diff --git a/fs/fuse/file.c b/fs/fuse/file.c
index c59452d60b8d..9a0f5a8661da 100644
--- a/fs/fuse/file.c
+++ b/fs/fuse/file.c
@@ -380,8 +380,14 @@ void fuse_file_release(struct inode *inode, struct fuse_file *ff,
 	 * aio and closes the fd before the aio completes.  Since aio takes its
 	 * own ref to the file, the IO completion has to drop the ref, which is
 	 * how the fuse server can end up closing its clients' files.
+	 *
+	 * Exception is virtio-fs, which is not affected by the above (server is
+	 * on host, cannot close open files in guest).  Virtio-fs needs sync
+	 * release, because the num_waiting mechanism to wait for all requests
+	 * before commencing with fs shutdown doesn't work if submounts are
+	 * used.
 	 */
-	fuse_file_put(ff, false);
+	fuse_file_put(ff, ff->fm->fc->auto_submounts);
 }
 
 void fuse_release_common(struct file *file, bool isdir)