diff --git a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_dev_frontend.c b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_dev_frontend.c
index 08adc590f6314b..597af455a522b1 100644
--- a/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_dev_frontend.c
+++ b/drivers/xen/xenbus/xenbus_dev_frontend.c
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 #include <linux/string.h>
 #include <linux/slab.h>
 #include <linux/miscdevice.h>
+#include <linux/workqueue.h>
 
 #include <xen/xenbus.h>
 #include <xen/xen.h>
@@ -116,6 +117,8 @@ struct xenbus_file_priv {
 	wait_queue_head_t read_waitq;
 
 	struct kref kref;
+
+	struct work_struct wq;
 };
 
 /* Read out any raw xenbus messages queued up. */
@@ -300,14 +303,14 @@ static void watch_fired(struct xenbus_watch *watch,
 	mutex_unlock(&adap->dev_data->reply_mutex);
 }
 
-static void xenbus_file_free(struct kref *kref)
+static void xenbus_worker(struct work_struct *wq)
 {
 	struct xenbus_file_priv *u;
 	struct xenbus_transaction_holder *trans, *tmp;
 	struct watch_adapter *watch, *tmp_watch;
 	struct read_buffer *rb, *tmp_rb;
 
-	u = container_of(kref, struct xenbus_file_priv, kref);
+	u = container_of(wq, struct xenbus_file_priv, wq);
 
 	/*
 	 * No need for locking here because there are no other users,
@@ -333,6 +336,18 @@ static void xenbus_file_free(struct kref *kref)
 	kfree(u);
 }
 
+static void xenbus_file_free(struct kref *kref)
+{
+	struct xenbus_file_priv *u;
+
+	/*
+	 * We might be called in xenbus_thread().
+	 * Use workqueue to avoid deadlock.
+	 */
+	u = container_of(kref, struct xenbus_file_priv, kref);
+	schedule_work(&u->wq);
+}
+
 static struct xenbus_transaction_holder *xenbus_get_transaction(
 	struct xenbus_file_priv *u, uint32_t tx_id)
 {
@@ -650,6 +665,7 @@ static int xenbus_file_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *filp)
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&u->watches);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&u->read_buffers);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&u->read_waitq);
+	INIT_WORK(&u->wq, xenbus_worker);
 
 	mutex_init(&u->reply_mutex);
 	mutex_init(&u->msgbuffer_mutex);