diff --git a/drivers/mailbox/qcom-cpucp-mbox.c b/drivers/mailbox/qcom-cpucp-mbox.c
index 862e45e8fbd5..0f7fe189e8b1 100644
--- a/drivers/mailbox/qcom-cpucp-mbox.c
+++ b/drivers/mailbox/qcom-cpucp-mbox.c
@@ -63,14 +63,25 @@ static irqreturn_t qcom_cpucp_mbox_irq_fn(int irq, void *data)
 	for_each_set_bit(i, (unsigned long *)&status, cpucp->mbox.num_chans) {
 		u32 val = readl(cpucp->rx_base + APSS_CPUCP_RX_MBOX_CMD(i) + APSS_CPUCP_MBOX_CMD_OFF);
 		struct mbox_chan *chan = &cpucp->chans[i];
+		struct mbox_client *cl;
 		unsigned long flags;
 
-		/* Provide mutual exclusion with changes to chan->cl */
+		/*
+		 * Provide mutual exclusion with changes to chan->cl.
+		 * Save cl locally and clear the HW interrupt inside the lock,
+		 * then invoke mbox_chan_received_data() outside the lock to
+		 * avoid a PREEMPT_RT self-deadlock: mbox_chan_received_data()
+		 * can call back into mbox_send_message() via scmi_rx_callback()
+		 * -> mailbox_clear_channel(), which re-acquires chan->lock
+		 * (converted to an rt_spinlock under PREEMPT_RT).
+		 */
 		spin_lock_irqsave(&chan->lock, flags);
-		if (chan->cl)
-			mbox_chan_received_data(chan, &val);
+		cl = chan->cl;
 		writeq(BIT(i), cpucp->rx_base + APSS_CPUCP_RX_MBOX_CLEAR);
 		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&chan->lock, flags);
+
+		if (cl)
+			mbox_chan_received_data(chan, &val);
 	}
 
 	return IRQ_HANDLED;