diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
index 4b040740678c..6df826fc787c 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_icache.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ xfs_inode_alloc(
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&ip->i_ioend_list);
 	spin_lock_init(&ip->i_ioend_lock);
 	ip->i_next_unlinked = NULLAGINO;
-	ip->i_prev_unlinked = NULLAGINO;
+	ip->i_prev_unlinked = 0;
 
 	return ip;
 }
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
index 8c7cbe7f47ef..8c1782a72487 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.c
@@ -2015,6 +2015,7 @@ xfs_iunlink_insert_inode(
 	}
 
 	/* Point the head of the list to point to this inode. */
+	ip->i_prev_unlinked = NULLAGINO;
 	return xfs_iunlink_update_bucket(tp, pag, agibp, bucket_index, agino);
 }
 
@@ -2117,7 +2118,7 @@ xfs_iunlink_remove_inode(
 	}
 
 	ip->i_next_unlinked = NULLAGINO;
-	ip->i_prev_unlinked = NULLAGINO;
+	ip->i_prev_unlinked = 0;
 	return error;
 }
 
diff --git a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
index 225f6f93c2fa..c0211ff2874e 100644
--- a/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
+++ b/fs/xfs/xfs_inode.h
@@ -68,8 +68,21 @@ typedef struct xfs_inode {
 	uint64_t		i_diflags2;	/* XFS_DIFLAG2_... */
 	struct timespec64	i_crtime;	/* time created */
 
-	/* unlinked list pointers */
+	/*
+	 * Unlinked list pointers.  These point to the next and previous inodes
+	 * in the AGI unlinked bucket list, respectively.  These fields can
+	 * only be updated with the AGI locked.
+	 *
+	 * i_next_unlinked caches di_next_unlinked.
+	 */
 	xfs_agino_t		i_next_unlinked;
+
+	/*
+	 * If the inode is not on an unlinked list, this field is zero.  If the
+	 * inode is the first element in an unlinked list, this field is
+	 * NULLAGINO.  Otherwise, i_prev_unlinked points to the previous inode
+	 * in the unlinked list.
+	 */
 	xfs_agino_t		i_prev_unlinked;
 
 	/* VFS inode */
@@ -81,6 +94,11 @@ typedef struct xfs_inode {
 	struct list_head	i_ioend_list;
 } xfs_inode_t;
 
+static inline bool xfs_inode_on_unlinked_list(const struct xfs_inode *ip)
+{
+	return ip->i_prev_unlinked != 0;
+}
+
 static inline bool xfs_inode_has_attr_fork(struct xfs_inode *ip)
 {
 	return ip->i_forkoff > 0;