diff --git a/fs/fscache/operation.c b/fs/fscache/operation.c
index 57d4abb68656..de67745e1cd7 100644
--- a/fs/fscache/operation.c
+++ b/fs/fscache/operation.c
@@ -492,7 +492,6 @@ void fscache_put_operation(struct fscache_operation *op)
 	ASSERTIFCMP(op->state != FSCACHE_OP_ST_INITIALISED &&
 		    op->state != FSCACHE_OP_ST_COMPLETE,
 		    op->state, ==, FSCACHE_OP_ST_CANCELLED);
-	op->state = FSCACHE_OP_ST_DEAD;
 
 	fscache_stat(&fscache_n_op_release);
 
@@ -500,6 +499,7 @@ void fscache_put_operation(struct fscache_operation *op)
 		op->release(op);
 		op->release = NULL;
 	}
+	op->state = FSCACHE_OP_ST_DEAD;
 
 	object = op->object;
 	if (likely(object)) {
diff --git a/fs/fscache/page.c b/fs/fscache/page.c
index d1b23a67c031..483bbc613bf0 100644
--- a/fs/fscache/page.c
+++ b/fs/fscache/page.c
@@ -269,11 +269,12 @@ static void fscache_release_retrieval_op(struct fscache_operation *_op)
 
 	_enter("{OP%x}", op->op.debug_id);
 
-	ASSERTCMP(atomic_read(&op->n_pages), ==, 0);
+	ASSERTIFCMP(op->op.state != FSCACHE_OP_ST_INITIALISED,
+		    atomic_read(&op->n_pages), ==, 0);
 
 	fscache_hist(fscache_retrieval_histogram, op->start_time);
 	if (op->context)
-		fscache_put_context(op->op.object->cookie, op->context);
+		fscache_put_context(op->cookie, op->context);
 
 	_leave("");
 }
@@ -302,11 +303,18 @@ static struct fscache_retrieval *fscache_alloc_retrieval(
 	op->op.flags	= FSCACHE_OP_MYTHREAD |
 		(1UL << FSCACHE_OP_WAITING) |
 		(1UL << FSCACHE_OP_UNUSE_COOKIE);
+	op->cookie	= cookie;
 	op->mapping	= mapping;
 	op->end_io_func	= end_io_func;
 	op->context	= context;
 	op->start_time	= jiffies;
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&op->to_do);
+
+	/* Pin the netfs read context in case we need to do the actual netfs
+	 * read because we've encountered a cache read failure.
+	 */
+	if (context)
+		fscache_get_context(op->cookie, context);
 	return op;
 }
 
@@ -456,10 +464,6 @@ int __fscache_read_or_alloc_page(struct fscache_cookie *cookie,
 
 	fscache_stat(&fscache_n_retrieval_ops);
 
-	/* pin the netfs read context in case we need to do the actual netfs
-	 * read because we've encountered a cache read failure */
-	fscache_get_context(object->cookie, op->context);
-
 	/* we wait for the operation to become active, and then process it
 	 * *here*, in this thread, and not in the thread pool */
 	ret = fscache_wait_for_operation_activation(
@@ -586,10 +590,6 @@ int __fscache_read_or_alloc_pages(struct fscache_cookie *cookie,
 
 	fscache_stat(&fscache_n_retrieval_ops);
 
-	/* pin the netfs read context in case we need to do the actual netfs
-	 * read because we've encountered a cache read failure */
-	fscache_get_context(object->cookie, op->context);
-
 	/* we wait for the operation to become active, and then process it
 	 * *here*, in this thread, and not in the thread pool */
 	ret = fscache_wait_for_operation_activation(
diff --git a/include/linux/fscache-cache.h b/include/linux/fscache-cache.h
index 69c6eb10d858..604e1526cd00 100644
--- a/include/linux/fscache-cache.h
+++ b/include/linux/fscache-cache.h
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ extern void fscache_operation_init(struct fscache_operation *,
  */
 struct fscache_retrieval {
 	struct fscache_operation op;
+	struct fscache_cookie	*cookie;	/* The netfs cookie */
 	struct address_space	*mapping;	/* netfs pages */
 	fscache_rw_complete_t	end_io_func;	/* function to call on I/O completion */
 	void			*context;	/* netfs read context (pinned) */