diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mlx5_ib.h b/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mlx5_ib.h
index 1216575292a7..a5da2d5cf659 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mlx5_ib.h
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mlx5_ib.h
@@ -722,7 +722,6 @@ struct mlx5_cache_ent {
 	struct mlx5_ib_dev     *dev;
 	struct work_struct	work;
 	struct delayed_work	dwork;
-	struct completion	compl;
 };
 
 struct mlx5_mr_cache {
diff --git a/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mr.c b/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mr.c
index afacaf8981fa..a401931189b7 100644
--- a/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mr.c
+++ b/drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/mr.c
@@ -139,14 +139,34 @@ static void create_mkey_callback(int status, struct mlx5_async_work *context)
 	queue_adjust_cache_locked(ent);
 	ent->pending--;
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&ent->lock, flags);
-
-	if (!completion_done(&ent->compl))
-		complete(&ent->compl);
 }
 
+static struct mlx5_ib_mr *alloc_cache_mr(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent, void *mkc)
+{
+	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
+
+	mr = kzalloc(sizeof(*mr), GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!mr)
+		return NULL;
+	mr->order = ent->order;
+	mr->cache_ent = ent;
+	mr->dev = ent->dev;
+
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, free, 1);
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, umr_en, 1);
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, access_mode_1_0, ent->access_mode & 0x3);
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, access_mode_4_2, (ent->access_mode >> 2) & 0x7);
+
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, qpn, 0xffffff);
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, translations_octword_size, ent->xlt);
+	MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, log_page_size, ent->page);
+	return mr;
+}
+
+/* Asynchronously schedule new MRs to be populated in the cache. */
 static int add_keys(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent, unsigned int num)
 {
-	int inlen = MLX5_ST_SZ_BYTES(create_mkey_in);
+	size_t inlen = MLX5_ST_SZ_BYTES(create_mkey_in);
 	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
 	void *mkc;
 	u32 *in;
@@ -159,25 +179,11 @@ static int add_keys(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent, unsigned int num)
 
 	mkc = MLX5_ADDR_OF(create_mkey_in, in, memory_key_mkey_entry);
 	for (i = 0; i < num; i++) {
-		mr = kzalloc(sizeof(*mr), GFP_KERNEL);
+		mr = alloc_cache_mr(ent, mkc);
 		if (!mr) {
 			err = -ENOMEM;
 			break;
 		}
-		mr->order = ent->order;
-		mr->cache_ent = ent;
-		mr->dev = ent->dev;
-
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, free, 1);
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, umr_en, 1);
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, access_mode_1_0, ent->access_mode & 0x3);
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, access_mode_4_2,
-			 (ent->access_mode >> 2) & 0x7);
-
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, qpn, 0xffffff);
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, translations_octword_size, ent->xlt);
-		MLX5_SET(mkc, mkc, log_page_size, ent->page);
-
 		spin_lock_irq(&ent->lock);
 		if (ent->pending >= MAX_PENDING_REG_MR) {
 			err = -EAGAIN;
@@ -205,6 +211,44 @@ static int add_keys(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent, unsigned int num)
 	return err;
 }
 
+/* Synchronously create a MR in the cache */
+static struct mlx5_ib_mr *create_cache_mr(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent)
+{
+	size_t inlen = MLX5_ST_SZ_BYTES(create_mkey_in);
+	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
+	void *mkc;
+	u32 *in;
+	int err;
+
+	in = kzalloc(inlen, GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!in)
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+	mkc = MLX5_ADDR_OF(create_mkey_in, in, memory_key_mkey_entry);
+
+	mr = alloc_cache_mr(ent, mkc);
+	if (!mr) {
+		err = -ENOMEM;
+		goto free_in;
+	}
+
+	err = mlx5_core_create_mkey(ent->dev->mdev, &mr->mmkey, in, inlen);
+	if (err)
+		goto free_mr;
+
+	mr->mmkey.type = MLX5_MKEY_MR;
+	WRITE_ONCE(ent->dev->cache.last_add, jiffies);
+	spin_lock_irq(&ent->lock);
+	ent->total_mrs++;
+	spin_unlock_irq(&ent->lock);
+	kfree(in);
+	return mr;
+free_mr:
+	kfree(mr);
+free_in:
+	kfree(in);
+	return ERR_PTR(err);
+}
+
 static void remove_cache_mr_locked(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent)
 {
 	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
@@ -427,12 +471,12 @@ static void __cache_work_func(struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent)
 		if (ent->disabled)
 			goto out;
 		if (err) {
-			if (err == -EAGAIN) {
-				mlx5_ib_dbg(dev, "returned eagain, order %d\n",
-					    ent->order);
-				queue_delayed_work(cache->wq, &ent->dwork,
-						   msecs_to_jiffies(3));
-			} else {
+			/*
+			 * EAGAIN only happens if pending is positive, so we
+			 * will be rescheduled from reg_mr_callback(). The only
+			 * failure path here is ENOMEM.
+			 */
+			if (err != -EAGAIN) {
 				mlx5_ib_warn(
 					dev,
 					"command failed order %d, err %d\n",
@@ -495,36 +539,30 @@ struct mlx5_ib_mr *mlx5_mr_cache_alloc(struct mlx5_ib_dev *dev,
 	struct mlx5_mr_cache *cache = &dev->cache;
 	struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent;
 	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
-	int err;
 
 	if (WARN_ON(entry <= MR_CACHE_LAST_STD_ENTRY ||
 		    entry >= ARRAY_SIZE(cache->ent)))
 		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
 
 	ent = &cache->ent[entry];
-	while (1) {
-		spin_lock_irq(&ent->lock);
-		if (list_empty(&ent->head)) {
-			spin_unlock_irq(&ent->lock);
-
-			err = add_keys(ent, 1);
-			if (err && err != -EAGAIN)
-				return ERR_PTR(err);
-
-			wait_for_completion(&ent->compl);
-		} else {
-			mr = list_first_entry(&ent->head, struct mlx5_ib_mr,
-					      list);
-			list_del(&mr->list);
-			ent->available_mrs--;
-			queue_adjust_cache_locked(ent);
-			spin_unlock_irq(&ent->lock);
+	spin_lock_irq(&ent->lock);
+	if (list_empty(&ent->head)) {
+		spin_unlock_irq(&ent->lock);
+		mr = create_cache_mr(ent);
+		if (IS_ERR(mr))
 			return mr;
-		}
+	} else {
+		mr = list_first_entry(&ent->head, struct mlx5_ib_mr, list);
+		list_del(&mr->list);
+		ent->available_mrs--;
+		queue_adjust_cache_locked(ent);
+		spin_unlock_irq(&ent->lock);
 	}
+	return mr;
 }
 
-static struct mlx5_ib_mr *alloc_cached_mr(struct mlx5_cache_ent *req_ent)
+/* Return a MR already available in the cache */
+static struct mlx5_ib_mr *get_cache_mr(struct mlx5_cache_ent *req_ent)
 {
 	struct mlx5_ib_dev *dev = req_ent->dev;
 	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr = NULL;
@@ -676,7 +714,6 @@ int mlx5_mr_cache_init(struct mlx5_ib_dev *dev)
 		ent->dev = dev;
 		ent->limit = 0;
 
-		init_completion(&ent->compl);
 		INIT_WORK(&ent->work, cache_work_func);
 		INIT_DELAYED_WORK(&ent->dwork, delayed_cache_work_func);
 
@@ -939,26 +976,16 @@ alloc_mr_from_cache(struct ib_pd *pd, struct ib_umem *umem, u64 virt_addr,
 	struct mlx5_ib_dev *dev = to_mdev(pd->device);
 	struct mlx5_cache_ent *ent = mr_cache_ent_from_order(dev, order);
 	struct mlx5_ib_mr *mr;
-	int err = 0;
-	int i;
 
 	if (!ent)
 		return ERR_PTR(-E2BIG);
-	for (i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
-		mr = alloc_cached_mr(ent);
-		if (mr)
-			break;
-
-		err = add_keys(ent, 1);
-		if (err && err != -EAGAIN) {
-			mlx5_ib_warn(dev, "add_keys failed, err %d\n", err);
-			break;
-		}
+	mr = get_cache_mr(ent);
+	if (!mr) {
+		mr = create_cache_mr(ent);
+		if (IS_ERR(mr))
+			return mr;
 	}
 
-	if (!mr)
-		return ERR_PTR(-EAGAIN);
-
 	mr->ibmr.pd = pd;
 	mr->umem = umem;
 	mr->access_flags = access_flags;