diff --git a/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify.c b/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify.c
index 58772623f02a..cc78e2fbc8e4 100644
--- a/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify.c
+++ b/fs/notify/fanotify/fanotify.c
@@ -16,12 +16,6 @@ static bool should_merge(struct fsnotify_event *old_fsn,
 {
 	struct fanotify_event_info *old, *new;
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_FANOTIFY_ACCESS_PERMISSIONS
-	/* dont merge two permission events */
-	if ((old_fsn->mask & FAN_ALL_PERM_EVENTS) &&
-	    (new_fsn->mask & FAN_ALL_PERM_EVENTS))
-		return false;
-#endif
 	pr_debug("%s: old=%p new=%p\n", __func__, old_fsn, new_fsn);
 	old = FANOTIFY_E(old_fsn);
 	new = FANOTIFY_E(new_fsn);
@@ -42,6 +36,16 @@ static struct fsnotify_event *fanotify_merge(struct list_head *list,
 
 	pr_debug("%s: list=%p event=%p\n", __func__, list, event);
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_FANOTIFY_ACCESS_PERMISSIONS
+	/*
+	 * Don't merge a permission event with any other event so that we know
+	 * the event structure we have created in fanotify_handle_event() is the
+	 * one we should check for permission response.
+	 */
+	if (event->mask & FAN_ALL_PERM_EVENTS)
+		return NULL;
+#endif
+
 	list_for_each_entry_reverse(test_event, list, list) {
 		if (should_merge(test_event, event)) {
 			do_merge = true;
@@ -195,13 +199,10 @@ static int fanotify_handle_event(struct fsnotify_group *group,
 		fsnotify_destroy_event(group, fsn_event);
 		if (IS_ERR(notify_fsn_event))
 			return PTR_ERR(notify_fsn_event);
-		/* We need to ask about a different events after a merge... */
-		event = FANOTIFY_E(notify_fsn_event);
-		fsn_event = notify_fsn_event;
 	}
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_FANOTIFY_ACCESS_PERMISSIONS
-	if (fsn_event->mask & FAN_ALL_PERM_EVENTS)
+	if (mask & FAN_ALL_PERM_EVENTS)
 		ret = fanotify_get_response_from_access(group, event);
 #endif
 	return ret;