diff --git a/drivers/char/ipmi/kcs_bmc_aspeed.c b/drivers/char/ipmi/kcs_bmc_aspeed.c
index 19c32bf50e0e..2dea8cd5a09a 100644
--- a/drivers/char/ipmi/kcs_bmc_aspeed.c
+++ b/drivers/char/ipmi/kcs_bmc_aspeed.c
@@ -406,13 +406,31 @@ static void aspeed_kcs_check_obe(struct timer_list *timer)
 static void aspeed_kcs_irq_mask_update(struct kcs_bmc_device *kcs_bmc, u8 mask, u8 state)
 {
 	struct aspeed_kcs_bmc *priv = to_aspeed_kcs_bmc(kcs_bmc);
+	int rc;
+	u8 str;
 
 	/* We don't have an OBE IRQ, emulate it */
 	if (mask & KCS_BMC_EVENT_TYPE_OBE) {
-		if (KCS_BMC_EVENT_TYPE_OBE & state)
-			mod_timer(&priv->obe.timer, jiffies + OBE_POLL_PERIOD);
-		else
+		if (KCS_BMC_EVENT_TYPE_OBE & state) {
+			/*
+			 * Given we don't have an OBE IRQ, delay by polling briefly to see if we can
+			 * observe such an event before returning to the caller. This is not
+			 * incorrect because OBF may have already become clear before enabling the
+			 * IRQ if we had one, under which circumstance no event will be propagated
+			 * anyway.
+			 *
+			 * The onus is on the client to perform a race-free check that it hasn't
+			 * missed the event.
+			 */
+			rc = read_poll_timeout_atomic(aspeed_kcs_inb, str,
+						      !(str & KCS_BMC_STR_OBF), 1, 100, false,
+						      &priv->kcs_bmc, priv->kcs_bmc.ioreg.str);
+			/* Time for the slow path? */
+			if (rc == -ETIMEDOUT)
+				mod_timer(&priv->obe.timer, jiffies + OBE_POLL_PERIOD);
+		} else {
 			del_timer(&priv->obe.timer);
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (mask & KCS_BMC_EVENT_TYPE_IBF) {