diff --git a/fs/afs/dynroot.c b/fs/afs/dynroot.c
index d8bf52f77d93..faed91d65dc8 100644
--- a/fs/afs/dynroot.c
+++ b/fs/afs/dynroot.c
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ struct inode *afs_iget_pseudo_dir(struct super_block *sb, bool root)
 	inode->i_size		= 0;
 	inode->i_mode		= S_IFDIR | S_IRUGO | S_IXUGO;
 	if (root) {
-		inode->i_op	= &afs_dynroot_inode_operations;
+		inode->i_op	= &simple_dir_inode_operations;
 		inode->i_fop	= &simple_dir_operations;
 	} else {
 		inode->i_op	= &afs_autocell_inode_operations;
@@ -185,31 +185,6 @@ struct inode *afs_try_auto_mntpt(struct dentry *dentry, struct inode *dir)
 	return ret == -ENOENT ? NULL : ERR_PTR(ret);
 }
 
-/*
- * Look up an entry in a dynroot directory.
- */
-static struct dentry *afs_dynroot_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
-					 unsigned int flags)
-{
-	_enter("%pd", dentry);
-
-	ASSERTCMP(d_inode(dentry), ==, NULL);
-
-	if (flags & LOOKUP_CREATE)
-		return ERR_PTR(-EOPNOTSUPP);
-
-	if (dentry->d_name.len >= AFSNAMEMAX) {
-		_leave(" = -ENAMETOOLONG");
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENAMETOOLONG);
-	}
-
-	return d_splice_alias(afs_try_auto_mntpt(dentry, dir), dentry);
-}
-
-const struct inode_operations afs_dynroot_inode_operations = {
-	.lookup		= afs_dynroot_lookup,
-};
-
 const struct dentry_operations afs_dynroot_dentry_operations = {
 	.d_delete	= always_delete_dentry,
 	.d_release	= afs_d_release,
@@ -233,22 +208,20 @@ int afs_dynroot_mkdir(struct afs_net *net, struct afs_cell *cell)
 	/* Let the ->lookup op do the creation */
 	root = sb->s_root;
 	inode_lock(root->d_inode);
-	subdir = lookup_one_len(cell->name, root, cell->name_len);
+	subdir = start_creating_persistent(root, cell->name);
 	if (IS_ERR(subdir)) {
 		ret = PTR_ERR(subdir);
 		goto unlock;
 	}
+	d_add(subdir, afs_try_auto_mntpt(subdir, root->d_inode));
 
-	dsubdir = lookup_one_len(dotname, root, cell->name_len + 1);
+	dsubdir = start_creating_persistent(root, dotname);
 	if (IS_ERR(dsubdir)) {
 		ret = PTR_ERR(dsubdir);
-		dput(subdir);
+		d_make_discardable(subdir);
 		goto unlock;
 	}
-
-	/* Note that we're retaining extra refs on the dentries. */
-	subdir->d_fsdata = (void *)1UL;
-	dsubdir->d_fsdata = (void *)1UL;
+	d_add(dsubdir, afs_try_auto_mntpt(dsubdir, root->d_inode));
 	ret = 0;
 unlock:
 	inode_unlock(root->d_inode);
@@ -257,23 +230,9 @@ int afs_dynroot_mkdir(struct afs_net *net, struct afs_cell *cell)
 
 static void afs_dynroot_rm_one_dir(struct dentry *root, const char *name, size_t name_len)
 {
-	struct dentry *subdir;
-
-	/* Don't want to trigger a lookup call, which will re-add the cell */
-	subdir = try_lookup_one_len(name, root, name_len);
-	if (IS_ERR_OR_NULL(subdir)) {
-		_debug("lookup %ld", PTR_ERR(subdir));
-		return;
-	}
-
-	_debug("rmdir %pd %u", subdir, d_count(subdir));
-
-	if (subdir->d_fsdata) {
-		_debug("unpin %u", d_count(subdir));
-		subdir->d_fsdata = NULL;
-		dput(subdir);
-	}
-	dput(subdir);
+	struct dentry *subdir = lookup_positive_unlocked(name, root, name_len);
+	if (!IS_ERR(subdir))
+		simple_recursive_removal(subdir, NULL);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -288,10 +247,8 @@ void afs_dynroot_rmdir(struct afs_net *net, struct afs_cell *cell)
 	if (!sb || atomic_read(&sb->s_active) == 0)
 		return;
 
-	inode_lock(sb->s_root->d_inode);
 	afs_dynroot_rm_one_dir(sb->s_root, cell->name, cell->name_len);
 	afs_dynroot_rm_one_dir(sb->s_root, dotname, cell->name_len + 1);
-	inode_unlock(sb->s_root->d_inode);
 	_leave("");
 }
 
@@ -349,14 +306,14 @@ static struct dentry *afs_dynroot_create_symlink(struct dentry *root, const char
 	if (name[0] == '.')
 		fid.vnode = 3;
 
-	dentry = d_alloc_name(root, name);
-	if (!dentry)
-		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+	dentry = d_alloc_persistent(root, name);
+	if (IS_ERR(dentry))
+		return dentry;
 
 	inode = iget5_locked(dentry->d_sb, fid.vnode,
 			     afs_iget5_pseudo_test, afs_iget5_pseudo_set, &fid);
 	if (!inode) {
-		dput(dentry);
+		d_make_discardable(dentry);
 		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
 	}
 
@@ -365,7 +322,7 @@ static struct dentry *afs_dynroot_create_symlink(struct dentry *root, const char
 	/* there shouldn't be an existing inode */
 	if (WARN_ON_ONCE(!(inode->i_state & I_NEW))) {
 		iput(inode);
-		dput(dentry);
+		d_make_discardable(dentry);
 		return ERR_PTR(-EIO);
 	}
 
@@ -382,7 +339,7 @@ static struct dentry *afs_dynroot_create_symlink(struct dentry *root, const char
 	inode->i_flags		|= S_NOATIME;
 
 	unlock_new_inode(inode);
-	d_splice_alias(inode, dentry);
+	d_add(dentry, inode);
 	return dentry;
 }
 
@@ -407,13 +364,9 @@ static int afs_dynroot_symlink(struct afs_net *net)
 	dsymlink = afs_dynroot_create_symlink(root, ".@cell");
 	if (IS_ERR(dsymlink)) {
 		ret = PTR_ERR(dsymlink);
-		dput(symlink);
+		d_make_discardable(symlink);
 		goto unlock;
 	}
-
-	/* Note that we're retaining extra refs on the dentries. */
-	symlink->d_fsdata = (void *)1UL;
-	dsymlink->d_fsdata = (void *)1UL;
 	ret = 0;
 unlock:
 	inode_unlock(root->d_inode);
@@ -459,26 +412,10 @@ int afs_dynroot_populate(struct super_block *sb)
 void afs_dynroot_depopulate(struct super_block *sb)
 {
 	struct afs_net *net = afs_sb2net(sb);
-	struct dentry *root = sb->s_root, *subdir;
 
 	/* Prevent more subdirs from being created */
 	mutex_lock(&net->proc_cells_lock);
 	if (net->dynroot_sb == sb)
 		net->dynroot_sb = NULL;
 	mutex_unlock(&net->proc_cells_lock);
-
-	if (root) {
-		struct hlist_node *n;
-		inode_lock(root->d_inode);
-
-		/* Remove all the pins for dirs created for manually added cells */
-		hlist_for_each_entry_safe(subdir, n, &root->d_children, d_sib) {
-			if (subdir->d_fsdata) {
-				subdir->d_fsdata = NULL;
-				dput(subdir);
-			}
-		}
-
-		inode_unlock(root->d_inode);
-	}
 }
diff --git a/fs/afs/internal.h b/fs/afs/internal.h
index 90f407774a9a..cb6d5c33c8fc 100644
--- a/fs/afs/internal.h
+++ b/fs/afs/internal.h
@@ -1108,7 +1108,6 @@ extern int afs_silly_iput(struct dentry *, struct inode *);
 /*
  * dynroot.c
  */
-extern const struct inode_operations afs_dynroot_inode_operations;
 extern const struct dentry_operations afs_dynroot_dentry_operations;
 
 extern struct inode *afs_try_auto_mntpt(struct dentry *, struct inode *);