diff --git a/io_uring/zcrx.c b/io_uring/zcrx.c
index d610e0f96844..7ac9eb6a0934 100644
--- a/io_uring/zcrx.c
+++ b/io_uring/zcrx.c
@@ -698,19 +698,10 @@ static int zcrx_export(struct io_ring_ctx *ctx, struct io_zcrx_ifq *ifq,
 {
 	struct zcrx_ctrl_export *ce = &ctrl->zc_export;
 	struct file *file;
-	int fd = -1;
+	int fd;
 
 	if (!mem_is_zero(ce, sizeof(*ce)))
 		return -EINVAL;
-	fd = get_unused_fd_flags(O_CLOEXEC);
-	if (fd < 0)
-		return fd;
-
-	ce->zcrx_fd = fd;
-	if (copy_to_user(arg, ctrl, sizeof(*ctrl))) {
-		put_unused_fd(fd);
-		return -EFAULT;
-	}
 
 	refcount_inc(&ifq->refs);
 	refcount_inc(&ifq->user_refs);
@@ -718,11 +709,23 @@ static int zcrx_export(struct io_ring_ctx *ctx, struct io_zcrx_ifq *ifq,
 	file = anon_inode_create_getfile("[zcrx]", &zcrx_box_fops,
 					 ifq, O_CLOEXEC, NULL);
 	if (IS_ERR(file)) {
-		put_unused_fd(fd);
 		zcrx_unregister(ifq);
 		return PTR_ERR(file);
 	}
 
+	fd = get_unused_fd_flags(O_CLOEXEC);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		fput(file);
+		return fd;
+	}
+
+	ce->zcrx_fd = fd;
+	if (copy_to_user(arg, ctrl, sizeof(*ctrl))) {
+		fput(file);
+		put_unused_fd(fd);
+		return -EFAULT;
+	}
+
 	fd_install(fd, file);
 	return 0;
 }