diff --git a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
index a4cb4b642987..7afd0a6495f3 100644
--- a/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
+++ b/fs/btrfs/ctree.c
@@ -686,14 +686,22 @@ noinline int btrfs_cow_block(struct btrfs_trans_handle *trans,
 		btrfs_err(fs_info,
 			"COW'ing blocks on a fs root that's being dropped");
 
-	if (trans->transaction != fs_info->running_transaction)
-		WARN(1, KERN_CRIT "trans %llu running %llu\n",
-		       trans->transid,
-		       fs_info->running_transaction->transid);
-
-	if (trans->transid != fs_info->generation)
-		WARN(1, KERN_CRIT "trans %llu running %llu\n",
-		       trans->transid, fs_info->generation);
+	/*
+	 * COWing must happen through a running transaction, which always
+	 * matches the current fs generation (it's a transaction with a state
+	 * less than TRANS_STATE_UNBLOCKED). If it doesn't, then turn the fs
+	 * into error state to prevent the commit of any transaction.
+	 */
+	if (unlikely(trans->transaction != fs_info->running_transaction ||
+		     trans->transid != fs_info->generation)) {
+		btrfs_abort_transaction(trans, -EUCLEAN);
+		btrfs_crit(fs_info,
+"unexpected transaction when attempting to COW block %llu on root %llu, transaction %llu running transaction %llu fs generation %llu",
+			   buf->start, btrfs_root_id(root), trans->transid,
+			   fs_info->running_transaction->transid,
+			   fs_info->generation);
+		return -EUCLEAN;
+	}
 
 	if (!should_cow_block(trans, root, buf)) {
 		*cow_ret = buf;