diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
index efc4ba34c06e..ef755dd5e68f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gem/i915_gem_context.c
@@ -439,29 +439,36 @@ static bool __cancel_engine(struct intel_engine_cs *engine)
 	return __reset_engine(engine);
 }
 
-static struct intel_engine_cs *__active_engine(struct i915_request *rq)
+static bool
+__active_engine(struct i915_request *rq, struct intel_engine_cs **active)
 {
 	struct intel_engine_cs *engine, *locked;
+	bool ret = false;
 
 	/*
 	 * Serialise with __i915_request_submit() so that it sees
 	 * is-banned?, or we know the request is already inflight.
+	 *
+	 * Note that rq->engine is unstable, and so we double
+	 * check that we have acquired the lock on the final engine.
 	 */
 	locked = READ_ONCE(rq->engine);
 	spin_lock_irq(&locked->active.lock);
 	while (unlikely(locked != (engine = READ_ONCE(rq->engine)))) {
 		spin_unlock(&locked->active.lock);
-		spin_lock(&engine->active.lock);
 		locked = engine;
+		spin_lock(&locked->active.lock);
 	}
 
-	engine = NULL;
-	if (i915_request_is_active(rq) && rq->fence.error != -EIO)
-		engine = rq->engine;
+	if (!i915_request_completed(rq)) {
+		if (i915_request_is_active(rq) && rq->fence.error != -EIO)
+			*active = locked;
+		ret = true;
+	}
 
 	spin_unlock_irq(&locked->active.lock);
 
-	return engine;
+	return ret;
 }
 
 static struct intel_engine_cs *active_engine(struct intel_context *ce)
@@ -472,17 +479,16 @@ static struct intel_engine_cs *active_engine(struct intel_context *ce)
 	if (!ce->timeline)
 		return NULL;
 
-	mutex_lock(&ce->timeline->mutex);
-	list_for_each_entry_reverse(rq, &ce->timeline->requests, link) {
-		if (i915_request_completed(rq))
-			break;
+	rcu_read_lock();
+	list_for_each_entry_rcu(rq, &ce->timeline->requests, link) {
+		if (i915_request_is_active(rq) && i915_request_completed(rq))
+			continue;
 
 		/* Check with the backend if the request is inflight */
-		engine = __active_engine(rq);
-		if (engine)
+		if (__active_engine(rq, &engine))
 			break;
 	}
-	mutex_unlock(&ce->timeline->mutex);
+	rcu_read_unlock();
 
 	return engine;
 }