diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/overlayfs.rst b/Documentation/filesystems/overlayfs.rst
index 16c35b491dad..4c241d220bc2 100644
--- a/Documentation/filesystems/overlayfs.rst
+++ b/Documentation/filesystems/overlayfs.rst
@@ -731,7 +731,8 @@ When decoding an overlay file handle, the following steps are followed:
 
  1. Find underlying layer by UUID and path type information.
  2. Decode the underlying filesystem file handle to underlying dentry.
- 3. For a lower file handle, lookup the handle in index directory by name.
+ 3. For a lower file handle, encode the decoded underlying inode again and
+    lookup that handle in index directory by name.
  4. If a whiteout is found in index, return ESTALE. This represents an
     overlay object that was deleted after its file handle was encoded.
  5. For a non-directory, instantiate a disconnected overlay dentry from the
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/export.c b/fs/overlayfs/export.c
index 9aae20c59608..bd998a3d8b95 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/export.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/export.c
@@ -713,9 +713,9 @@ static struct dentry *ovl_lower_fh_to_d(struct super_block *sb,
 		}
 	}
 
-	/* Then lookup indexed upper/whiteout by origin fh */
+	/* Then lookup indexed upper/whiteout by origin */
 	if (ovl_indexdir(sb)) {
-		index = ovl_get_index_fh(ofs, fh);
+		index = ovl_get_index_origin(ofs, origin.dentry);
 		err = PTR_ERR(index);
 		if (IS_ERR(index)) {
 			index = NULL;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
index c6127edb9be9..64d63b260709 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
@@ -781,14 +781,21 @@ int ovl_get_index_name(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *origin,
 	return err;
 }
 
-/* Lookup index by file handle for NFS export */
-struct dentry *ovl_get_index_fh(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct ovl_fh *fh)
+/*
+ * Lookup index by decoded origin for NFS export.
+ *
+ * The name of an index is the hex of the file handle that copy up encoded.
+ * The bytes of the handle to decode cannot be used as the name, because a
+ * lower fs may decode many handles to the same inode.  For example, it may
+ * ignore the fid type, extra fid bytes or a zero generation.
+ */
+struct dentry *ovl_get_index_origin(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *origin)
 {
 	struct dentry *index;
 	struct qstr name;
 	int err;
 
-	err = ovl_get_index_name_fh(fh, &name);
+	err = ovl_get_index_name(ofs, origin, &name);
 	if (err)
 		return ERR_PTR(err);
 
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index b5a672e8e476..e42543d4c108 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -750,7 +750,7 @@ int ovl_verify_index(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *index);
 int ovl_get_index_name_fh(const struct ovl_fh *fh, struct qstr *name);
 int ovl_get_index_name(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *origin,
 		       struct qstr *name);
-struct dentry *ovl_get_index_fh(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct ovl_fh *fh);
+struct dentry *ovl_get_index_origin(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *origin);
 struct dentry *ovl_lookup_index(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *upper,
 				struct dentry *origin, bool verify);
 int ovl_path_next(int idx, struct dentry *dentry, struct path *path,