diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
index a87d458246b6..28f1078a42ac 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/include/nvkm/core/client.h
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ struct nvkm_client {
 
 int  nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
 		     const char *dbg, struct nvkm_client **);
-void nvkm_client_del(struct nvkm_client **);
-int  nvkm_client_init(struct nvkm_client *);
-int  nvkm_client_fini(struct nvkm_client *, bool suspend);
 
 int nvkm_client_notify_new(struct nvkm_object *, struct nvkm_event *,
 			   void *data, u32 size);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
index 15f0925ea13b..5219da4805b5 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_nvif.c
@@ -60,20 +60,24 @@ nvkm_client_ioctl(void *priv, bool super, void *data, u32 size, void **hack)
 static int
 nvkm_client_resume(void *priv)
 {
-	return nvkm_client_init(priv);
+	struct nvkm_client *client = priv;
+	return nvkm_object_init(&client->object);
 }
 
 static int
 nvkm_client_suspend(void *priv)
 {
-	return nvkm_client_fini(priv, true);
+	struct nvkm_client *client = priv;
+	return nvkm_object_fini(&client->object, true);
 }
 
 static void
 nvkm_client_driver_fini(void *priv)
 {
 	struct nvkm_client *client = priv;
-	nvkm_client_del(&client);
+	struct nvkm_object *object = &client->object;
+	nvkm_object_fini(object, false);
+	nvkm_object_del(&object);
 }
 
 static int
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
index aab4a8897cfb..3cde975816f3 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nvkm/core/client.c
@@ -206,45 +206,36 @@ nvkm_client_child_get(struct nvkm_object *object, int index,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static const struct nvkm_object_func
-nvkm_client_object_func = {
-	.mthd = nvkm_client_mthd,
-	.sclass = nvkm_client_child_get,
-};
-
-int
-nvkm_client_fini(struct nvkm_client *client, bool suspend)
+static int
+nvkm_client_fini(struct nvkm_object *object, bool suspend)
 {
-	struct nvkm_object *object = &client->object;
+	struct nvkm_client *client = nvkm_client(object);
 	const char *name[2] = { "fini", "suspend" };
 	int i;
 	nvif_debug(object, "%s notify\n", name[suspend]);
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(client->notify); i++)
 		nvkm_client_notify_put(client, i);
-	return nvkm_object_fini(&client->object, suspend);
+	return 0;
 }
 
-int
-nvkm_client_init(struct nvkm_client *client)
+static void *
+nvkm_client_dtor(struct nvkm_object *object)
 {
-	return nvkm_object_init(&client->object);
-}
-
-void
-nvkm_client_del(struct nvkm_client **pclient)
-{
-	struct nvkm_client *client = *pclient;
+	struct nvkm_client *client = nvkm_client(object);
 	int i;
-	if (client) {
-		nvkm_client_fini(client, false);
-		for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(client->notify); i++)
-			nvkm_client_notify_del(client, i);
-		nvkm_object_dtor(&client->object);
-		kfree(*pclient);
-		*pclient = NULL;
-	}
+	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(client->notify); i++)
+		nvkm_client_notify_del(client, i);
+	return client;
 }
 
+static const struct nvkm_object_func
+nvkm_client = {
+	.dtor = nvkm_client_dtor,
+	.fini = nvkm_client_fini,
+	.mthd = nvkm_client_mthd,
+	.sclass = nvkm_client_child_get,
+};
+
 int
 nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
 		const char *dbg, struct nvkm_client **pclient)
@@ -256,7 +247,7 @@ nvkm_client_new(const char *name, u64 device, const char *cfg,
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	oclass.client = client;
 
-	nvkm_object_ctor(&nvkm_client_object_func, &oclass, &client->object);
+	nvkm_object_ctor(&nvkm_client, &oclass, &client->object);
 	snprintf(client->name, sizeof(client->name), "%s", name);
 	client->device = device;
 	client->debug = nvkm_dbgopt(dbg, "CLIENT");