diff --git a/fs/ntfs3/dir.c b/fs/ntfs3/dir.c
index d99ab086ef6f..a052ba9250e7 100644
--- a/fs/ntfs3/dir.c
+++ b/fs/ntfs3/dir.c
@@ -489,10 +489,17 @@ static int ntfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 			goto out;
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Keep directory metadata stable for the whole walk. Loading subrecords
+	 * once is not enough if concurrent writeback can still compact ATTR_LIST
+	 * entries and free the record that ntfs_read_hdr() is currently walking.
+	 */
+	ni_lock(ni);
+
 	root = indx_get_root(&ni->dir, ni, NULL, NULL);
 	if (!root) {
 		err = -EINVAL;
-		goto out;
+		goto out_unlock;
 	}
 
 	if (pos >= sbi->record_size) {
@@ -503,7 +510,7 @@ static int ntfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 		 */
 		err = ntfs_read_hdr(sbi, ni, &root->ihdr, 0, pos, name, ctx);
 		if (err)
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 		bit = 0;
 	}
 
@@ -514,7 +521,7 @@ static int ntfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 		/* Get the next used index. */
 		err = indx_used_bit(&ni->dir, ni, &bit);
 		if (err)
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 
 		if (bit == MINUS_ONE_T) {
 			/* no more used indexes. end of dir. */
@@ -524,13 +531,13 @@ static int ntfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 		if (bit >= max_bit) {
 			/* Corrupted directory. */
 			err = -EINVAL;
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 		}
 
 		err = indx_read_ra(&ni->dir, ni, bit << ni->dir.idx2vbn_bits,
 				   &node, &file->f_ra);
 		if (err)
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 
 		/*
 		 * Add each name from index in 'ctx'.
@@ -539,9 +546,12 @@ static int ntfs_readdir(struct file *file, struct dir_context *ctx)
 				    ((u64)bit << index_bits) + sbi->record_size,
 				    pos, name, ctx);
 		if (err)
-			goto out;
+			goto out_unlock;
 	}
 
+out_unlock:
+	ni_unlock(ni);
+
 out:
 	kfree(name);
 	put_indx_node(node);