diff --git a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
index 612969867ff9..ea48c013f7fb 100644
--- a/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
+++ b/fs/ocfs2/dlm/dlmmaster.c
@@ -2525,6 +2525,52 @@ static int dlm_is_lockres_migratable(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
  */
 
 
+/*
+ * Drop the sender's references on a migration MLE after the attempt has
+ * failed. The finishing assert from the target may already have unlinked
+ * the MLE and consumed its base reference; decide under the locks the
+ * assert handler holds, and only drop the base reference while the MLE is
+ * still hashed. Returns true when the assert got there first: the target
+ * has become the master, so the caller must complete the migration.
+ */
+static bool dlm_put_migration_mle(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
+				  struct dlm_master_list_entry *mle)
+{
+	bool asserted;
+
+	spin_lock(&dlm->spinlock);
+	spin_lock(&dlm->master_lock);
+	__dlm_mle_detach_hb_events(dlm, mle);
+	asserted = hlist_unhashed(&mle->master_hash_node);
+	if (!asserted) {
+		__dlm_unlink_mle(dlm, mle);
+		__dlm_put_mle(mle);
+	}
+	spin_unlock(&dlm->master_lock);
+	spin_unlock(&dlm->spinlock);
+
+	dlm_put_mle_inuse(mle);
+	return asserted;
+}
+
+/*
+ * The finishing assert got there first: it switched the owner to the
+ * target and cleared DLM_LOCK_RES_MIGRATING. Drop the other nodes' locks
+ * as a completed migration does, unless recovery has taken the lockres
+ * over since, and let the usage be recalculated.
+ */
+static void dlm_migrate_lockres_asserted(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
+					 struct dlm_lock_resource *res,
+					 u8 target)
+{
+	spin_lock(&res->spinlock);
+	if (res->owner == target)
+		dlm_remove_nonlocal_locks(dlm, res);
+	spin_unlock(&res->spinlock);
+
+	dlm_lockres_calc_usage(dlm, res);
+}
+
 static int dlm_migrate_lockres(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
 			       struct dlm_lock_resource *res, u8 target)
 {
@@ -2609,9 +2655,10 @@ static int dlm_migrate_lockres(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
 
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		if (mle_added) {
-			dlm_mle_detach_hb_events(dlm, mle);
-			dlm_put_mle(mle);
-			dlm_put_mle_inuse(mle);
+			if (dlm_put_migration_mle(dlm, mle)) {
+				dlm_migrate_lockres_asserted(dlm, res, target);
+				ret = 0;
+			}
 		} else if (mle) {
 			kmem_cache_free(dlm_mle_cache, mle);
 			mle = NULL;
@@ -2640,9 +2687,11 @@ static int dlm_migrate_lockres(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
 		mlog(0, "migration to node %u failed with %d\n",
 		     target, ret);
 		/* migration failed, detach and clean up mle */
-		dlm_mle_detach_hb_events(dlm, mle);
-		dlm_put_mle(mle);
-		dlm_put_mle_inuse(mle);
+		if (dlm_put_migration_mle(dlm, mle)) {
+			dlm_migrate_lockres_asserted(dlm, res, target);
+			ret = 0;
+			goto leave;
+		}
 		spin_lock(&res->spinlock);
 		res->state &= ~DLM_LOCK_RES_MIGRATING;
 		wake = 1;
@@ -2686,9 +2735,12 @@ static int dlm_migrate_lockres(struct dlm_ctxt *dlm,
 				     res->lockname.name, target);
 				ret = -EINVAL;
 				/* migration failed, detach and clean up mle */
-				dlm_mle_detach_hb_events(dlm, mle);
-				dlm_put_mle(mle);
-				dlm_put_mle_inuse(mle);
+				if (dlm_put_migration_mle(dlm, mle)) {
+					dlm_migrate_lockres_asserted(dlm, res,
+								     target);
+					ret = 0;
+					goto leave;
+				}
 				spin_lock(&res->spinlock);
 				res->state &= ~DLM_LOCK_RES_MIGRATING;
 				wake = 1;