diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/catalog.c b/fs/hfsplus/catalog.c
index 8af45fc5b051..0aa40b36a9e7 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/catalog.c
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/catalog.c
@@ -227,7 +227,8 @@ int hfsplus_create_cat(u32 cnid, struct inode *dir, struct qstr *str, struct ino
 
 	dir->i_size++;
 	dir->i_mtime = dir->i_ctime = CURRENT_TIME_SEC;
-	mark_inode_dirty(dir);
+	hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(dir, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
+
 	hfs_find_exit(&fd);
 	return 0;
 
@@ -308,7 +309,7 @@ int hfsplus_delete_cat(u32 cnid, struct inode *dir, struct qstr *str)
 
 	dir->i_size--;
 	dir->i_mtime = dir->i_ctime = CURRENT_TIME_SEC;
-	mark_inode_dirty(dir);
+	hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(dir, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
 out:
 	hfs_find_exit(&fd);
 
@@ -353,7 +354,6 @@ int hfsplus_rename_cat(u32 cnid,
 		goto out;
 	dst_dir->i_size++;
 	dst_dir->i_mtime = dst_dir->i_ctime = CURRENT_TIME_SEC;
-	mark_inode_dirty(dst_dir);
 
 	/* finally remove the old entry */
 	hfsplus_cat_build_key(sb, src_fd.search_key, src_dir->i_ino, src_name);
@@ -365,7 +365,6 @@ int hfsplus_rename_cat(u32 cnid,
 		goto out;
 	src_dir->i_size--;
 	src_dir->i_mtime = src_dir->i_ctime = CURRENT_TIME_SEC;
-	mark_inode_dirty(src_dir);
 
 	/* remove old thread entry */
 	hfsplus_cat_build_key(sb, src_fd.search_key, cnid, NULL);
@@ -387,6 +386,9 @@ int hfsplus_rename_cat(u32 cnid,
 		goto out;
 	}
 	err = hfs_brec_insert(&dst_fd, &entry, entry_size);
+
+	hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(dst_dir, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
+	hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(src_dir, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
 out:
 	hfs_bnode_put(dst_fd.bnode);
 	hfs_find_exit(&src_fd);
diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/extents.c b/fs/hfsplus/extents.c
index 06b4fc3151a3..b1127ef26750 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/extents.c
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/extents.c
@@ -108,6 +108,14 @@ static void __hfsplus_ext_write_extent(struct inode *inode, struct hfs_find_data
 				fd->entryoffset, fd->entrylength);
 		hip->extent_state &= ~HFSPLUS_EXT_DIRTY;
 	}
+
+	/*
+	 * We can't just use hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty here, because we
+	 * also get called from hfsplus_write_inode, which should not
+	 * redirty the inode.  Instead the callers have to be careful
+	 * to explicily mark the inode dirty, too.
+	 */
+	set_bit(HFSPLUS_I_EXT_DIRTY, &hip->flags);
 }
 
 static void hfsplus_ext_write_extent_locked(struct inode *inode)
@@ -197,6 +205,7 @@ int hfsplus_get_block(struct inode *inode, sector_t iblock,
 	struct hfsplus_inode_info *hip = HFSPLUS_I(inode);
 	int res = -EIO;
 	u32 ablock, dblock, mask;
+	int was_dirty = 0;
 	int shift;
 
 	/* Convert inode block to disk allocation block */
@@ -223,14 +232,20 @@ int hfsplus_get_block(struct inode *inode, sector_t iblock,
 		return -EIO;
 
 	mutex_lock(&hip->extents_lock);
+
+	/*
+	 * hfsplus_ext_read_extent will write out a cached extent into
+	 * the extents btree.  In that case we may have to mark the inode
+	 * dirty even for a pure read of an extent here.
+	 */
+	was_dirty = (hip->extent_state & HFSPLUS_EXT_DIRTY);
 	res = hfsplus_ext_read_extent(inode, ablock);
-	if (!res) {
-		dblock = hfsplus_ext_find_block(hip->cached_extents,
-						ablock - hip->cached_start);
-	} else {
+	if (res) {
 		mutex_unlock(&hip->extents_lock);
 		return -EIO;
 	}
+	dblock = hfsplus_ext_find_block(hip->cached_extents,
+					ablock - hip->cached_start);
 	mutex_unlock(&hip->extents_lock);
 
 done:
@@ -242,8 +257,9 @@ done:
 		hip->phys_size += sb->s_blocksize;
 		hip->fs_blocks++;
 		inode_add_bytes(inode, sb->s_blocksize);
-		mark_inode_dirty(inode);
 	}
+	if (create || was_dirty)
+		mark_inode_dirty(inode);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -438,7 +454,7 @@ out:
 	mutex_unlock(&hip->extents_lock);
 	if (!res) {
 		hip->alloc_blocks += len;
-		mark_inode_dirty(inode);
+		hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(inode, HFSPLUS_I_ALLOC_DIRTY);
 	}
 	return res;
 
@@ -529,5 +545,5 @@ out:
 	hip->phys_size = inode->i_size;
 	hip->fs_blocks = (inode->i_size + sb->s_blocksize - 1) >> sb->s_blocksize_bits;
 	inode_set_bytes(inode, hip->fs_blocks << sb->s_blocksize_bits);
-	mark_inode_dirty(inode);
+	hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(inode, HFSPLUS_I_ALLOC_DIRTY);
 }
diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/hfsplus_fs.h b/fs/hfsplus/hfsplus_fs.h
index 9889d0033b8f..65c698f78ef7 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/hfsplus_fs.h
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/hfsplus_fs.h
@@ -157,6 +157,11 @@ struct hfsplus_sb_info {
 #define HFSPLUS_SB_HFSX		3
 #define HFSPLUS_SB_CASEFOLD	4
 
+static inline struct hfsplus_sb_info *HFSPLUS_SB(struct super_block *sb)
+{
+	return sb->s_fs_info;
+}
+
 
 struct hfsplus_inode_info {
 	atomic_t opencnt;
@@ -205,10 +210,31 @@ struct hfsplus_inode_info {
 #define HFSPLUS_EXT_NEW		0x0002
 
 #define HFSPLUS_I_RSRC		0	/* represents a resource fork */
+#define HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY	1	/* has changes in the catalog tree */
+#define HFSPLUS_I_EXT_DIRTY	2	/* has changes in the extent tree */
+#define HFSPLUS_I_ALLOC_DIRTY	3	/* has changes in the allocation file */
 
 #define HFSPLUS_IS_RSRC(inode) \
 	test_bit(HFSPLUS_I_RSRC, &HFSPLUS_I(inode)->flags)
 
+static inline struct hfsplus_inode_info *HFSPLUS_I(struct inode *inode)
+{
+	return list_entry(inode, struct hfsplus_inode_info, vfs_inode);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Mark an inode dirty, and also mark the btree in which the
+ * specific type of metadata is stored.
+ * For data or metadata that gets written back by into the catalog btree
+ * by hfsplus_write_inode a plain mark_inode_dirty call is enough.
+ */
+static inline void hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(struct inode *inode,
+		unsigned int flag)
+{
+	set_bit(flag, &HFSPLUS_I(inode)->flags);
+	mark_inode_dirty(inode);
+}
+
 struct hfs_find_data {
 	/* filled by caller */
 	hfsplus_btree_key *search_key;
@@ -397,17 +423,6 @@ int hfs_part_find(struct super_block *, sector_t *, sector_t *);
 int hfsplus_submit_bio(struct block_device *bdev, sector_t sector,
 		void *data, int rw);
 
-/* access macros */
-static inline struct hfsplus_sb_info *HFSPLUS_SB(struct super_block *sb)
-{
-	return sb->s_fs_info;
-}
-
-static inline struct hfsplus_inode_info *HFSPLUS_I(struct inode *inode)
-{
-	return list_entry(inode, struct hfsplus_inode_info, vfs_inode);
-}
-
 /* time macros */
 #define __hfsp_mt2ut(t)		(be32_to_cpu(t) - 2082844800U)
 #define __hfsp_ut2mt(t)		(cpu_to_be32(t + 2082844800U))
diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/inode.c b/fs/hfsplus/inode.c
index 0946e2cdca5e..bf6535b73261 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/inode.c
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/inode.c
@@ -307,8 +307,9 @@ static int hfsplus_setattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct iattr *attr)
 int hfsplus_file_fsync(struct file *file, int datasync)
 {
 	struct inode *inode = file->f_mapping->host;
+	struct hfsplus_inode_info *hip = HFSPLUS_I(inode);
 	struct hfsplus_sb_info *sbi = HFSPLUS_SB(inode->i_sb);
-	int error, error2;
+	int error = 0, error2;
 
 	/*
 	 * Sync inode metadata into the catalog and extent trees.
@@ -318,13 +319,21 @@ int hfsplus_file_fsync(struct file *file, int datasync)
 	/*
 	 * And explicitly write out the btrees.
 	 */
-	error = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->cat_tree->inode->i_mapping);
-	error2 = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->ext_tree->inode->i_mapping);
-	if (!error)
-		error = error2;
-	error2 = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->alloc_file->i_mapping);
-	if (!error)
-		error = error2;
+	if (test_and_clear_bit(HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY, &hip->flags))
+		error = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->cat_tree->inode->i_mapping);
+
+	if (test_and_clear_bit(HFSPLUS_I_EXT_DIRTY, &hip->flags)) {
+		error2 = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->ext_tree->inode->i_mapping);
+		if (!error)
+			error = error2;
+	}
+
+	if (test_and_clear_bit(HFSPLUS_I_ALLOC_DIRTY, &hip->flags)) {
+		error2 = filemap_write_and_wait(sbi->alloc_file->i_mapping);
+		if (!error)
+			error = error2;
+	}
+
 	return error;
 }
 
@@ -590,6 +599,8 @@ int hfsplus_cat_write_inode(struct inode *inode)
 		hfs_bnode_write(fd.bnode, &entry, fd.entryoffset,
 					 sizeof(struct hfsplus_cat_file));
 	}
+
+	set_bit(HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY, &HFSPLUS_I(inode)->flags);
 out:
 	hfs_find_exit(&fd);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/ioctl.c b/fs/hfsplus/ioctl.c
index 40a85a3ded6e..f5a7224f4cbb 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/ioctl.c
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/ioctl.c
@@ -147,9 +147,11 @@ int hfsplus_setxattr(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name,
 			res = -ERANGE;
 	} else
 		res = -EOPNOTSUPP;
-	if (!res)
+	if (!res) {
 		hfs_bnode_write(fd.bnode, &entry, fd.entryoffset,
 				sizeof(struct hfsplus_cat_file));
+		hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(inode, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
+	}
 out:
 	hfs_find_exit(&fd);
 	return res;
diff --git a/fs/hfsplus/super.c b/fs/hfsplus/super.c
index 985423728e1d..036650123c4c 100644
--- a/fs/hfsplus/super.c
+++ b/fs/hfsplus/super.c
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ static int hfsplus_fill_super(struct super_block *sb, void *data, int silent)
 				   &str, sbi->hidden_dir);
 		mutex_unlock(&sbi->vh_mutex);
 
-		mark_inode_dirty(sbi->hidden_dir);
+		hfsplus_mark_inode_dirty(sbi->hidden_dir, HFSPLUS_I_CAT_DIRTY);
 	}
 out:
 	unload_nls(sbi->nls);