diff --git a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
index a192b77ce739..74d173e5681d 100644
--- a/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
+++ b/net/sunrpc/xprtrdma/verbs.c
@@ -549,7 +549,17 @@ int rpcrdma_xprt_connect(struct rpcrdma_xprt *r_xprt)
 		goto out;
 	}
 	rpcrdma_mrs_create(r_xprt);
-	frwr_wp_create(r_xprt);
+
+	/*
+	 * rpcrdma_encode_write_list() dereferences the write-pad
+	 * MR with no NULL check, so fail the connect rather than
+	 * publish a transport whose write-pad MR is NULL.
+	 */
+	rc = frwr_wp_create(r_xprt);
+	if (rc) {
+		rc = -ENOTCONN;
+		goto out;
+	}
 
 out:
 	trace_xprtrdma_connect(r_xprt, rc);