diff --git a/fs/notify/mark.c b/fs/notify/mark.c
index b2640d836a71..d17628580a57 100644
--- a/fs/notify/mark.c
+++ b/fs/notify/mark.c
@@ -903,6 +903,10 @@ static int fsnotify_add_mark_list(struct fsnotify_mark *mark, void *obj,
 	if (WARN_ON(!fsnotify_valid_obj_type(obj_type)))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
+	/* the filesystem doesn't want its objects watched */
+	if (sb && (sb->s_type->fs_flags & FS_DISALLOW_NOTIFY))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
 	/*
 	 * Attach the sb info before attaching a connector to any object on sb.
 	 * The sb info will remain attached as long as sb lives.
diff --git a/fs/nullfs.c b/fs/nullfs.c
index 40aa228bd81a..55a04f2d7761 100644
--- a/fs/nullfs.c
+++ b/fs/nullfs.c
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ static int nullfs_init_fs_context(struct fs_context *fc)
 
 struct file_system_type nullfs_fs_type = {
 	.name			= "nullfs",
+	.fs_flags		= FS_DISALLOW_NOTIFY,
 	.init_fs_context	= nullfs_init_fs_context,
 	.kill_sb		= kill_anon_super,
 };
diff --git a/include/linux/fs.h b/include/linux/fs.h
index f9d1e05e8ae6..784fa20217c4 100644
--- a/include/linux/fs.h
+++ b/include/linux/fs.h
@@ -2296,6 +2296,7 @@ struct file_system_type {
 #define FS_POWER_FREEZE		256	/* Always freeze on suspend/hibernate */
 #define FS_USERNS_MOUNT_RESTRICTED 512	/* Restrict mount in userns if not already visible */
 #define FS_USERNS_DELEGATABLE	1024	/* Can be mounted inside userns from outside */
+#define FS_DISALLOW_NOTIFY	2048	/* No fsnotify marks on its objects */
 #define FS_RENAME_DOES_D_MOVE	32768	/* FS will handle d_move() during rename() internally. */
 	int (*init_fs_context)(struct fs_context *);
 	const struct fs_parameter_spec *parameters;