diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
index a534412a5551..e33a2ed9244c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.c
@@ -579,6 +579,7 @@ static void i915_gem_fini(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 	intel_uc_fini_hw(dev_priv);
 	i915_gem_cleanup_engines(dev_priv);
 	i915_gem_context_fini(dev_priv);
+	i915_gem_cleanup_userptr(dev_priv);
 	mutex_unlock(&dev_priv->drm.struct_mutex);
 
 	i915_gem_drain_freed_objects(dev_priv);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
index 7e182dd7e356..e750be52b04b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_drv.h
@@ -1453,6 +1453,13 @@ struct i915_gem_mm {
 	/** LRU list of objects with fence regs on them. */
 	struct list_head fence_list;
 
+	/**
+	 * Workqueue to fault in userptr pages, flushed by the execbuf
+	 * when required but otherwise left to userspace to try again
+	 * on EAGAIN.
+	 */
+	struct workqueue_struct *userptr_wq;
+
 	u64 unordered_timeline;
 
 	/* the indicator for dispatch video commands on two BSD rings */
@@ -3228,7 +3235,8 @@ int i915_gem_set_tiling_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 			      struct drm_file *file_priv);
 int i915_gem_get_tiling_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 			      struct drm_file *file_priv);
-void i915_gem_init_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
+int i915_gem_init_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
+void i915_gem_cleanup_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv);
 int i915_gem_userptr_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 			   struct drm_file *file);
 int i915_gem_get_aperture_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
index fcdc452f28bb..96b344901a7b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem.c
@@ -4804,7 +4804,9 @@ int i915_gem_init(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 	 */
 	intel_uncore_forcewake_get(dev_priv, FORCEWAKE_ALL);
 
-	i915_gem_init_userptr(dev_priv);
+	ret = i915_gem_init_userptr(dev_priv);
+	if (ret)
+		goto out_unlock;
 
 	ret = i915_gem_init_ggtt(dev_priv);
 	if (ret)
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
index 3eaf07dfbe62..f4b02ef3987f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_execbuffer.c
@@ -1499,6 +1499,9 @@ repeat:
 		goto out;
 	}
 
+	/* A frequent cause for EAGAIN are currently unavailable client pages */
+	flush_workqueue(eb->i915->mm.userptr_wq);
+
 	err = i915_mutex_lock_interruptible(dev);
 	if (err) {
 		mutex_lock(&dev->struct_mutex);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_userptr.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_userptr.c
index 05c36f663550..ccd09e8419f5 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_userptr.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_gem_userptr.c
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ __i915_mm_struct_free(struct kref *kref)
 	mutex_unlock(&mm->i915->mm_lock);
 
 	INIT_WORK(&mm->work, __i915_mm_struct_free__worker);
-	schedule_work(&mm->work);
+	queue_work(mm->i915->mm.userptr_wq, &mm->work);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ __i915_gem_userptr_get_pages_schedule(struct drm_i915_gem_object *obj)
 	get_task_struct(work->task);
 
 	INIT_WORK(&work->work, __i915_gem_userptr_get_pages_worker);
-	schedule_work(&work->work);
+	queue_work(to_i915(obj->base.dev)->mm.userptr_wq, &work->work);
 
 	return ERR_PTR(-EAGAIN);
 }
@@ -830,8 +830,20 @@ i915_gem_userptr_ioctl(struct drm_device *dev, void *data, struct drm_file *file
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void i915_gem_init_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
+int i915_gem_init_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
 {
 	mutex_init(&dev_priv->mm_lock);
 	hash_init(dev_priv->mm_structs);
+
+	dev_priv->mm.userptr_wq =
+		alloc_workqueue("i915-userptr-acquire", WQ_HIGHPRI, 0);
+	if (!dev_priv->mm.userptr_wq)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void i915_gem_cleanup_userptr(struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv)
+{
+	destroy_workqueue(dev_priv->mm.userptr_wq);
 }