diff --git a/fs/sysfs/dir.c b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
index 2e6775a836f2..048e6054c2fd 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/dir.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/dir.c
@@ -699,17 +699,19 @@ static int create_dir(struct kobject *kobj, struct sysfs_dirent *parent_sd,
 
 	/* link in */
 	sysfs_addrm_start(&acxt, parent_sd);
+
 	if (!sysfs_find_dirent(parent_sd, name)) {
 		sysfs_add_one(&acxt, sd);
 		sysfs_link_sibling(sd);
 	}
-	if (sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt)) {
-		*p_sd = sd;
-		return 0;
+
+	if (!sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt)) {
+		sysfs_put(sd);
+		return -EEXIST;
 	}
 
-	sysfs_put(sd);
-	return -EEXIST;
+	*p_sd = sd;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 int sysfs_create_subdir(struct kobject *kobj, const char *name,
diff --git a/fs/sysfs/file.c b/fs/sysfs/file.c
index cc497994b2a8..3e1cc062a740 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/file.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/file.c
@@ -410,11 +410,12 @@ int sysfs_add_file(struct sysfs_dirent *dir_sd, const struct attribute *attr,
 		sysfs_link_sibling(sd);
 	}
 
-	if (sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt))
-		return 0;
+	if (!sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt)) {
+		sysfs_put(sd);
+		return -EEXIST;
+	}
 
-	sysfs_put(sd);
-	return -EEXIST;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/fs/sysfs/symlink.c b/fs/sysfs/symlink.c
index d056e9695cd6..4ce687f0b5d0 100644
--- a/fs/sysfs/symlink.c
+++ b/fs/sysfs/symlink.c
@@ -97,11 +97,13 @@ int sysfs_create_link(struct kobject * kobj, struct kobject * target, const char
 		sysfs_link_sibling(sd);
 	}
 
-	if (sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt))
-		return 0;
+	if (!sysfs_addrm_finish(&acxt)) {
+		error = -EEXIST;
+		goto out_put;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
 
-	error = -EEXIST;
-	/* fall through */
  out_put:
 	sysfs_put(target_sd);
 	sysfs_put(sd);