diff --git a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_defer.c b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_defer.c
index 75f0d37914d5..3152acdc335d 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_defer.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/libxfs/xfs_defer.c
@@ -656,6 +656,7 @@ xfs_defer_finish_noroll(
 	struct xfs_trans		**tp)
 {
 	struct xfs_defer_pending	*dfp = NULL;
+	const char			*what = "chain";
 	int				error = 0;
 	LIST_HEAD(dop_pending);
 	LIST_HEAD(dop_paused);
@@ -705,9 +706,17 @@ xfs_defer_finish_noroll(
 				struct xfs_defer_pending, dfp_list);
 		if (!dfp)
 			break;
+		what = dfp->dfp_ops->name;
 		error = xfs_defer_finish_one(*tp, dfp);
 		if (error && error != -EAGAIN)
 			goto out_shutdown;
+		/*
+		 * A finished item is no longer a candidate for a later
+		 * failure.  An -EAGAIN one is not finished, so it keeps the
+		 * attribution across the roll that completes it.
+		 */
+		if (!error)
+			what = "chain";
 	}
 
 	/* Requeue the paused items in the outgoing transaction. */
@@ -719,8 +728,12 @@ xfs_defer_finish_noroll(
 out_shutdown:
 	list_splice_tail_init(&dop_paused, &dop_pending);
 	xfs_defer_trans_abort(*tp, &dop_pending);
-	xfs_force_shutdown((*tp)->t_mountp, SHUTDOWN_CORRUPT_INCORE);
 	trace_xfs_defer_finish_error(*tp, error);
+	if (!xfs_is_shutdown((*tp)->t_mountp))
+		xfs_alert((*tp)->t_mountp,
+			  "deferred %s work failed, error %d, %u blocks reserved",
+			  what, error, (*tp)->t_blk_res);
+	xfs_force_shutdown((*tp)->t_mountp, SHUTDOWN_CORRUPT_INCORE);
 	xfs_defer_cancel_list((*tp)->t_mountp, &dop_pending);
 	xfs_defer_cancel(*tp);
 	return error;