diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
index cac0c52fc681..4a709c625ccb 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
@@ -717,7 +717,8 @@ err_free:
 }
 
 static inline struct i915_gem_engines *
-__context_engines_await(const struct i915_gem_context *ctx)
+__context_engines_await(const struct i915_gem_context *ctx,
+			bool *user_engines)
 {
 	struct i915_gem_engines *engines;
 
@@ -726,6 +727,10 @@ __context_engines_await(const struct i915_gem_context *ctx)
 		engines = rcu_dereference(ctx->engines);
 		GEM_BUG_ON(!engines);
 
+		if (user_engines)
+			*user_engines = i915_gem_context_user_engines(ctx);
+
+		/* successful await => strong mb */
 		if (unlikely(!i915_sw_fence_await(&engines->fence)))
 			continue;
 
@@ -749,7 +754,7 @@ context_apply_all(struct i915_gem_context *ctx,
 	struct intel_context *ce;
 	int err = 0;
 
-	e = __context_engines_await(ctx);
+	e = __context_engines_await(ctx, NULL);
 	for_each_gem_engine(ce, e, it) {
 		err = fn(ce, data);
 		if (err)
@@ -1075,7 +1080,7 @@ static int context_barrier_task(struct i915_gem_context *ctx,
 		return err;
 	}
 
-	e = __context_engines_await(ctx);
+	e = __context_engines_await(ctx, NULL);
 	if (!e) {
 		i915_active_release(&cb->base);
 		return -ENOENT;
@@ -2095,11 +2100,14 @@ static int copy_ring_size(struct intel_context *dst,
 static int clone_engines(struct i915_gem_context *dst,
 			 struct i915_gem_context *src)
 {
-	struct i915_gem_engines *e = i915_gem_context_lock_engines(src);
-	struct i915_gem_engines *clone;
+	struct i915_gem_engines *clone, *e;
 	bool user_engines;
 	unsigned long n;
 
+	e = __context_engines_await(src, &user_engines);
+	if (!e)
+		return -ENOENT;
+
 	clone = alloc_engines(e->num_engines);
 	if (!clone)
 		goto err_unlock;
@@ -2141,9 +2149,7 @@ static int clone_engines(struct i915_gem_context *dst,
 		}
 	}
 	clone->num_engines = n;
-
-	user_engines = i915_gem_context_user_engines(src);
-	i915_gem_context_unlock_engines(src);
+	i915_sw_fence_complete(&e->fence);
 
 	/* Serialised by constructor */
 	engines_idle_release(dst, rcu_replace_pointer(dst->engines, clone, 1));
@@ -2154,7 +2160,7 @@ static int clone_engines(struct i915_gem_context *dst,
 	return 0;
 
 err_unlock:
-	i915_gem_context_unlock_engines(src);
+	i915_sw_fence_complete(&e->fence);
 	return -ENOMEM;
 }