diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/copy_up.c b/fs/overlayfs/copy_up.c
index 206ececd5ae7..503c92404095 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/copy_up.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/copy_up.c
@@ -232,13 +232,13 @@ int ovl_set_attr(struct dentry *upperdentry, struct kstat *stat)
 	return err;
 }
 
-struct ovl_fh *ovl_encode_fh(struct dentry *lower, bool is_upper)
+struct ovl_fh *ovl_encode_fh(struct dentry *real, bool is_upper)
 {
 	struct ovl_fh *fh;
 	int fh_type, fh_len, dwords;
 	void *buf;
 	int buflen = MAX_HANDLE_SZ;
-	uuid_t *uuid = &lower->d_sb->s_uuid;
+	uuid_t *uuid = &real->d_sb->s_uuid;
 
 	buf = kmalloc(buflen, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!buf)
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ struct ovl_fh *ovl_encode_fh(struct dentry *lower, bool is_upper)
 	 * the price or reconnecting the dentry.
 	 */
 	dwords = buflen >> 2;
-	fh_type = exportfs_encode_fh(lower, buf, &dwords, 0);
+	fh_type = exportfs_encode_fh(real, buf, &dwords, 0);
 	buflen = (dwords << 2);
 
 	fh = ERR_PTR(-EIO);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
index 27f25a61f6e4..11e164cb2593 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
@@ -114,12 +114,12 @@ static int ovl_check_fh_len(struct ovl_fh *fh, int fh_len)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static struct ovl_fh *ovl_get_origin_fh(struct dentry *dentry)
+static struct ovl_fh *ovl_get_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name)
 {
 	int res, err;
 	struct ovl_fh *fh = NULL;
 
-	res = vfs_getxattr(dentry, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN, NULL, 0);
+	res = vfs_getxattr(dentry, name, NULL, 0);
 	if (res < 0) {
 		if (res == -ENODATA || res == -EOPNOTSUPP)
 			return NULL;
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static struct ovl_fh *ovl_get_origin_fh(struct dentry *dentry)
 	if (!fh)
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 
-	res = vfs_getxattr(dentry, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN, fh, res);
+	res = vfs_getxattr(dentry, name, fh, res);
 	if (res < 0)
 		goto fail;
 
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ static int ovl_check_origin_fh(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct ovl_fh *fh,
 static int ovl_check_origin(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *upperdentry,
 			    struct ovl_path **stackp, unsigned int *ctrp)
 {
-	struct ovl_fh *fh = ovl_get_origin_fh(upperdentry);
+	struct ovl_fh *fh = ovl_get_fh(upperdentry, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN);
 	int err;
 
 	if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(fh))
@@ -360,12 +360,13 @@ static int ovl_check_origin(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *upperdentry,
 }
 
 /*
- * Verify that @fh matches the origin file handle stored in OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN.
+ * Verify that @fh matches the file handle stored in xattr @name.
  * Return 0 on match, -ESTALE on mismatch, < 0 on error.
  */
-static int ovl_verify_origin_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const struct ovl_fh *fh)
+static int ovl_verify_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name,
+			 const struct ovl_fh *fh)
 {
-	struct ovl_fh *ofh = ovl_get_origin_fh(dentry);
+	struct ovl_fh *ofh = ovl_get_fh(dentry, name);
 	int err = 0;
 
 	if (!ofh)
@@ -382,28 +383,28 @@ static int ovl_verify_origin_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const struct ovl_fh *fh)
 }
 
 /*
- * Verify that an inode matches the origin file handle stored in upper inode.
+ * Verify that @real dentry matches the file handle stored in xattr @name.
  *
- * If @set is true and there is no stored file handle, encode and store origin
- * file handle in OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN.
+ * If @set is true and there is no stored file handle, encode @real and store
+ * file handle in xattr @name.
  *
- * Return 0 on match, -ESTALE on mismatch, < 0 on error.
+ * Return 0 on match, -ESTALE on mismatch, -ENODATA on no xattr, < 0 on error.
  */
-int ovl_verify_origin(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *origin,
-		      bool is_upper, bool set)
+int ovl_verify_set_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name,
+		      struct dentry *real, bool is_upper, bool set)
 {
 	struct inode *inode;
 	struct ovl_fh *fh;
 	int err;
 
-	fh = ovl_encode_fh(origin, is_upper);
+	fh = ovl_encode_fh(real, is_upper);
 	err = PTR_ERR(fh);
 	if (IS_ERR(fh))
 		goto fail;
 
-	err = ovl_verify_origin_fh(dentry, fh);
+	err = ovl_verify_fh(dentry, name, fh);
 	if (set && err == -ENODATA)
-		err = ovl_do_setxattr(dentry, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN, fh, fh->len, 0);
+		err = ovl_do_setxattr(dentry, name, fh, fh->len, 0);
 	if (err)
 		goto fail;
 
@@ -412,9 +413,10 @@ int ovl_verify_origin(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *origin,
 	return err;
 
 fail:
-	inode = d_inode(origin);
-	pr_warn_ratelimited("overlayfs: failed to verify origin (%pd2, ino=%lu, err=%i)\n",
-			    origin, inode ? inode->i_ino : 0, err);
+	inode = d_inode(real);
+	pr_warn_ratelimited("overlayfs: failed to verify %s (%pd2, ino=%lu, err=%i)\n",
+			    is_upper ? "upper" : "origin", real,
+			    inode ? inode->i_ino : 0, err);
 	goto out;
 }
 
@@ -466,7 +468,7 @@ int ovl_verify_index(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *index)
 	if (err)
 		goto fail;
 
-	err = ovl_verify_origin_fh(index, fh);
+	err = ovl_verify_fh(index, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN, fh);
 	if (err)
 		goto fail;
 
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index d55afb6646b0..1d62b1e6111a 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -249,8 +249,8 @@ static inline bool ovl_is_impuredir(struct dentry *dentry)
 
 
 /* namei.c */
-int ovl_verify_origin(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *origin,
-		      bool is_upper, bool set);
+int ovl_verify_set_fh(struct dentry *dentry, const char *name,
+		      struct dentry *real, bool is_upper, bool set);
 int ovl_verify_index(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct dentry *index);
 int ovl_get_index_name(struct dentry *origin, struct qstr *name);
 int ovl_path_next(int idx, struct dentry *dentry, struct path *path);
@@ -258,6 +258,12 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 			  unsigned int flags);
 bool ovl_lower_positive(struct dentry *dentry);
 
+static inline int ovl_verify_origin(struct dentry *upper,
+				    struct dentry *origin, bool set)
+{
+	return ovl_verify_set_fh(upper, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN, origin, false, set);
+}
+
 /* readdir.c */
 extern const struct file_operations ovl_dir_operations;
 int ovl_check_empty_dir(struct dentry *dentry, struct list_head *list);
@@ -320,6 +326,6 @@ int ovl_copy_up(struct dentry *dentry);
 int ovl_copy_up_flags(struct dentry *dentry, int flags);
 int ovl_copy_xattr(struct dentry *old, struct dentry *new);
 int ovl_set_attr(struct dentry *upper, struct kstat *stat);
-struct ovl_fh *ovl_encode_fh(struct dentry *lower, bool is_upper);
+struct ovl_fh *ovl_encode_fh(struct dentry *real, bool is_upper);
 int ovl_set_origin(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *lower,
 		   struct dentry *upper);
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index 4345c3f83fde..4ebbb368fce8 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -1041,7 +1041,7 @@ static int ovl_get_indexdir(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct ovl_entry *oe,
 
 	/* Verify lower root is upper root origin */
 	err = ovl_verify_origin(upperpath->dentry, oe->lowerstack[0].dentry,
-				false, true);
+				true);
 	if (err) {
 		pr_err("overlayfs: failed to verify upper root origin\n");
 		goto out;
@@ -1049,9 +1049,9 @@ static int ovl_get_indexdir(struct ovl_fs *ofs, struct ovl_entry *oe,
 
 	ofs->indexdir = ovl_workdir_create(ofs, OVL_INDEXDIR_NAME, true);
 	if (ofs->indexdir) {
-		/* Verify upper root is index dir origin */
-		err = ovl_verify_origin(ofs->indexdir, upperpath->dentry,
-					true, true);
+		/* Verify upper root is exclusively associated with index dir */
+		err = ovl_verify_set_fh(ofs->indexdir, OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN,
+					upperpath->dentry, true, true);
 		if (err)
 			pr_err("overlayfs: failed to verify index dir origin\n");