_unlock(&file_priv->prime.lock);
+	return dmabuf;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf);
 
-	return ret;
+/**
+ * drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd - PRIME export function for GEM drivers
+ * @dev: dev to export the buffer from
+ * @file_priv: drm file-private structure
+ * @handle: buffer handle to export
+ * @flags: flags like DRM_CLOEXEC
+ * @prime_fd: pointer to storage for the fd id of the create dma-buf
+ *
+ * This is the PRIME export function which must be used mandatorily by GEM
+ * drivers to ensure correct lifetime management of the underlying GEM object.
+ * The actual exporting from GEM object to a dma-buf is done through the
+ * &drm_gem_object_funcs.export callback.
+ */
+int drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(struct drm_device *dev,
+			       struct drm_file *file_priv, uint32_t handle,
+			       uint32_t flags,
+			       int *prime_fd)
+{
+	struct dma_buf *dmabuf;
+	int fd = get_unused_fd_flags(flags);
+
+	if (fd < 0)
+		return fd;
+
+	dmabuf = drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf(dev, file_priv, handle, flags);
+	if (IS_ERR(dmabuf)) {
+		put_unused_fd(fd);
+		return PTR_ERR(dmabuf);
+	}
+
+	fd_install(fd, dmabuf->file);
+	*prime_fd = fd;
+	return 0;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd);
 
diff --git a/include/drm/drm_prime.h b/include/drm/drm_prime.h
index 2a1d01e5b56b..fa085c44d4ca 100644
--- a/include/drm/drm_prime.h
+++ b/include/drm/drm_prime.h
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ void drm_gem_dmabuf_release(struct dma_buf *dma_buf);
 
 int drm_gem_prime_fd_to_handle(struct drm_device *dev,
 			       struct drm_file *file_priv, int prime_fd, uint32_t *handle);
+struct dma_buf *drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf(struct drm_device *dev,
+			       struct drm_file *file_priv, uint32_t handle,
+			       uint32_t flags);
 int drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(struct drm_device *dev,
 			       struct drm_file *file_priv, uint32_t handle, uint32_t flags,
 			       int *prime_fd);