diff --git a/include/linux/mm.h b/include/linux/mm.h
index 0ac87d9ee9d8..233ad11938db 100644
--- a/include/linux/mm.h
+++ b/include/linux/mm.h
@@ -2591,6 +2591,7 @@ struct page *follow_page(struct vm_area_struct *vma, unsigned long address,
 #define FOLL_COW	0x4000	/* internal GUP flag */
 #define FOLL_ANON	0x8000	/* don't do file mappings */
 #define FOLL_LONGTERM	0x10000	/* mapping lifetime is indefinite: see below */
+#define FOLL_SPLIT_PMD	0x20000	/* split huge pmd before returning */
 
 /*
  * NOTE on FOLL_LONGTERM:
diff --git a/mm/gup.c b/mm/gup.c
index 012060efddf1..60c3915c8ee6 100644
--- a/mm/gup.c
+++ b/mm/gup.c
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ static struct page *follow_pmd_mask(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 		spin_unlock(ptl);
 		return follow_page_pte(vma, address, pmd, flags, &ctx->pgmap);
 	}
-	if (flags & FOLL_SPLIT) {
+	if (flags & (FOLL_SPLIT | FOLL_SPLIT_PMD)) {
 		int ret;
 		page = pmd_page(*pmd);
 		if (is_huge_zero_page(page)) {
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ static struct page *follow_pmd_mask(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 			split_huge_pmd(vma, pmd, address);
 			if (pmd_trans_unstable(pmd))
 				ret = -EBUSY;
-		} else {
+		} else if (flags & FOLL_SPLIT) {
 			if (unlikely(!try_get_page(page))) {
 				spin_unlock(ptl);
 				return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
@@ -405,6 +405,10 @@ static struct page *follow_pmd_mask(struct vm_area_struct *vma,
 			put_page(page);
 			if (pmd_none(*pmd))
 				return no_page_table(vma, flags);
+		} else {  /* flags & FOLL_SPLIT_PMD */
+			spin_unlock(ptl);
+			split_huge_pmd(vma, pmd, address);
+			ret = pte_alloc(mm, pmd) ? -ENOMEM : 0;
 		}
 
 		return ret ? ERR_PTR(ret) :