diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
index 401cb8c75520..c9cca33008d3 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
@@ -999,7 +999,7 @@ int ovl_set_nlink_lower(struct dentry *dentry)
 }
 
 unsigned int ovl_get_nlink(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *lowerdentry,
-			   struct dentry *upperdentry,
+			   struct dentry *upperdentry, bool indexed,
 			   unsigned int fallback)
 {
 	int nlink_diff;
@@ -1007,7 +1007,15 @@ unsigned int ovl_get_nlink(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *lowerdentry,
 	char buf[13];
 	int err;
 
-	if (!lowerdentry || !upperdentry || d_inode(lowerdentry)->i_nlink == 1)
+	if (!lowerdentry || !upperdentry)
+		return fallback;
+
+	/*
+	 * A lower inode with one link is not indexed on copy up, unless all
+	 * files are indexed for NFS export.  If the caller found an index entry,
+	 * then the xattr holds the union nlink, whatever the lower nlink is.
+	 */
+	if (!indexed && d_inode(lowerdentry)->i_nlink == 1)
 		return fallback;
 
 	err = ovl_getxattr_upper(ofs, upperdentry, OVL_XATTR_NLINK,
@@ -1264,7 +1272,7 @@ struct inode *ovl_get_inode(struct super_block *sb,
 		/* Recalculate nlink for non-dir due to indexing */
 		if (!is_dir)
 			nlink = ovl_get_nlink(ofs, lowerdentry, upperdentry,
-					      nlink);
+					      oip->index, nlink);
 		set_nlink(inode, nlink);
 		ino = key->i_ino;
 	} else {
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
index cf7908a39f61..ad0fb3d055ed 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
@@ -712,7 +712,7 @@ int ovl_verify_index(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *index)
 		if (err)
 			goto fail;
 
-		if (ovl_get_nlink(ofs, origin.dentry, index, 0) == 0)
+		if (ovl_get_nlink(ofs, origin.dentry, index, true, 0) == 0)
 			goto orphan;
 	}
 
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index c89739e5338b..91cdd7e15696 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -808,7 +808,7 @@ static inline bool ovl_dir_is_real(struct inode *dir)
 int ovl_set_nlink_upper(struct dentry *dentry);
 int ovl_set_nlink_lower(struct dentry *dentry);
 unsigned int ovl_get_nlink(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *lowerdentry,
-			   struct dentry *upperdentry,
+			   struct dentry *upperdentry, bool indexed,
 			   unsigned int fallback);
 int ovl_permission(struct mnt_idmap *idmap, struct inode *inode,
 		   int mask);