diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
index fd169cf2f75a..051bc357ff65 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
@@ -986,9 +986,10 @@ free_engines:
 	return err;
 }
 
-void i915_gem_context_release(struct kref *ref)
+static void i915_gem_context_release_work(struct work_struct *work)
 {
-	struct i915_gem_context *ctx = container_of(ref, typeof(*ctx), ref);
+	struct i915_gem_context *ctx = container_of(work, typeof(*ctx),
+						    release_work);
 
 	trace_i915_context_free(ctx);
 	GEM_BUG_ON(!i915_gem_context_is_closed(ctx));
@@ -1002,6 +1003,13 @@ void i915_gem_context_release(struct kref *ref)
 	kfree_rcu(ctx, rcu);
 }
 
+void i915_gem_context_release(struct kref *ref)
+{
+	struct i915_gem_context *ctx = container_of(ref, typeof(*ctx), ref);
+
+	queue_work(ctx->i915->wq, &ctx->release_work);
+}
+
 static inline struct i915_gem_engines *
 __context_engines_static(const struct i915_gem_context *ctx)
 {
@@ -1303,6 +1311,7 @@ i915_gem_create_context(struct drm_i915_private *i915,
 	ctx->sched = pc->sched;
 	mutex_init(&ctx->mutex);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->link);
+	INIT_WORK(&ctx->release_work, i915_gem_context_release_work);
 
 	spin_lock_init(&ctx->stale.lock);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->stale.engines);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context_types.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context_types.h
index 94c03a97cb77..0c38789bd4a8 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context_types.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context_types.h
@@ -288,6 +288,18 @@ struct i915_gem_context {
 	 */
 	struct kref ref;
 
+	/**
+	 * @release_work:
+	 *
+	 * Work item for deferred cleanup, since i915_gem_context_put() tends to
+	 * be called from hardirq context.
+	 *
+	 * FIXME: The only real reason for this is &i915_gem_engines.fence, all
+	 * other callers are from process context and need at most some mild
+	 * shuffling to pull the i915_gem_context_put() call out of a spinlock.
+	 */
+	struct work_struct release_work;
+
 	/**
 	 * @rcu: rcu_head for deferred freeing.
 	 */
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/selftests/mock_context.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/selftests/mock_context.c
index fee070df1c97..067d68a6fe4c 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/selftests/mock_context.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/selftests/mock_context.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ mock_context(struct drm_i915_private *i915,
 	kref_init(&ctx->ref);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ctx->link);
 	ctx->i915 = i915;
+	INIT_WORK(&ctx->release_work, i915_gem_context_release_work);
 
 	mutex_init(&ctx->mutex);