diff --git a/fs/fs_context.c b/fs/fs_context.c
index 23ad66cd94e1..a50584df97be 100644
--- a/fs/fs_context.c
+++ b/fs/fs_context.c
@@ -315,6 +315,10 @@ struct fs_context *fs_context_for_reconfigure(struct dentry *dentry,
 					unsigned int sb_flags,
 					unsigned int sb_flags_mask)
 {
+	/* kernel-internal superblocks are nobody's to reconfigure */
+	if (dentry->d_sb->s_flags & SB_NOUSER)
+		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
+
 	return alloc_fs_context(dentry->d_sb->s_type, dentry, sb_flags,
 				sb_flags_mask, FS_CONTEXT_FOR_RECONFIGURE);
 }
diff --git a/fs/fsopen.c b/fs/fsopen.c
index 9d5a7a22b529..ae19e5136598 100644
--- a/fs/fsopen.c
+++ b/fs/fsopen.c
@@ -190,9 +190,6 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE3(fspick, int, dfd, const char __user *, path, unsigned int, flags
 	ret = -EINVAL;
 	if (target.mnt->mnt_root != target.dentry)
 		goto err_path;
-	/* kernel-internal superblocks are nobody's to reconfigure */
-	if (target.dentry->d_sb->s_flags & SB_NOUSER)
-		goto err_path;
 
 	fc = fs_context_for_reconfigure(target.dentry, 0, 0);
 	if (IS_ERR(fc)) {