diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_channel.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_channel.c
index a7583a8ddb01..764dd672112a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_channel.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_channel.c
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ nouveau_channel_alloc(struct drm_device *dev, struct nouveau_channel **chan_ret,
 {
 	struct drm_nouveau_private *dev_priv = dev->dev_private;
 	struct nouveau_fifo_engine *pfifo = &dev_priv->engine.fifo;
+	struct nouveau_fpriv *fpriv = nouveau_fpriv(file_priv);
 	struct nouveau_channel *chan;
 	unsigned long flags;
 	int ret;
@@ -220,6 +221,11 @@ nouveau_channel_alloc(struct drm_device *dev, struct nouveau_channel **chan_ret,
 	nouveau_debugfs_channel_init(chan);
 
 	NV_DEBUG(dev, "channel %d initialised\n", chan->id);
+	if (fpriv) {
+		spin_lock(&fpriv->lock);
+		list_add(&chan->list, &fpriv->channels);
+		spin_unlock(&fpriv->lock);
+	}
 	*chan_ret = chan;
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -236,29 +242,23 @@ nouveau_channel_get_unlocked(struct nouveau_channel *ref)
 }
 
 struct nouveau_channel *
-nouveau_channel_get(struct drm_device *dev, struct drm_file *file_priv, int id)
+nouveau_channel_get(struct drm_file *file_priv, int id)
 {
-	struct drm_nouveau_private *dev_priv = dev->dev_private;
+	struct nouveau_fpriv *fpriv = nouveau_fpriv(file_priv);
 	struct nouveau_channel *chan;
-	unsigned long flags;
 
-	if (unlikely(id < 0 || id >= NOUVEAU_MAX_CHANNEL_NR))
-		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
-
-	spin_lock_irqsave(&dev_priv->channels.lock, flags);
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get_unlocked(dev_priv->channels.ptr[id]);
-	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&dev_priv->channels.lock, flags);
-
-	if (unlikely(!chan))
-		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
-
-	if (unlikely(file_priv && chan->file_priv != file_priv)) {
-		nouveau_channel_put_unlocked(&chan);
-		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
+	spin_lock(&fpriv->lock);
+	list_for_each_entry(chan, &fpriv->channels, list) {
+		if (chan->id == id) {
+			chan = nouveau_channel_get_unlocked(chan);
+			spin_unlock(&fpriv->lock);
+			mutex_lock(&chan->mutex);
+			return chan;
+		}
 	}
+	spin_unlock(&fpriv->lock);
 
-	mutex_lock(&chan->mutex);
-	return chan;
+	return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
 }
 
 void
@@ -383,10 +383,11 @@ nouveau_channel_cleanup(struct drm_device *dev, struct drm_file *file_priv)
 
 	NV_DEBUG(dev, "clearing FIFO enables from file_priv\n");
 	for (i = 0; i < engine->fifo.channels; i++) {
-		chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, i);
+		chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, i);
 		if (IS_ERR(chan))
 			continue;
 
+		list_del(&chan->list);
 		atomic_dec(&chan->users);
 		nouveau_channel_put(&chan);
 	}
@@ -459,10 +460,11 @@ nouveau_ioctl_fifo_free(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	struct drm_nouveau_channel_free *req = data;
 	struct nouveau_channel *chan;
 
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, req->channel);
+	chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, req->channel);
 	if (IS_ERR(chan))
 		return PTR_ERR(chan);
 
+	list_del(&chan->list);
 	atomic_dec(&chan->users);
 	nouveau_channel_put(&chan);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drv.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drv.h
index a378a9648198..633f1e6d421f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drv.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_drv.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 
 struct nouveau_fpriv {
 	spinlock_t lock;
+	struct list_head channels;
 };
 
 static inline struct nouveau_fpriv *
@@ -208,6 +209,7 @@ enum nouveau_channel_mutex_class {
 
 struct nouveau_channel {
 	struct drm_device *dev;
+	struct list_head list;
 	int id;
 
 	/* references to the channel data structure */
@@ -858,7 +860,7 @@ extern int  nouveau_channel_alloc(struct drm_device *dev,
 extern struct nouveau_channel *
 nouveau_channel_get_unlocked(struct nouveau_channel *);
 extern struct nouveau_channel *
-nouveau_channel_get(struct drm_device *, struct drm_file *, int id);
+nouveau_channel_get(struct drm_file *, int id);
 extern void nouveau_channel_put_unlocked(struct nouveau_channel **);
 extern void nouveau_channel_put(struct nouveau_channel **);
 extern void nouveau_channel_ref(struct nouveau_channel *chan,
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_gem.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_gem.c
index b52e46018245..2bd8d6da9c3d 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_gem.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_gem.c
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ nouveau_gem_ioctl_new(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	}
 
 	if (req->channel_hint) {
-		chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, req->channel_hint);
+		chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, req->channel_hint);
 		if (IS_ERR(chan))
 			return PTR_ERR(chan);
 	}
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ nouveau_gem_ioctl_pushbuf(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	struct nouveau_fence *fence = NULL;
 	int i, j, ret = 0, do_reloc = 0;
 
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, req->channel);
+	chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, req->channel);
 	if (IS_ERR(chan))
 		return PTR_ERR(chan);
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_notifier.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_notifier.c
index 5b39718ae1f8..104b93b9f852 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_notifier.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_notifier.c
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ nouveau_ioctl_notifier_alloc(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	if (unlikely(dev_priv->card_type >= NV_C0))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, na->channel);
+	chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, na->channel);
 	if (IS_ERR(chan))
 		return PTR_ERR(chan);
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_object.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_object.c
index 8f97016f5b26..8c9895827875 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_object.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_object.c
@@ -909,7 +909,7 @@ int nouveau_ioctl_grobj_alloc(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	if (init->handle == ~0)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, init->channel);
+	chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, init->channel);
 	if (IS_ERR(chan))
 		return PTR_ERR(chan);
 
@@ -936,7 +936,7 @@ int nouveau_ioctl_gpuobj_free(struct drm_device *dev, void *data,
 	struct nouveau_channel *chan;
 	int ret;
 
-	chan = nouveau_channel_get(dev, file_priv, objfree->channel);
+	chan = nouveau_channel_get(file_priv, objfree->channel);
 	if (IS_ERR(chan))
 		return PTR_ERR(chan);
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_state.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_state.c
index 9965063beb69..b38b28066836 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_state.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/nouveau/nouveau_state.c
@@ -774,6 +774,8 @@ nouveau_open(struct drm_device *dev, struct drm_file *file_priv)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	spin_lock_init(&fpriv->lock);
+	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&fpriv->channels);
+
 	file_priv->driver_priv = fpriv;
 	return 0;
 }