diff --git a/drivers/md/dm-bufio.c b/drivers/md/dm-bufio.c
index d58eed96a8ff..edad64654ef6 100644
--- a/drivers/md/dm-bufio.c
+++ b/drivers/md/dm-bufio.c
@@ -2545,6 +2545,13 @@ struct dm_bufio_client *dm_bufio_client_create(struct block_device *bdev, unsign
 	init_waitqueue_head(&c->free_buffer_wait);
 	c->async_write_error = 0;
 
+	/*
+	 * A client with no buffers yet is not holding the oldest buffer in
+	 * the system; leaving this zeroed would claim exactly that and keep
+	 * the client pinned at the front of dm_bufio_all_clients.
+	 */
+	c->oldest_buffer = jiffies;
+
 	c->dm_io = dm_io_client_create();
 	if (IS_ERR(c->dm_io)) {
 		r = PTR_ERR(c->dm_io);
@@ -2779,9 +2786,23 @@ static unsigned long __evict_a_few(unsigned long nr_buffers)
 
 	dm_bufio_unlock(c);
 
-	if (count)
+	if (count) {
 		c->oldest_buffer = oldest_buffer;
-	__insert_client(c);
+		__insert_client(c);
+	} else {
+		/*
+		 * We evicted nothing, so 'oldest_buffer' tells us nothing new
+		 * and the client keeps its old, possibly very stale, value.
+		 * Requeue it at the back rather than by that value, otherwise
+		 * __insert_client() would put it straight back at the front
+		 * and every subsequent call would pop this same client again,
+		 * never reaching any of the others.
+		 *
+		 * This leaves the list slightly out of order, which is fine -
+		 * it is only ever an approximation.
+		 */
+		list_add_tail(&c->client_list, &dm_bufio_all_clients);
+	}
 
 	return count;
 }
@@ -2806,11 +2827,23 @@ static void evict_old(void)
 {
 	unsigned long threshold = dm_bufio_cache_size -
 		dm_bufio_cache_size / DM_BUFIO_LOW_WATERMARK_RATIO;
+	int unproductive = 0;
 
 	mutex_lock(&dm_bufio_clients_lock);
 	while (dm_bufio_current_allocated > threshold) {
-		if (!__evict_a_few(64))
-			break;
+		if (__evict_a_few(64)) {
+			unproductive = 0;
+		} else {
+			/*
+			 * This client had nothing to give.  Try the others
+			 * before giving up: one idle client, or one whose
+			 * buffers are all held, must not stop us evicting
+			 * from everybody else.  Stop once a whole sweep of
+			 * the client list has freed nothing.
+			 */
+			if (++unproductive >= dm_bufio_client_count)
+				break;
+		}
 		cond_resched();
 	}
 	mutex_unlock(&dm_bufio_clients_lock);