diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index d9174eaccce2..8bc970748b96 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -1387,7 +1387,6 @@ static struct dentry *ovl_get_root(struct super_block *sb,
 	ovl_dentry_set_flag(OVL_E_CONNECTED, root);
 	ovl_set_upperdata(d_inode(root));
 	ovl_inode_init(d_inode(root), &oip, ino, fsid);
-	WARN_ON(!!IS_CASEFOLDED(d_inode(root)) != ofs->casefold);
 	ovl_dentry_init_flags(root, upperdentry, oe, DCACHE_OP_WEAK_REVALIDATE);
 	/* root keeps a reference of upperdentry */
 	dget(upperdentry);
@@ -1571,6 +1570,17 @@ static int ovl_fill_super_creds(struct fs_context *fc, struct super_block *sb)
 	if (!sb->s_root)
 		goto out_free_oe;
 
+	/*
+	 * The casefold flag of an empty layer root may have changed since the
+	 * mount options were parsed.  The root inode owns oe by now.
+	 */
+	if (!!IS_CASEFOLDED(d_inode(sb->s_root)) != ofs->casefold) {
+		pr_err("casefold flag of the root directory has changed\n");
+		dput(sb->s_root);
+		sb->s_root = NULL;
+		return -EINVAL;
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 
 out_free_oe: